Aotearoa; A Leaky Boat?

New Zealand is a small wee country - a"pearl at the bottom of the world" according to Split Enz. New Zealand (as well as the rest of the western world) seems to be in a bit of a pickle at the moment. The cost of food, housing and everything else is increasing at what feels like an alarming rate. The number of people needing welfare is at the "highest number since the 1990s" according to The Salvation Army's 2025 State of the Nation report (1). Kiwis need some help and they need it fast.

We have a small population, so only in recent years have we seen overseas competition like Costco, and soon IKEA. And even then, that's only in our largest city - nothing for our regional friends in the rest of the country. Economic Growth minister Nicola Willis is said to be welcoming new competition in the supermarket sector, but what would this look like? Even with heavy-hitting American giant Costco setting up shop in Auckland, the roll-out of other Costco stores has no public timeline as of early 2025. This is despite the Auckland store being busier than any Australian location, and in the "top 20" Costco stores in the world (2). Surely the Auckland store has proven that New Zealand can sustain these new players? Yet we are faced with years of little or no progress when it comes to a real level of competition and impact from overseas players.

Is there a world in which kiwis can have more competition without waiting years for foreign intervention? New Zealand is a land of small businesses and corner stores. Instead of a Starbucks on every corner we have local coffee shops. Instead of over 100 (yes! over 100, I counted) different supermarket brands like in the USA (3), we have local fruit and veg stores and local markets. If we choose to we're able to shop locally. Local produce is also far more widely available across the country, which solves the "only for Auckland" problem. "But I can't get everything I need at the fruit and veg shop" I hear you say! You're right, we won't be able to solve all of our problems shopping locally but it's a heck of a start.

So, how do we get out of our comfort zones and start shopping differently? I want Custard to be the solution to that problem. If we want to start shopping locally, we need to get serious. What might feel like just a review to you could be the chance for someone else to find a new product that they would never have considered otherwise. Too often we're stuck in our usual habits. We need to give each other a push to try new stores and new products so that we can take some control back, and stop letting our fate rely on the big guys.

- Nicole