Dairy is the country’s largest export industry, but recent figures from Stats NZ show domestic butter prices have surged 65% and people are getting desperate
New Zealanders are driving cross-country for hours in pursuit of cheap butter while some are ordering it from Australia or even churning their own cream, as the country battles sky-high dairy prices.
Despite dairy being the country’s largest export industry, recent figures from Stats NZ show domestic butter prices surged 65% in the year to March, pushing the average price for 500g to $7.42 (£3.30) – that’s up about $3 from this time last year.
People have been queueing at Costco in Auckland to bulk buy its cheaper blocks, prompting the wholesaler to cap shoppers’ purchases to 30 blocks per shopper.
Kaleb Halverson – who has earned the nicknames “Costco cowboy” and “butter bandit” – has started a side-hustle driving the 10-hour round trip from Taranaki to Auckland to stock up on cheap butter for his community.
