Dairies: New Zealand's Iconic Corner Shops

Convenience store, corner store, corner shop... these are just a few of the names used around the world to refer to a small store where people can quickly and easily buy everyday essentials like snacks, drinks, lollies, toiletries, and other basic groceries. They are often within walking distance and open for extended hours. In New Zealand, this kind of store is known as a ‘dairy’, and you will find out why soon.

In the 1880s, before supermarkets, people used to go to different specialty shops to get what they needed. They bought bread from a bakery, meat from a butcher, basic ingredients like flour, sugar, and spices from a grocer, and fruit and vegetables from a green grocer. How about dairy products? Well, in New Zealand, people bought them in shops called ‘dairy produce sellers’. Initially, these shops sold no more than 7 products, mainly cheese, milk, cream, butter, and eggs. At the time, due to strict retail laws, dairy retail sellers were the only shops allowed to sell dairy products, and they were one of the only shops allowed to open on Sundays. This was because the products they sold were daily essentials and perishable. During the Great Depression in the 1930s, money was tight for many New Zealand families. To get by, some people began selling goods from their homes, turning front rooms into small shops. This helped dairies grow as a place to buy everyday items.

Supermarkets started to appear around the mid-1950s, changing the way that people shopped. But as they weren’t allowed to open on Sundays, dairy produce sellers adapted by stocking a wider range of products, from bread and snacks to toiletries and other household basics. They became more important than ever, especially for Sunday shopping. Over time, the name ‘dairy produce seller’ was shortened to just ‘dairy’. As dairies changed and grew, many became known for their milkshakes and scooped ice cream, especially in summer. For generations of New Zealanders, stopping at the dairy for an ice cream or milkshake on a road trip, after the beach, or during a walk, became a tradition. Even today, many dairies still offer scooped ice cream and milkshakes, and if not, they always have a freezer full of ice blocks.

These days, there are less dairies around. Supermarkets are now open every day and have cheaper prices, and shopping habits have changed, like wanting to buy everything in one place. Dairies find it hard to compete. But people still appreciate their long hours and convenient locations, especially in areas where supermarkets are further away. Even though there aren’t as many now, dairies are still important. For a lot of Kiwis, seeing a dairy brings back memories from childhood. I still remember after school or on weekends, walking with my friends to the local dairy to get a dollar lolly mix, a chocolate bar and a can of fizzy drink.