Homewares
With borders open again and people making the move to New Zealand, there have been quite a few questions about where to get housewares. If you are coming over and starting fresh or find that you need a few new things in a new house, this list of shops to check out may be useful. Before I go down this rabbit hole, though, I want to reiterate that I am “Team Bring Everything.” If you can, pack up all your things, stick them in a container, and wait for the day when it arrives. I know some people aren’t interested in doing that, but if you’re on the fence, I hope I can convince you to bring things into the country. With that being said, here are some stores you may need either while planning your moving budget or when you are already here:
All-In-One Stores
Briscoes - This is the closest thing to an American Bed, Bath, & Beyond in New Zealand. They’ve got everything from ironing boards to towels, picture frames, bedding, and dishes. However, DO NOT BUY anything from here if it isn’t on sale. The sales are frequent and halfway decent, but if you are in need of a last minute ironing board, you might end up paying $300 for it.
Farmer’s - Farmer’s is a department store akin to a Dillard’s or possibly a seen-better-days Macy’s. It has a decent selection of bedding, towels, kitchenware, decor, and other home items. The quality isn’t the best - everything I’ve gotten from there has faded after a couple of washes - but if you can get things on sale, the price is about right.
K-mart - If you need something cheap, both monetarily and quality-wise, this is the place to go. Don’t expect anything to last very long, and as long as you go in with the expectation that any item bought from K-mart will likely self destruct at any moment, you’ll be fine.
The Warehouse - This chain is somewhere between a Walmart and a Target, and like Target, there are nice ones and not-so-nice ones. You can find all sorts of home goods and decor, particle board furniture that will last a short time, and plenty of organisation tools. It’s generally inexpensive and not stellar quality, but I think it is a (small) step up from K-mart.
General Home Goods (no electronics, aesthetically pleasing)
Citta - Citta is an extremely popular brand with a wide offering of bed linens, bathroom items, kitchen & dining goods, and a smattering of furniture. Fun fact: they have an outlet store in Glen Innes that often has steeply discounted items that are exactly the same as the items in stores and online.
Crave Home - This shop in Birkenhead doesn’t have a huge selection of any one thing, but it has a wide selection of items carried. You’ll find more decorative and out of the ordinary items here than many other places, so if you find yourself in need of avocado savers, hand towels, and a gift for a friend, this is a good place to go.
Indie Home Collective - This is the type of Kiwi store that gives retail and shopping a bad rap. The items here are billed as “luxury” and come from around the world, but if you’re into the aesthetic this shop curates, then you will love it. It’s aspirational in a hand-forged-butter-knife kind of way.
Bedding and Towels
First, a quick note about bedding in New Zealand. New Zealand and the US have different sized beds, with the exception of queen size. There is no guarantee that the mattress you bring from the US will work with any sheets in New Zealand, so if you bring your US mattress, bring an extra set (or two, or three) of sheets with you. In a pinch, Amazon can always deliver a new set to NZ.
Adairs - I struggled on where to put Adairs on this list because it has a huge focus on bedding and linens - especially funky patterns and fun colours, but it also has some decor, a smattering of tableware (though not much in the way of actual dishes or silverware) and furniture. If you need something a little kooky or for the kids, this is a good place to check. The quality isn’t the best, but it’s not the worst either.
Bed, Bath, & Beyond - New Zealand has its own version of BB&B, but this one is minuscule in comparison to its American counterpart. You won’t find kitchenware or small appliances here. The main focus is bedding, bath, and a smattering of decor items. The sales are frequent here as well, so if you’re not in a rush, you can most likely wait a couple of weeks and get a discount on a non-sale item.
Wallace Cotton - While technically Wallace Cotton carries home items, its primary focus is bedding (New Zealand sizes, of course) and secondly bath and kitchen linens. If you’re in the market for new sheets or beach towels, this is worth looking into, especially if you want to support a smaller, home grown store.
Organization
Mitre10 - Yes, this is a huge hardware store like Lowe’s or Home Depot, but it is also the primary source of all of the The Home Edit boxes, bins, turntables, etc. Enough said.
Simplify My Home - Much in the style of The Home Edit, Simplify My Home has all sorts of pantry and closet goodies that look good and will keep things sorted.
Storage Box - There’s no Container Store here, but this is the closest you’ll get. There are plenty of containers, storage ideas, drawer organisers, and baskets to fix most organisation problems. Bonus: Storage Box also carries Elfa products.
Small Appliances
This is the one area where I would say don’t go out of your way to bring your American small kitchen appliances unless you want transformers and converters all over the place. New Zealand’s power is 230/240v 50hz, while most US equipment is 10v 60hz.
Chef’s Compliments - There is one physical location for this shop in Taupo, but if you know what you need (like Cuisinart items which aren’t ubiquitous in New Zealand) then you can shop online. There is a lot more than just small appliances here, too. Most any kitchen gadget can be found.
Harvey Norman - This store has known and name brand small appliances - think Breville, Kenwood, SunBeam, etc. If you need a Vitamix or a KitchenAid mixer, you can get them here. I’ve been generally impressed with how well the staff knows their product lines and can help when picking among appliances, so it is a great place to do research. It isn’t the cheapest place (unless a good sale is on) but the helpful staff makes up for it.
Noel Leeming - Is this an electronics store? Yes. Can you pick up a toaster with a side of iPad? Yes. Noel Leeming’s selection isn’t quite as good as Harvey Norman’s, but it is a good idea to price compare one against the other. Often they have the same item, but with rotating sales it is better to go one place rather than the other.
Like all shopping in New Zealand, it pays to do your homework before pulling the trigger on a home goods purchase. If you don’t, you’re likely to pay way too much and have a bitter taste in your mouth. I always check international sites and multiple stores in country before making most purchases. The variation in pricing is all over the place!
