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New Zealand’s priciest butter yet?

Auckland shoppers might have just spotted it with a jaw-dropping price tag of more than $18 for a standard size block.

Consumer New Zealand was sent a photo of the 500g tub of Mainland’s semi-soft butter priced at $18.29 in a supermarket chiller over the weekend.

Several commenters on Consumer NZ’s Facebook post questioned the “obscene” price.

“Anyone got any black market butter?” someone joked.

“I’m going to just buy a milking cow,” another said.

Is this the most expensive butter in New Zealand? Photo / Consumer NZ

Another compared it to the price they paid across the ditch. “500g of NZ butter in Australia is $7.79 NZD.”

While the exact store the butter was spotted in was not disclosed it appears to be one of the steepest prices compared with grocer competitors.

Pak‘nSave sells the identical 500g tub for $14.19 online, while New World has the pricey butter listed on their website for $16.49, with a club card deal dropping it to $16.49.

Woolworths has the same tub of butter on sale for $14.80. It normally retails for $16.50.

Supervalue has it normally priced at $17.99 but is currently marked down to $14.99.

Westgate, Auckland wholesaler Costco was forced to put purchase limits on its Kirkland Signature butter. Photo / Grace Xin Yin Wu

The whopping price of Mainland’s butter comes after the American grocery giant, Costco, priced its 1kg block of Kirkland Signature butter at $9.99, about half the cost of most competitors.

Why are butter prices so high?

According to Stats NZ butter prices are the highest they’ve been in two years.

Food prices increased 4.4% in the 12 months to May 2025, following a 3.7% increase in the 12 months to April 2025, according to figures released by Stats NZ.

“The cost of a 500 gram block of butter is nearly twice as expensive as the lower prices seen in early 2024,” prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said.

According to Dairy Companies Association of NZ executive director Kimberly Crewther, the price of butter in the international dairy market is currently at a historic high, reflecting strong demand relative to supply.

“The global supply-demand balance for butter is influenced by milk production trends, which are in turn influenced by a range of on-farm costs and the weather.

If you’ve noticed the high price of butter lately, you’re not alone. Photo / Greg Bowker

“In general, the trends globally have been for increased costs in recent years.

“The natural variation in weather across dairy producing regions is reflected in supply variation. That means milk supply and, in turn, dairy prices can have a cyclical element to them.”

Consumer NZ said a good way to save money on butter is to ignore the brand – butter is butter, so nutritionally, all brands are similar.