The one-day scramble for a $6.50 block of butter

Wednesday, 20 August 2025

Butter is flying off the shelves at Night ‘n Day, with shoppers taking advantage of a shortlived but substantial discount.

The Kiwi-owned grocery chain rolled back the clock on butter prices, offering 500g blocks for just $6.50 – the average price in August 2024. The sale is on Wednesday, only until the held stock of 20,000 blocks run out.

Night ‘n Day normally sells the same blocks for $11.

The average 500g block of butter cost $8.59 in July, a 42.2% increase compared to the same time last year.

The bargain is the brainchild of Paddy Gower Has Issues reporter Karen O’Leary, who investigated why butter prices have skyrocketed for the show, which is back this week on Three and ThreeNow.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis congratulated the move, and called upon Woolworths and Foodstuffs to do the same.

“I would encourage Foodstuffs and Woolworths to do everything they can to make sure that Kiwi shoppers face lower prices,” she told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

“They have that power in their hands and they can exercise that any day they like. I’d want to congratulate Night ‘n Day deciding they will go out there and sell cheaper butter. You know what? That choice is available on any food product, to any grocery retailer any day.”

Speaking to Stuff, Night ‘n Day Kingsland manager Ankush Sharma said by 10.21am, one whole box had already been sold.

“We’ve sold around one carton, so that’s around 15 to 20 packs,” he said.

The store has limited packs to one per person, so everyone has a shot at getting one.

When Stuff contacted the store again at 11.42am, Sharma said another carton had just been sold. 40 packs had been sold.

Shopper Casey Wood told Stuff the cost of butter “sucks”.

“We only eat butter in our household so this is so exciting we get it for $6.50,” she said.

“It’s crazy, I don’t understand why its so expensive. Its exciting for us that its coming down a little bit.”

Wood said she would have “definitely” come out of her way to buy the butter.

“My son likes [butter] on his toast, and he likes to do it himself.”

Louise Thompson was also buying butter. Coming from a farming background, she understood why butter was expensive, but that didn’t make it any less “mindblowing”.

“I use butter, I don’t use anything else. Butter is butter,” she said.

“[The cost of butter] is mindblowing, but just everything has gotten so expensive in the last few years, its just ridiculous.”

Another shopper, who didn’t want their name used, said it wasn’t necessary for butter to be so expensive.

“A few years ago it used to be what, $3.99? Im grateful that someone stepped up with that sale.”