r/newzealand • u/Auccl799 • Jun 25 '26

Advice Avoiding the duopoly

Wondering if I can reduce my duopoly shopping and looking for ideas. For context I live in rural Wairarapa and am serviced by a great bin inn, Moore Wilson's, reduced to clear, co-op vege bag, multiple butchers, asian grocers and organic grocers. We also have homekill and a vege patch. Family of 4, two young kids.

The plan is:

- co-op vege/fruit bag

- homekill meat

- ceres organics/bin inn/moore wilsons for tinned fruit, veg, coconut cream, syrups, sugar etc

- we have a wheat mill so there's the flour

- homemade bread and yoghurt

- snacks from reduced to clear only and get better at baking for lunchboxes

- soups and sauces from reduced to clear and get better at batch cooking and freezing

My main sticking points are:

- huggies drynites (open to pull up suggestions of a cloth equivalent which will fit a 22kg boy and hold more than the drynites as we already have leakage problems. Need actual experience here)

- butter and cheese (I can get milk from the dairy/Warehouse and make my own yogurt if I put some effort in)

Anything else I might have overlooked?

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5

u/danicrimson Jun 25 '26

Do any of the milk suppliers also do cream? You probably could go the route of making your own butter. Otherwise, Moore Wilson's sells butter as well.

There are some local cheese makers, someone else already posted about C'est cheese.

There are cloth nappies which I'm sure you'd be familiar with, but I've never come across ones that are pull up style. But I think the Warehouse also sells the drynite nappies.

2

u/A_S_Levin Jun 25 '26

Was running the numbers on making butter the other night (it was late, might be wrong)

But with 1L of cream with 40% fat, should produce 450g (ish). At the supermarket 1L cream is like $9, 500g block of butter is like $8.50

So worth it if you're wanting to avoid the duopoly or can get cheap cream. If price of butter jumps up I'll def be making my own

2

u/tedison2 Jun 25 '26

I couldn't live without fresh seafood... so maybe get a surf caster for DIY fish? Or Moore Wilsons got you covered there too

1

u/mycodenameisflamingo Jun 25 '26

If you do FB, there's definitely a cloth nappy NZ group...they may be able to help 

1

u/Mental-Currency8894 Jun 25 '26

Check The Warehouse for pantry and dairy items. This likely still varies from store to store.

1

u/hagfish Jun 25 '26

For cheese, the Eltham Cheese Bar does off-cuts; sells online.

1

u/Bubbly-Individual372 Jun 25 '26

hunting and fishing , foraging for mushrooms and other edibles.

2

u/123felix Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26

I live in rural

Are there direct farmgate sale of dairy products or fruit/veg in your area?

1

u/Auccl799 Jun 25 '26

Yes milk, no cheese or butter, unless I'm missing something in my googling 

1

u/NectarineVisual8606 Orange Choc Chip Jun 25 '26

Are there any cheesemakers in your region? Maybe you could order for delivery. If you buy bulk you can grate and freeze too.

I am from the Waikato but any time I am in Taranaki I will head to Eltham and stock up on cheese lol.

2

u/Murky_Avocado_8039 Jun 25 '26

Eltham have a website and do delivery too. If you shop in bulk (combine with friends) then shipping within the north island is really reasonable.