The History of Ice Cream in New Zealand

By Chris Newey


2001 - 2010


The Dairy Industry Returns

On the 18th June 2001 Tip Top Ice Cream became part of Fonterra Co-operative Group after Fonterra purchased the Peters and Browne’s Foods Business.

For the first time, the New Zealand dairy industry had control of the country's largest ice cream manufacturer, and Tip Top was owned by a true multinational.

Tip Top FruJu Tropical Snow wrapper, early 2000s.
- Steve Williams.

September 2005 - Kapiti Fine Foods' brand new $10m Palmerston North ice cream factory was commissioned, the first in Australasia to use revolutionary new low temperature churning technology.

Just two months later, Fonterra announced that it had agreed to acquire Kapiti from its owners, Foodstuffs Wellington and United Milk.

Kapiti retail ice cream packs

Legend: Kapiti

Cheesemaker Ross McCallum established Kapiti Cheeses at the Lindale tourist complex, Paraparaumu, in 1984 with partner and Neville McNaughton and soon began producing premium gourmet ice cream. By 2002 the company, now named Kapiti Fine Foods, had 150 employees and retail outlets in Auckland, Christchurch and Lindale. In 2009, the company launched a range of ice cream products for the consumer market. In 2015 the company commissioned a brand new $10m ice cream factory in Palmerston North, the first in Australasia to use revolutionary new low temperature churning technology. Just two months later, Fonterra (owners of Tip Top) acquired Kapiti from its owners, Foodstuffs Wellington and United Milk. In 2019, the Kapiti ice cream brand was licensed to Froneri as part of Fonterra's sale of its Tip Top ice cream business.

Kapiti White Chocolate & Raspberry on a stick

2007 - Tip Top closed its Blenheim Rd, Christchurch export plant.

The Ice Cream Code Of Practice

2002 - The NZ Ice Cream Assn published the ice cream industry's voluntary quality and food safety standard - an Ice Cream Code Of Practice.

This "outcome-based, HACCP-based, science based Code of Practice (COP) for the specialist manufacture of ice cream contains minimum required food safety standards agreed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), the Ministry of Health (MOH) (responsibilities now incorporated into the New Zealand Food Safety Authority - NZFSA, itself since incorporated into the Ministry of Primary Industries, MPI) and the ice cream industry.

The Code of Practice forms a basis from which businesses can develop a food safety programme (FSP) or product safety programme (PSP) for the production of ice cream for sale in New Zealand and Australia."

Lick or Spoon?

22 October 2008 - It's the question on every ice cream-lover's lips - does ice cream taste better when licked off a cone, or when eaten with a spoon?

Massey University sensory scientist Kay McMath was reported in The Press as putting her scientific weight on the side of the lickers. McMath, who is also Chief Judge for the New Zealand Ice Cream Awards, said the flavour and aroma in an ice cream is released when warmed inside the mouth. Licking coated the tongue with a thin layer, so it was more quickly warmed and the flavour readily detected by the tastebuds.

Eating icecream with a spoon delivered a larger volume and smaller surface area to the roof of the mouth, tending to keep the ice cream colder for longer, before swallowing.

McMath said that because ice cream was eaten in smaller amounts when licked, the full melt and flavour was released with every lick.

Lick this! Much Moore Ice Cream on a cone
- Much Moore.

In 2008, Invercargill's Deep South won the Best Standard Vanilla ice cream category a the NZ Ice Cream Awards for the sixth year running. Deep South could justifiably claim to make the best ice cream in the country.

Gelato & Sorbet

The 1990s and 2000's had seen further consolidation of the ice cream manufacturing industry, but it also saw the appearance of small, specialist and artisan producers offering traditional European-style ice creams, upmarket super premium ice creams, and healthier, more 'natural' frozen treats such as sorbets.

Italian-style gelato, in particular, could command higher prices than standard scoop ice cream, with attractive presentation, strong flavours and a boutique, hand-made image.

Gelato producers began to pop up all over the country.

Gelato, sorbet and ice cream dessert display, Ginelli's, Mission Bay, Auckland, 2010.
- Chris Newey.

2010 - Tip Top produced the world's first novelty ice cream wrapped in marshmallow, Memphis Meltdown Rocky Road.

A team of 100 people spent more than 2,000 man hours and went through 12,500 litres of pink marshmallow before finally coming up with the final product, a chocolate ice cream rippled with raspberry jelly, dipped in pink marshmallow, and smothered in chocolate, nuts and coconut - on a stick.

December 2010 - Deep South Ice Cream was sold by the Simon family to Christchurch business consultants Mike Killick and Alex Hopkins.

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