The History of Ice Cream in New Zealand

By Chris Newey


2011 - 2020


Ice Cream Awards Expanded

26 May 2011 - For the first time, TWO Supreme Awards were awarded at the annual New Zealand Ice Cream Awards, a Supreme Award for a Large Manufacturer, and a Supreme Award for a Boutique Manufacturer.

The change was made as a result of the big increase in the numbers of small gourmet ice cream and gelato manufacturers in the 2000's, and in acknowledgment of the fact that these small boutique manufacturers occupy quite different positions in the market to the major ice cream manufacturers (those producing more than 500,000 litres per year).

The inaugural winner of the Supreme Award for a Boutique Manufacturer was Takapuna Beach Café and Store with its Coconut & Lime Curd Gelato, described by the judges as "a clever blend of Thai and tropical influence blended perfectly with a smooth velvety texture".

Takapuna Beach Café and Store, 2012.
- Chris Newey.

2011 - Deep South Ice Cream launched stunning new packaging, incorporating the beautiful scenery of the Southern Alps.

At the 2011 NZ Ice Cream Awards, Deep South Premium Vanilla won the Supreme Award for Large Manufacturers - judges awarded the ice cream perfect scores for creaminess, smoothness and flavour intensity.

Legend: Tip Top Boysenberry Ripple

In 2019, Tip Top Ice Cream's Boysenberry Ripple ice cream, a favourite flavour from Tip Top's standard 2-litre and scoop ranges, won the Supreme Award for a Large Manufacturer at the New Zealand Ice Cream & Gelato Awards for the fifth time! Winning against the country's very best premium ice creams, gelati and sorbets. Tip Top sourced their boysenberries for many years from Barry Wratten's orchard in Lower Moutere, Nelson. Boysenberry Ripple is a Kiwi classic and always one of Tip Top's best-selling flavours; true-to-fruit, ripe Nelson boysenberries rippled through smooth and creamy Tip Top ice cream.

Probiotic Ice Cream

April 2011 - The Gourmet Ice Cream Company, Dunedin, New Zealand, launched a new, world-first probiotic ice cream, developed in partnership with local biotechnology company BLIS Technologies.

The ice cream was designed to help protect against sore throats, cure bad breath and aid digestion, and contained around 10.4-per-cent milk fat, compared with the 28-per-cent milk fat of the company’s traditional super-premium recipe. Company owners Mark and Rae Scorgie said at the time that the new product had been a hit at retirement homes, boarding schools and hospitals.

BLIS Technologies purchased The Gourmet Ice Cream business in August 2011, and the BLIS K12™ retail range was launched:

Gourmet Ice Cream Company managing director Mark Scorgie and BLIS Technologies senior scientist Jeremy Burton sample a BLIS K12 ice cream, 2011.
- Stephen Jaquiery - Otago Daily Times.

BLIS Functional Foods Ltd operated The Gourmet Ice Cream Co. until February 2013, when they sold it back to the Scorgies. Unfortunately, the probiotic range has been discontinued.

Tip Top Turns 75

In 2010, Tip Top Ice Cream embarked on a $40 million project to enhance its product development capabilities and improve its working environment including a raft of new health and safety measures and extensive renovations at Tip Top Corner.

In 2011, Tip Top celebrated its 75th anniversary, with the original Trumpet girl Rachel Hunter, and various promotions including a free giveaway of 50,000 Jelly Tips.


November 2011 - In an ironic twist, Fonterra Brands, the parent company of Tip Top Ice Cream, won an appeal in court against a trademark registration by the owners of Dunedin's Tiptop Cafe.

Located on the corner of the Octagon, the Tip Top Cafe had been an institution in Dunedin for 75 years. Operated as the Sunshine Milk Bar by Albert Hayman, it became one of the original Tip Top Milk Bars in 1936, when Hayman's new Wellington milk bar venture with business partner Len Malaghan, Health Foods (NZ) Ltd, took it over.

The business had been renamed Tiptop Cafe and had moved five doors down the road, in Princes St, in 2007. It was later renamed TipTop Restaurant.

TipTop Restaurant sign, 2011.
- Otago Daily Times.

The Assistant Commissioner of Trade Marks Jenny Walden had originally given the green light for Tip Top Restaurant Ltd to register the trademark name for its cafe, ruling that its use would not be taken as indicating a connection with Fonterra (Tip Top ice cream) in the course of trade. "Within the New Zealand market there are currently three Tip Tops - bread, ice-cream and restaurant services," Ms Walden said.

Fonterra appealed, and in his decision to overturn the Tiptop Cafe trademark, Justice Young said: "The proposed expansion by [the cafe] raises the question whether this is an opportunistic application designed to trade on the existing Tip Top trademark and thereby advantage itself."

It seems ironic that the value of the "existing Tip Top trademark" at least in some small part grew out of the very cafe that was being taken exception to!

The site of the original Tip Top Cafe in the Octagon is now occupied by the Alibi Bar.


17 July 2012 - Tip Top Ice Cream celebrated the conclusion of a two-year, $40 million site modernisation project, with a dawn lighting up of its new look building on Tip Top corner (below, photo courtesy of Tip Top). Previously known for its rainbow stripes, the building now sports a fresh new look characterised by 600m² of glass walls.

4 June 2013 - The International Ice Cream Consortium (IICC) awarded Tip Top Crammed Jammin’ Cream Donut the coveted award of "Best Ice Cream".

The IICC is a global authority in ice cream excellence with vast international manufacturing representation including Germany, UK, Norway, Spain, Croatia, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Iran and China.

Ice Cream with a Social Conscience

Pride & Joy Ice Cream pod, Coronet Peak, 2013.
- Joy Ice Cream Ltd.

Tuesday 9 July 2013 - Joy Ice Cream Ltd launched Pride & Joy ice cream, selling from a custom-made, stainless steel cube-shaped "joy pod" on Coronet Peak skifield.

Joy Ice Cream was co-founded by James Coddington, Tony Balfour, and Ross McCallum, who was one of the founders of Kapiti Chees, and Kapiti Ice Cream, before selling to Fonterra.

A unique business model sets out to "entrepreneurize the unemployed".

Pride & Joy supply their unique, shiny, silver "pods", equipped with freezers, at cost, to young, hand-picked "remarkable un-employees", giving them a helping hand into their own business. Pride & Joy ice cream is made locally in small batches from all-New Zealand ingredients, using milk from Green Valley Dairies, fruit from Barkers™ in Geraldine, and pure vanilla from Heilala™.


1 July 2013 - Tip Top announced it had replaced all artificial colours and flavours with natural alternatives. The move, which came after more than two years of rigorous testing and research, was driven by consumer research which revealed that 81% of Kiwis are aware that artificial colours and flavours exist in most ice cream brands, and given the choice, 85% of Kiwis would choose an ice cream with natural colours and flavours over artificial.

Tip Top "Natural" campaign, 2013, featuring Tip Top favourites Rocky Road, Jelly Tip, FruJu and Choc Bar.
- Tip Top

Timeline: 2010s

August 2013 - Deep South Ice Cream closed down the original Rockdale Rd, Invercargill factory to consolidate production in their Christchurch plant, with the loss of 11 jobs.

November 2013 - in the ultimate Kiwi mash-up, Holy Moly Ice Cream and our favourite classic fizzy drink L&P teamed up to launch ‘L&P’OKEY’ flavour ice cream, featuring L&P Hokey Pokey and smashed Hokey Pokey pieces swirled through creamy L&P ice cream. ( ‘L&P’ and ‘Lemon and Paeroa’ are registered trade marks of Coca-Cola Amatil (N.Z.) Limited).

May 2015 - After a five year absence, Brian Simon, the 79-year-old Manda and Deep South brand founder and ice cream legend, returns to the ice cream business, consulting and churning out product from the old Deep South Rockdale Rd, Invercargill plant, for Christchurch-based company Dairyworks.

July 2015 - Jelly Tip July - a month-long, joint promotion saw Jelly Tip chocolate launched by Whittaker's, and Jelly Tip biscuits launched by Griffins. Whittaker's limited edition run of 850,00 x 250g blocks, intended to last for the month, sold out within two weeks.

Whites Dairy, Devonport, long famous for scooping Auckland's biggest ice creams, receives a visit from the Tip Top delivery man, February 2016.
- Chris Newey.

2016 - Dairyworks purchased the Deep South ice cream business and discontinued its own ice cream brand in favour of Deep South.

19-25 November 2018 - the ice cream industry launched the first Ice Cream Week, culminating in Ice Cream Sundae.

13 May 2019 - Fonterra confirmed the sale of it's Tip Top ice cream business to Froneri, the third largest ice cream manufacturer in the world. European-based Froneri operates in 20 countries. Fonterra retained the global rights to the Kapiti brand.

March 2020 - Dairyworks (including the Deep South ice cream business) was acquired by Synlait Milk.

October 2020 - Synlait sold the Deep South ice cream business to Motueka-based Talley's Group.

November 2020 - At the 2020 NZ Ice Cream Awards Much Moore Ice Cream's Awesome Vanilla Ice Cream was awarded Supreme Champion while Lewis Road Creamery's Double Mint and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream won Supreme Boutique Champion.

Lewis Road Creamery
Double Mint and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

6 December 2020 - Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel officially opened Ice Cream Charlie's brand new ice cream cart "Peggy". Peggy is a replacement for "Edith" the cart that had served up the company's famous vanilla ice in Victoria Square for the last 70 years.

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