In a country where big-chain supermarkets dominate everything from milk to mandarins, one small New Zealand community is trying something bold: building the country’s first town with no supermarkets at all.
No Countdown. No New World. Not even a Four Square.
Instead, the plan is for a self-contained settlement where every bit of food retail — from fruit to flour — comes from local producers, co-ops, refill stores or weekly markets.
And the location might surprise you.
“People think it would be somewhere hip like Raglan or Waiheke,” says project coordinator Josh Rewiri.
“But we’re doing it in the heart of rural Waikato — just outside Te Awamutu.”
A town that buys nothing from the duopoly
The idea came out of frustration.
Rising food prices, limited options, and concerns over supermarket profits during a cost-of-living crisis led a group of families to ask: what if we started from scratch?
Their answer: build a new model. One with:
- Zero supermarket presence
- A community-owned food co-op
- Growers’ markets, bulk stores, and on-site food production
- Strict rules around food miles and packaging
- Homes powered by solar, with shared garden plots and composting
“It’s not about being anti-convenience,” says Rewiri.
“It’s about rebuilding local food resilience — and putting power back in the hands of producers and eaters.”
Who’s behind it?
The project, known informally as Kōwhai Ridge, is a private development backed by a trust made up of local farmers, iwi partners, and urban escapees looking for a different way to live.
They’ve already secured land and are in the final stages of consent. If approved, the first homes could break ground in 2025.
The town is expected to include:
- Around 120 homes in the first phase
- A weekly market square and refill hub
- Shared cooking and preserving facilities
- A local currency or barter system for some goods
Can it actually work?
Skeptics say the idea is idealistic at best — and possibly unworkable in the long term.
“New Zealanders like convenience,” says a former supermarket executive.
“You can’t build a modern town and expect people to give up frozen chips and loyalty points.”
But others argue the opposite: that the system we have is no longer working, and that small, radical experiments are exactly what’s needed.
“I don’t want to be told there are only two places I can buy food from,” says Hana, a future resident.
“Especially when those two places are charging more every week, and paying farmers less.”
What comes next?
The project team says construction could begin in early 2025 — with the first residents moving in by 2026.
There are already over 400 expressions of interest, from families, retirees, and even café owners hoping to set up shop — without ever signing a deal with a supplier owned by Foodstuffs or Woolworths.
And while it’s still just one town, the idea is spreading. Other communities have begun asking: if they can do it, why can’t we?
Because in a country where food choice feels increasingly limited, this little town might just be New Zealand’s quietest revolution yet.
