Ikea finally arrives in New Zealand. Even the country’s leader came out to celebrate

By Lex Harvey, CNN

(CNN) — The biggest event in New Zealand on Thursday may have been the opening of a furniture store.

Eager shoppers counted down “3… 2…1” and waved Swedish flags as the doors opened to IKEA’s most distant outpost from its motherland.

Thunderous applause rang out as crowds rushed inside the furniture mecca’s newest shop in Auckland, in a long-awaited opening that will finally give Kiwis access to Scandinavian staples like the BILLY bookcase and the MALM bed frame.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon cut the ribbon and hailed the arrival of the affordable furniture giant as a win for New Zealand, which is struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Luxon told reporters. “What it represents is really good foreign investment in New Zealand, and also really great jobs.”

The first IKEA store opened in Sweden in 1958. The retailer is now in more than 60 markets and recorded 44.6 billion Euros ($52 billion) in sales in the 2025 financial year.

Its signature styles are ubiquitous in college dorm rooms and homes around the world. Time spent poring over IKEA assembly instructions is a rite of passage for movers across continents.

New Zealand is one of the last developed nations to get an IKEA, 50 years after the Swedish brand opened in Australia. The Auckland shop was first announced back in 2019.

Around 800 people were gathered outside the much-anticipated Auckland store Thursday before doors opened at 11 a.m. local time, with some excited shoppers arriving as early as 4:30 a.m., according to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand.

Customer Bernie told RNZ he had driven over two-and-a-half hours from Papamoa, a suburb of the city of Tauranga.

Ahead of the store’s opening, IKEA created the country’s first Life at Home report, documenting the quirky traits of more than 500 Kiwi homes, where the retailer found 93% of garages are carpeted and 88% of home entryways are cluttered.

Mirja Viinanen, CEO & chief Sustainability officer of IKEA Australia and New Zealand, told CNN the opening is part of IKEA’s expansion plan in the Asia-Pacific region.

Beyond the labyrinth megastores IKEA is known for, the retailer plans to open more “small format” shops to be more accessible to customers in less populated areas, Viinanen said.

Once they work up an appetite furniture shopping, Auckland shoppers will also be able to dine on Swedish delicacies at IKEA’s in-house cafe.

“Of course we have the meatballs,” Viinanen said. “We have tons of meatballs.”

Luxon gave the meaty bite his stamp of approval.

But when asked by a reporter if IKEA should be using New Zealand beef, he declined to comment. “I’m not getting into that, that’s a decision for IKEA.”

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