The Changing Face of the New Zealand Dairy

A ten-cent mix, a gobstopper or two, a quick run down to the dairy for mum and pocketing the change — it was all part of growing up as a Kiwi. This documentary tells the story of the person behind the dairy counter. Packed with history (and ice cream), it looks at the changes between then and now; from the early Indian migrants who sold fruit from carts, to the modern-day dairy owners who fear for their lives. Director Melanie Rakena interviews dairy owners across the country who discuss inflation, violence, and family. She also explores the changing of the times, and the future of dairies in a modern Aotearoa.

There were also Indians, mainly the Gujaratis, who began to sell fruit and vegetables. So they would go hawking door to door, from that they started to lease little shops.

– Professor Jacqueline Leckie on the rise of dairies

Key Cast & Crew

Guy Quartermain

Camera Operator

Wayne Cook

Editor

Jacob Rajan

Narrator

Tarun Mohanbhai

Subject

Melanie Rakena

Director, Producer

Warren Green

Camera Operator