06/05/2025
The Keyboard’s Had a Workout: NZ Dairies Is Back (Yes, Really)
Right then. After nearly 12 months of radio silence and five years of “I’ll get back to it soon,” I’ve finally given the keyboard a proper thrashing and written a blog.
Why? Because I’m dusting off a long-forgotten project that’s been parked for too long: NZ Dairies.
Yes that project. The one about our iconic corner stores. The one I got all excited about, started with a hiss and a roar… then slowly let fade into the background like a soggy newspaper left outside a Four Square.
But no more. The pause button has been unpaused.
What Is NZ Dairies?
In case you’ve forgotten (or never knew), NZ Dairies is my photographic love letter to one of Aotearoa’s most underrated cultural staples: the humble dairy.
These aren’t just shops. They’re institutions.
Neighbourhood lifelines. Purveyors of ice creams, 50-cent lollies, emergency milk, and the occasional life advice from behind the counter.
Each one is a story a time capsule wrapped in sun-faded signage and the smell of Tip Top freezers.
Why Pick This Up Again?
Because they’re disappearing. Quietly. One by one.
Replaced by shiny franchises, soulless convenience stores, or just left empty altogether.
And while I can’t stop the tide, I can document what’s left. Celebrate them. Capture their quirks before they vanish.
Also, I found the old hard drive with my early shots and thought: “These weren’t bad. Maybe I should stop being a slack bastard and finish what I started.”
The Plan (Loosely)
• Visit as many dairies as I can urban, rural, forgotten, famous.
• Photograph them with the same care I’d give to a mountain range or a misty shoreline.
• Talk to owners, where possible. Hear the stories. Share the nostalgia.
• Try not to buy a Pie at every stop (no promises).
What to Expect Here
• New blog posts following the journey—warts, weather, wonky opening hours and all.
• Photos that celebrate colour, community, and character.
• Possibly a book, one day, if I can stop procrastinating long enough.
Final Thoughts
The project lives. And I’m determined to see it through this time even if I have to battle flaky Google Maps data, awkward chats at the counter, and my own deeply entrenched habit of saying “next week.”
Thanks for sticking around. Or stumbling across this. Either way, welcome.
Let’s give the corner dairy the tribute it deserves before it’s gone.
https://www.10stopphotography.co.nz/blog-2-1/the-return-of-the-corner-dairy-project-documenting-a-disappearing-icon52025