Your Guide to Shopping at IKEA NZ – No Matter Where You Are in the Country (Plus Go Inside the Store With Our Exclusive Sneak Peek)

THIS IS NOT A DRILL! The much anticipated opening for IKEA’s first-ever New Zealand store is finally here. Here’s what you need to know!

IKEA New Zealand is FINALLY opening its Sylvia Park store on December 4, 2025. Here’s what you need to know if you’re planning on visiting the store – or shopping online no matter where you are!

Your Guide to Shopping at IKEA NZ

Ok so I [Kelly] have never actually been into a fully-stocked IKEA before and guys, she’s an overwhelming experience. There’s truly nothing like it in NZ, that’s for sure. It’s huge. Gigantic. An impossibly huge shopping experience with SO much stuff – you could genuinely be in there for an entire day (thank God for the restaurant!).

My highlights: SO MUCH storage – and cute storage. Shelves, wardrobes, shoe racks, garage set ups, organisation stuff… if you’re an organised girlie (or want to be) this is your own little slice of heaven.

Amazing decor items for the home – lamps, frames, mirrors, rugs, soft furnishings – at stupid-low prices. The kids section, although I don’t have any, BLEW me away and made me want to start designing a nursery asap for no other reason than it’d look epic.

When IKEA did their report into New Zealand homes they were shocked to discover that we all use our garages for pretty much anything apart from cars – storage, gyms, hobbies, man caves – so they have dedicated multiple spaces within the store to pimping out our garages that no other IKEA have.

On that note, they also discovered that homes in Aotearoa lack storage, so they have gone HARD on innovative storage options throughout the entire store. In the same report, one of the biggest bugbears we have is shoe storage, so there are so many awesome shoe racks and cupboards, as well as a focus on entryways and hallways.

Our Tips for IKEA NZ

1. Whatever you do, download the app. It’s the easiest way to shop at an IKEA – if you’re not familiar with how it works, the first part of the store is called the showroom – this is a collection of little rooms set up and decorated like you would at home, so you can see all of the products in situ. Browse through, and if you like something, scan the label into your app (or write it down if you’re old school!) so you can pick it up later in the store, it will tell you where it’s located in the warehouse. After this, you’ll arrive in the market hall – this is your traditional shop for all the non flat-pack items, where you can grab anything you want and pop it in the trolley. Then, the warehouse, where you’ll find the boxes for anything that’s flat packed or large.
2. The IKEA app allows customers to navigate the store, create shopping lists as they go and easily find where to pick up their flatpack items. They can also skip the lines with the Scan & Go checkout feature (you pay for your stuff through the app and walk out!) and keep their receipts and IKEA Family loyalty card digitally all in one place.
3. You can book an appointment, either in-store or online, with a planner, who can help you select the perfect pieces (amazing if you’re not based in Auckland, or if you just want an expert’s guiding hand.
4. I didn’t know you could design kitchens and wardrobes at IKEA – the range is impressive and the quality v price value prop is great!
5. The restaurant is worth a visit, for sure – and don’t miss the lingonberry sauce for the meatballs! There’s also a small grocery section with Swedish treats if you want to try something new (I’ll be going back and loading my trolley, for sure).
6. Go to the AS IS section first – it’s the place with returns or slightly damaged stock, or stock that’s been re-bought by IKEA that’s been pre-loved. The prices are even lower, and a lot of the stock is still absolutely perfect (too many were put together by the team in the set-up, for example!)

Here’s what else you need to know

• IKEA is open seven days a week with regular opening hours 9am-9pm. On Opening Day, 4 December, the store opens at 11am.
• IKEA Sylvia Park spans approximately 34,000 square metres, which is bigger than the average size of an IKEA store globally. IKEA Auckland is larger than eight of the 10 Australian IKEA big blue box stores (which range from 23,000m2 to 39,000m2). 
• For those travelling by car to the store, infrastructure improvements have been made to support road access for shoppers – widening Clemow Drive and Carbine Road, installing traffic signals, and enhancing turning lanes.  
• A new covered walkway bridge along Te Ahoterangi Rise allows customers to walk easily between Sylvia Park Shopping Centre and IKEA and get comfortably to train and buses (look for the IKEA logo on the second floor, near Farmers).
• There are 544 on-site parking spaces located directly beneath the store and 28 motorbike bays. Dedicated bays for families and customers with accessibility needs are positioned close to store entrances for added convenience. There are also EV chargers available. 
• Click & Collect is available at IKEA Sylvia Park from 6am -11pm.
• There are 38 bicycle parks.
• There’s around 7500 products available for Kiwis.  
• The famed Swedish Restaurant has 426 seats and serves the famous meatballs, salmon dishes, plant-based favourites, and even New Zealand-exclusive dishes: lingonberry pavlova, fish and chips and lamb pie. 
• They anticipate selling up to 3,500 hot dogs a week (?!) at IKEA Sylvia Park – and they’re just $2.
• Children aged 3-8 can enjoy a 30-minute play session in Småland, a free, supervised play area designed for children, while parents browse and shop, with IKEA Family members receiving an additional 30 minutes of play Monday to Friday.  
• There are 75,000 New Zealanders who are IKEA Family members so far, and growing each day.  
• 540+ IKEA co-workers are employed as part of the IKEA New Zealand team. 

Why IKEA Makes DIY Truly Easy

Did anyone have a DIY phase over Covid simply because there was nothing else to do?

I was SO bored, I ended up buying a few flat packs from random online furniture stores and built two cabinets. Needless to say, I have never touched a drill or a hammer before in my life but I was DETERMINED.

Did I fuck it up? Maaaaybe I didn’t nail the back walls to one of the cabinets correctly and it might have fallen off, but it’s structurally sound, okay? So I count that as a win.

Did that stop me? Hell naaah, I wanted to get a new bed frame that I won’t have to sell a kidney to afford. And after weeks of research, I found the IKEA Malm bed frame from a retailer and woweee, it was so EASY to put together.

No hammers. No power drills. Just old mate Allen Key. (Ok, maybe get an actual mate to help with the heavy lifting).

And for those of you who have no idea what I was talking about, meet Allen Key:

IKEA, in my experience, truly makes DIY easy. The instructions are so easy to follow, and it makes even the daintiest of hands like mine feel like a real handyman. (Also a no-brainer, the brand has become a go-to for Instagram and TikTok home reno influencers!)

SO, now that IKEA is opening its first-ever NZ store in Sylvia Park in early December, I am so damn excited.

The Swedish furniture company is also set to win the hearts of New Zealanders, as they reveal the top five products they believe will make our home lives better.

These five items were handpicked based on the IKEA Life at Home Report New Zealand.

IKEA visited 500 Kiwi homes and surveyed 37,000 people across the world to find the unique challenges Kiwi households face, and what solutions the furniture giant could offer.

The Five Items You Can DEFINITELY Add to Your IKEA Wishlist:

BILLY BOOKCASE

One Billy Bookcase is estimated to be sold every five seconds globally, according to IKEA, and is no doubt its most popular item. And if you’re anywhere near home reno influencers on Instagram and TikTok, the Billy Bookcase is a cult favourite for IKEA hacks.

Billy is a Swedish design classic that has evolved in size and flexibility. It boasts custom storage solutions, as it can be as versatile as you want it to be. The array of design options means you could use Billy for kitchen or display cabinetry, shoe storage or even an entertainment unit.It’s easy to customise it to fit your vibe too. Just add some panel or glass doors, drawers or even a foldable table.

Stick on some LED lighting and add some indoor pot plants, and Billy gives you a chance to show off your personality at home.

KALLAX SHELVING UNIT

I think we can all agree there never seems to be enough space in the lounge? If you’re someone like me who’s needing to balance a home office, karaoke and gaming station, yoga, and a spot to entertain, then you know how much of a STRUGGLE it is to MAKE ALL OF THAT WORK.

Enter the Kallax Shelving Unit. Like the Billy series, it’s a versatile design that can be customised to what you need.

It can lie against the wall or stand on its own, acting as the perfect room divider, an entertainment unit, display cabinet and storage for the kids’ toys and craft.

MACKAPÄR SHOE RACK

Why the shoe rack? Apparently, 88% of New Zealand home entrances are cluttered with shoes and other items. Since Kiwis love the outdoors – gardening, hiking, beach walks – leaving shoes at the door is only natural.

Having tiny entryways can also be such a problem, and this is where the Mackapar shoe rack comes in. While seemingly obvious, it could be the answer to messy doorways. Having a dedicated space for your shoes can really improve the flow of your home. It’s compact and stackable, plus it can be a home for other items too.

UPPDATERA STORAGE BOX

Another thing IKEA has noted is the rise of townhouses and apartments in New Zealand. Less space means coming up with more creative space-saving solutions.

The Uppdatera Storage Box was created for just that. The rectangular box is 24cm x 17cm and has a clean matte finish with soft round edges. It also got integrated handles to easily move it around the house, and the front panel dips lower than the other sides to make it easily accessible.

It’s designed to organise drawers and cupboards in the bathroom, kitchen and living spaces. Plus it also appeals to organisation lovers like me, who would love for every single little thing in the house to have its own home. *Adds to wish list*

IKEA 365+ FOOD STORAGE

The report also found nearly half of kitchens encounter storage challenges, and 45% of Kiwis prefer home-cooked meals, so leftovers can find it hard to find a home. Even just from experience, pantry and fridge space is a special challenge when flatting. And though I don’t have kids, I’d imagine it’d be even harder for families when some of you eat different meals.

The IKEA 365+ Food Storage will be a welcome help for kitchen organisation. The range includes plastic and glass containers, thoughtfully designed so that they could seamlessly stack on top of each other. You can also choose from your own airtight lid: a snap-and-lock plastic lid or a natural bamboo lid. The clear containers also means you can quickly see what’s inside, making sure nothing gets forgotten or goes to waste.