'We're the last to get everything!' Excited shoppers queue for New Zealand's first Ikea

‘I’ve been waiting 25 years for this,” said Annie Sattler. A quarter of a century after she emigrated from Germany, and seven years since the store was first announced, Sattler was prepared to wait a few hours extra to be among the earliest through the doors of Ikea’s first outlet in New Zealand.

- Henry Oliver Auckland

She was joined by hundreds of shoppers queueing yesterday morning. Ikea was founded more than 80 years ago - and now has more than 400 stores worldwide - but New Zealand was one of the last developed nations to get a store from the Swedish furniture giant.

Sattler, who grew up with family trips to Ikea to furnish her childhood bedroom, said the opening event in Auckland reminded her of home. “It was such a treat. I loved it - the staff, the furniture, the whole story of it.”

The store was announced in 2018, with the then foreign minister, Winston Peters, taking credit for the move, saying he was sure his decision to open an embassy in Stockholm had played a part. By yesterday, excitement had reached fever pitch, with one local media outlet running live blog and signs on major roads warning motorists to “plan their journey” accordingly.