How much honey costs in New Zealand
How much does honey cost in New Zealand?
In October 2026 everyday supermarket honey costs about $15 to $25 a kilo: a 500g jar of house-brand or clover honey is $7.39 to $11.19 at Woolworths. Single-source native honey such as kāmahi is closer to $30 a kilo, and graded UMF 10+ mānuka is around $77 to $82 a kilo.
Supermarket honey prices, per kilo
Jar sizes vary from 250g to 1kg, so the only fair comparison is the price per kilo. These are the regular shelf prices on woolworths.co.nz on 27 October 2026, before any special.
| Honey | Jar | Shelf price | Per kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woolworths liquid honey | 500g | $7.39 | $14.78 |
| Woolworths creamed honey | 500g | $7.39 | $14.78 |
| Arataki clover honey blend | 1kg | $19.99 | $19.99 |
| Egmont pure honey | 1kg | $20.00 | $20.00 |
| Arataki clover honey | 500g | $10.49 | $20.98 |
| Hantz creamed honey | 500g | $10.60 | $21.20 |
| Arataki clover honey | 250g | $5.59 | $22.36 |
| Airborne clover honey, liquid | 500g | $11.19 | $22.38 |
| Airborne bush honey | 500g | $11.19 | $22.38 |
| Egmont raw honey | 500g | $12.70 | $25.40 |
| Arataki kāmahi honey, squeeze | 500g | $14.89 | $29.78 |
| Egmont mānuka multifloral MGO 50+ | 500g | $15.00 | $30.00 |
| Arataki mānuka UMF 5+ | 500g | $22.19 | $44.38 |
| Arataki mānuka UMF 10+ | 500g | $38.60 | $77.20 |
| Arataki mānuka UMF 10+ | 250g | $20.49 | $81.96 |
Source: woolworths.co.nz online shelf prices, checked 27 October 2026. Prices change often and specials are common.
What is the cheapest honey in New Zealand?
The supermarket house brand. Woolworths liquid and creamed honey were both $7.39 for 500g, or $14.78 a kilo, the lowest per-kilo price on the shelf. It is a blended light honey, mostly the pasture clover style, sold without a floral source on the front. The cheapest jar with clover on the label was Arataki's 1kg clover blend at $19.99.
Why some honey costs five times as much
The flower decides most of the price. Clover is abundant, close to roads and predictable, so it is the cheapest honey to produce. Native single-source honeys mean moving hives into bush or high country for a short flow, and a poor flowering season can return very little, which is why kāmahi sits around $30 a kilo. Graded mānuka adds laboratory testing and a grade on the label, and the price climbs with the number: UMF 5+ was about $44 a kilo and UMF 10+ about $77 to $82.
Does a bigger jar save money?
Usually, yes. Arataki clover was $22.36 a kilo in the 250g jar and $19.99 in the 1kg jar. For a household that gets through a kilo a month, the gap between the house brand ($14.78) and small jars of a branded clover ($22.36) is about $91 a year for much the same honey. Clover keeps indefinitely if it is stored properly, so the big jar carries no real risk; if it sets hard, warm it back to liquid.
Is “raw” or creamed honey more expensive?
Slightly, and not always. Egmont raw honey was $25.40 a kilo against $20 for its standard pure honey, but Woolworths creamed and liquid honey were the same price. Creamed honey is ordinary honey set to a fine crystal, so there is no reason for it to cost more (creamed vs runny). “Raw” has no legal definition in New Zealand, so read what raw means here before paying extra for the word.
What about rewarewa, thyme and honeydew?
You will rarely find them in a supermarket. Rewarewa, thyme, beech honeydew, rātā and tāwari are smaller harvests, mostly sold by the beekeeper online, at farmers' markets or from roadside stalls, and generally priced above supermarket clover. Buying honey direct covers where to look and what to ask, and NZ honey by region shows where each one comes from.
How to get the most for your money
- Compare the price per kilo, not the jar price. The shelf label shows it per 100g; multiply by ten.
- Use cheap clover for baking and sweetening drinks. Heat flattens the flavour that makes the dearer honeys worth buying (which honey for which job).
- Spend more only where you will taste it: on toast, with cheese, or as a gift.
- Check the label names a floral source and a region before paying a single-source price (how to read a label).
- Big-brand jars are on special often. Arataki UMF 10+ 500g was $29.90 on special against $38.60 regular on the day we checked.
More guides
- Why honey goes hard, and how to bring it back
- Raw honey in New Zealand: what it means, where to buy it, what it costs
- How to read a New Zealand honey label
- How to store honey (and why it doesn't go off)
- Does honey expire? Best-before dates on NZ honey, explained
- Buying honey direct from a New Zealand beekeeper
- Clover, multifloral and liquid honey: what's the difference?
- Coromandel honey: what the bees work on the peninsula, and how to buy it
- The best honey in New Zealand, by what you want it for
- Creamed honey vs runny honey: what the difference actually is
- New Zealand honey by region: what each part of the country produces