Premium Pet Food Is Booming: Petdirect Reveals What Kiwi Pet Parents Are Buying In 2025
From freeze-dried to breed-specific formulas, Petdirects growing customer base spanning every corner of the country is choosing food that supports longevity, wellbeing and individual pet needs.
Auckland, NZ – Monday 30 June – As New Zealanders increasingly treat their pets as cherished family members, demand for premium pet food is rising sharply. Petdirect, the country's largest Kiwi-owned specialist pet supply retailer, has today released new insights into the evolving purchasing habits of modern pet owners, revealing a strong shift towards health-conscious, ingredient-led feeding in 2025.
From freeze-dried to breed-specific formulas, Petdirect's growing customer base – spanning every corner of the country – is choosing food that supports longevity, wellbeing and individual pet needs.
'We're seeing a growing focus on nutrition that's not just complete and balanced, but tailored – whether that's by life stage, ingredient sensitivity or feeding style,' says Dean Kippenberger, Head of Merchandise at Petdirect. 'Pets are part of the family, and their diets are now being treated with the same care and intention as our own.'
Petdirect's Pet Food Growth Trends
Freeze-dried and air-dried formats see accelerated growth
Raw-inspired options from brands like Ziwi Peak, K9 Natural and Feline Natural continue to gain popularity. Driven by whole-prey benefits and high digestibility, this category has seen over 50% growth in the past year, based on Petdirect's internal sales data.
Raw Feeding Goes Mainstream: Frozen Food Demand Surges
One of the fastest-growing segments in 2025, frozen raw food is seeing an average growth rate of 13% per week in-store. Local suppliers such as Purely Pets, ROAR and Raw Essentials are helping fuel this rise, giving customers more choice in minimally processed, nutrient-rich formats
Life-stage specific formulas are gaining share
While everyday puppy food demand is softening post-COVID boom, senior and functional nutrition segments are growing by around 4% year-on-year. Petdirect is seeing clear customer movement toward age, breed and condition-specific foods, with brands like Black Hawk and Royal Canin leading the trend. This reflects a broader shift as customers become more educated about how to support their pets' changing needs over time.
Hypoallergenic and limited-ingredient diets on the rise
Pet parents managing food sensitivities or intolerances are increasingly seeking out single-protein and grain-free options. Brands such as ACANA, Taste of the Wild and Addiction are up 30% compared to the same period last year, as demand rises for clean-label, simplified nutrition.
'As the trusted destination for thousands of Kiwi pet parents, we're proud to be leading this shift toward more informed, health-first choices,' says Kippenberger. 'Our role is to make premium nutrition more accessible, and that starts with expert guidance, flexible service, and a range we truly believe in.'
Petdirect's commitment to premium nutrition is reflected not just in its product range, but in the support provided in-store. The team at Petdirect Takapuna plays a hands-on role in guiding local pet parents through their feeding decisions, offering real-time support rooted in care and experience.
'One of the most enjoyable and rewarding parts of working at Petdirect is meeting our customers and their pets face to face. These everyday interactions are at the heart of what we do. Whether it's helping someone choose the right food for a pet with allergies, finding a supplement to support their health, or picking out a special treat for a birthday, we love being part of those moments.
More and more, we're seeing local pet parents taking a thoughtful approach to their animals' wellbeing — adding variety through healthy treats, supplements, and high-quality everyday foods. It's a trend we're proud to support, with advice and products that reflect each pet's unique needs.'
— Trish Harris, Store Manager, Petdirect Takapuna
About Petdirect
Petdirect is New Zealand's leading Kiwi-owned speciality pet supply retailer, helping thousands of dogs and cats live healthier, happier lives. With a purpose-built offering that includes premium nutrition, veterinary-grade health products, expert support, and curated accessories, Petdirect is redefining what it means to care for pets in New Zealand. To help pet parents feel confident in every decision, Petdirect provides a growing library of over 100 expert-written blogs, tailored recommendations based on pet profiles, and complimentary 15-minute consultations with its Pet Expert Team. Customers benefit from fast nationwide delivery, no rural surcharges, Airpoints rewards, and personalised advice both online and in-store at the flagship location in Takapuna.
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ANZ Pre-tax profit: $3072m Income tax expense: $860m (27.98% effective tax rate) Cash tax paid: $873m (28.4% effective cash rate) The largest bank in a country where banks rule the business roost, the only real rival to ANZ's position as New Zealand's largest taxpayer will be the odd years when the NZ Super Fund rides a boom. ANZ was also the only company to not specifically break out income tax payments in its cashflow statements. Bank staff directed the Herald to a 'Voluntary Tax Transparency' report published on the website of its Australian parent to find the relevant figures. In the six months since the survey period ended, ANZ has inched forward – reporting a cash net profit increase of 1% – and lucked out with economic hedges that boosted statutory profit by 21%. 2. BNZ Pre-tax profit: $2091m Income tax expense: $583m (27.86%) Cash tax paid: $628m (30.02%) The gap between second and third is wafer-thin, with ASB slightly ahead on pre-tax profits. 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Nightingale, the tax expert, notes this divergence from the 28% company rate was because of the 2023 booking of capital from the sale of its cell towers to Connexa. As anyone following political debate in New Zealand will know, these gains aren't taxable, but this trick isn't easily repeatable unless Spark finds more family silver to sell. 6. Mainfreight Pre-tax profit: $491m Income tax expense: $174m (35.44%) Cash tax paid: $162m (32.89%) Approaching 50 years since Bruce Plested founded his company with just a single truck, Mainfreight is now New Zealand's largest logistics company and has been an NZX stalwart since listing in 1996. Booking more than $5b in annual revenues, the company is a genuine heavyweight but is having to weather global trade uncertainty triggered by the United States' infatuation with headline-grabbing tariffs. 7. Meridian Energy Pre-tax profit: $360m Income tax expense: $98m (27.22%) Cash tax paid: $157m (43.61%) The leading gentailer on this list – who, with the Big Four banks, make up a majority of New Zealand's top taxpayers – wears a relatively high cash tax rate, largely because of how differently the tax system and accounting reporting standard treat depreciation. 'In the test period, Meridian paid a much higher CTR [Cash Tax Rate] than ETR [Effective Tax Rate],' Nightingale says. 'This arises mainly because the tax depreciation expense is calculated on the historical costs of Meridian's large asset base, while the accounting depreciation expenses is [sic] calculated on the revalued value of the assets, so is a much higher amount – but not deductible for tax purposes.' Roading and construction giant Fulton Hogan has become one of New Zealand's most profitable companies. 8. Fulton Hogan Pre-tax profit: $514m Income tax expense: $149m (29.02%) Cash tax paid: $140m (27.26%) Construction giant Fulton Hogan has grown steadily over the past decade – and enormously since it was founded in the Great Depression to build roads. It is now booking the better part of a billion dollars in profits on more than $6b in annual revenues. Based in Christchurch, with operations across Australasia, Fulton Hogan's accounts cleave closely to the 28% corporate tax rate, with little variation requiring explanation. 9. Ebos Group Pre-tax profit: $408m Income tax expense: $119m (29.10%) Cash tax paid: $134m (32.8%) A homegrown success story, Ebos was founded in Christchurch just over a century ago and gradually refined its operation to focus on healthcare, and in recent times has expanded to include pet care. Now a truly Australasian operation and listed on the ASX, its accounts are reported in Australian dollars and have been converted here into local currency. The company lists New Zealand's statutory rate in its accounts as a basis for reporting tax, but does not break down how much each tax authority – Australia's ATO or New Zealand's IRD – receives, so its position on this list is likely inflated. 10. Mercury Energy Pre-tax profit: $285m Income tax expense: $84m (29.47%) Cash tax paid: $114m (40%) Another gentailer, another apparently high cash tax rate explained by differing treatment of depreciation by tax and accounting regimes. In the six months since the survey period, Mercury reported a turn in fortunes – reporting a $67m loss for the six months to December 2024 – largely explained as a non-cash shift in the value of electricity derivatives. 11. Kiwibank Pre-tax profit: $260m Income tax expense: $71m (29.47%) Cash tax paid: $105m (40.27%) While a relative runt compared to the Big Four, Kiwibank has grown to become a major contributor to Inland Revenue and – depending on how the tricky political and fiscal questions around how to provide it more capital can be answered – has potential to grow further. In the six months since the survey period, to December 2024, Kiwibank grew its lending and deposits by 6%. Fletcher Building was once one of New Zealand's largest taxpayers, but has since run into a series of significant losses. Photo / Getty Images 12. Fletcher Building Pre-tax profit: $17m Income tax expense: $72m (420.59%) Cash tax paid: $101m (605.88%) Fletcher Building is not long for this list. Its fortunes abruptly started to turn during the survey period, and by June 2024 the previous year's $235m profit had flipped into a $227m loss. This provided minuscule net income over the period, dwarfed by its tax bill, which saw its cash tax rate balloon to more than 600%. If there are any positives for Fletchers at this point – and the negatives, including being sued by SkyCity over the Sisyphean International Convention Centre, have continued to pile up – it's that these losses, and those expected to land in coming results, can provide some measure of relief in future through use as carried-forward tax losses. It may be some years before this construction giant needs to trouble Inland Revenue. 13. Contact Energy Pre-tax profit: $258m Income tax expense: $77m (29.71%) Cash tax paid: $101m (39.22%) The last company to squeak over the $100m annual tax bar, Contact is another gentailer and faces a similar plus-sized cash tax rate because of how tax law and accounting practice treats depreciation differently. Matt Nippert is an Auckland-based investigations reporter covering white-collar and transnational crimes and the intersection of politics and business. He has won more than a dozen awards for his journalism – including twice being named Reporter of the Year – and joined the Herald in 2014 after having spent the decade prior reporting from business newspapers and national magazines.
