Despite already having one, Auckland is set to score another Costco — this time in Drury. 

That’ll be welcome news for anyone in Huntly or Hamilton, who’ll finally have a shorter drive for their bulk toilet paper and rotisserie chicken runs.

But for the rest of the country? We’ll keep waiting.

The second store has been confirmed after the developer of a 6.4-hectare site confirmed it had been sold to the US-based retail giant, which plans to open its second New Zealand store there. 

While no opening date has been announced, Costco says the goal is to “serve our significant membership base in the south of Auckland, as well as Hamilton and the Waikato region.”

It’s no real surprise they’re expanding in Auckland; their first store has pulled in a whopping $361.5 million in the last year alone.

Still, as a South Islander, I can’t help but wonder, when will we get a turn?

People took to Reddit to share their frustrations, with one saying, “It would be nice if they hurried up and announced opening stores in other cities, too. I get Auckland has the largest population centre by far, but c'mon….”

Another added, “Shame they didn't make it somewhere like Ngaruawahia or Huntly, boosting the local economies as well as serving Hamilton, Pokeno, Drury, etc.”

To be fair, Huntly hasn’t quite moved on from Deka in the 90s, so maybe a Costco is still a stretch, but thankfully, they’ll only have about a 40-minute drive to the new store.

The South Island rumours have been swirling for years. 

Back in 2020, Rolleston Industrial Holdings asked the Selwyn District Council for consent to build a Costco as part of their business park. Consent was granted; however five years later, there’s still no sign of those glowing red, white, and blue lights.

One Reddit commenter summed it up well: “I can see Christchurch being next, although setting up the distribution network just to service one store in the South Island must be a bit of a pain.” 

While Auckland getting a second Costco is rough on South Islanders, spare a thought for New Plymouth, because honestly, why don’t they have a Kmart yet?