The magic hangi man Rewi Spraggon and his world first cross-cultural collaboration hāngi cooked meat has seen Kiwis stockpiling the product with supermarkets selling out nationwide within a week of its launch.
Created by one of New Zealand's largest producers of Asian fusion foods and TV chef Spraggon, the company sold 10,000 of the hāngi-cooked pork steamed buns within a week, but could have sold four times that amount.
As Kiwis snap up the products, supermarkets have now ordered another 40,000 units of product to keep up with the demand.
Dr Amy Sevao, Old Country Food CEO, says demand has doubled each week since the product first went into stores - with the company rushing to secure an international shipment of recyclable packaging after exhausting initial supplies.
"Our staff have been working around the clock to meet the next lot of orders with the number of supermarkets ranging the products growing from five to 31 within a fortnight.
"It is clear that there is significant interest in both traditional Māori and Asian foods. We have also heard of customers stockpiling and buying 10 or more packets at a time," she says.
The product is proving particularly popular in Central North Island regions such as East Cape, Rotorua, Hawke's Bay, Palmerston North and New Plymouth.
The manufacturer is now looking at expanding the range to include a vegetarian option of the hāngi flavoured buns.
Sevao says with the product having sold out twice within as many weeks, normal shipments have now resumed, and additional production is scheduled to service the growing number of supermarkets ordering the product each day.