This year’s collaboration with Barker’s of Geraldine brings a new twist to the classic hot cross bun.
At New World, Easter doesn’t begin with chocolate eggs. It begins in the bakery.
Easter is one of the busiest periods of the year for New World bakeries, with production increasing by about 20%. As the Christmas season winds down, bakery teams begin turning their attention to the next tradition on the calendar: hot cross buns.
From late January, long before Easter weekend arrives, in-store bakery teams across the country are starting shifts as early as midnight, mixing, proving and baking one of Aotearoa’s most enduring seasonal staples.
While traditional fruit and chocolate varieties still dominate sales, accounting for more than 90% in a typical Easter season, New World has built a reputation for introducing limited-edition flavours each year. The goal is not to replace tradition, but to complement it.
“Customers are loyal to the classics,” says Daniel Te Raki, Bakery Operations Manager for Foodstuffs South Island. “The limited-edition flavour is about showcasing innovation. It’s about keeping things relevant and exciting.”
Planning for this year’s Easter range began mid-winter last year. Six potential flavour concepts were identified before tastings with bakery specialists and marketing teams narrowed the field.
The clear winner was Gingerbread Caramel, a flavour developed by long-time supplier Barker’s of Geraldine.
“The first time I tried it was poured over ice cream,” Daniel says. “It was really good. We thought, how can we take that flavour and make it work in a hot cross bun?”
The answer required close collaboration. Once New World selected the flavour direction, Barker’s reformulated its dessert sauce into a bake-stable filling that could withstand the heat of in-store ovens while delivering a soft, saucy centre.
“It has to go through the baking process without losing its texture or overwhelming the bun,” says Agnes Baekelandt, CEO of Barker’s. “It’s quite different from something you pour over ice cream. It was a nice challenge.”
Unlike factory-produced seasonal products, these buns are made fresh in New World bakeries nationwide. They require careful timing, piped at just the right proving stage to ensure the filling holds its shape during baking. That in-store craftmanship is central to the appeal.
“We go around the New World stores and support them through the process,” Daniel explains. “Our bakers are very skilled. It’s not revolutionary for them, but getting the best result consistently is crucial.”
The collaboration also reflects New World’s co-operative model. As a network of family-owned stores, it works closely with long-standing Kiwi suppliers, giving local producers the scale and certainty to take a flavour from a small town to communities nationwide and share the success along the way.
For Barker’s, the opportunity to see a Geraldine-developed flavour baked fresh nationwide is significant.
“We’ve been working with Foodstuffs since 1981,” Agnes says. “It’s exciting to see something that started in Geraldine enjoyed across the country.”
Head of Barker’s of Geraldine Marketing Kathryn Love says the aim was to strike a balance between familiarity and indulgence.
“You can’t be too polarising,” she says. “It’s about bringing a twist to something people already love. Warm spices, caramel notes, that sense of nostalgia, but with something a little extra.”
The result is a buttery brioche-style bun with a spiced caramel centre that leans into comfort while offering a more premium flavour profile.
And Kiwi shoppers appear to be responding.
While traditional varieties remain strong, the Gingerbread Caramel bun is currently accounting for around 25% of total hot cross bun sales this season, a significant result for a new flavour.
“For a new flavour to reach that level of adoption is outstanding,” Daniel says.
For him, the best way to eat it is simple.
“Fresh out of the oven, when the filling’s still a little warm,” he says. “Or toasted with butter.”
For those wanting to lean even further into the flavour, Barker’s of Geraldine has also created a limited-edition Gingerbread Caramel spread to add on top.
The Gingerbread Caramel Brioche hot cross buns and matching spread are available exclusively at New World stores nationwide until Easter – a limited window that has turned these annual collaborations into something customers now actively anticipate.
“At the end of the day,” Daniel says, “it’s about our bakers delivering something special for their local communities. That’s what makes it unmistakably New World.”