In New Zealand/Aotearoa, the garage isn’t just known as the part of the house where motor vehicles are stored. The garage is a cultural landmark – a limitless space transcending its intended purpose with the magical ability to take on a multidimensional range of forms.
When resources are limited, the garage becomes a place of unmatched ingenuity and imagination. Ahead of cutting the ribbon on its first store in New Zealand, which opened in Sylvia Park, Auckland, last week (December 4), IKEA conducted 500 home visits across New Zealand in preparation to officially join the community; the result was IKEA’s New Zealand Life at Home Report. In the report, Kiwis shared that they wanted to make the garage more stylish, while keeping it efficient for daily use, with 93% of homes saying that their garage is a multi-purpose, carpeted room.
Garages are a place of meeting, celebration, feast, an office, a workshop, a gym, even a studio – or all of the above. By night, the garage is also a hotspot for parties – where drink ups are hosted, friends and whānau (extended family) gather, jams are blasted from boomboxes, and lasting memories are made all without disturbing (and/or destroying) the adjacent household. Whether pre-drinks, kick-ons, or the main event of the evening, garage parties are a space where music, connection, culture, creativity, and community collide.
From small, intimate garages to the biggest of garages, the unlikely focal point of many New Zealanders’ homes has fostered space for enduring party memories and traditions passed down throughout generations. AA insurance research in 2024 revealed that 46% of New Zealanders surveyed had an emotional connection with their garage, and 30% see it as a space that allows them to release their creativity and unwind.
And it’s precisely this deep cultural connection Kiwis have with their garages that shaped the way IKEA chose to introduce itself to Aotearoa, hosting a series of Kiwi Housewarming parties across Auckland last month (November 28-30), including a house party, a garage party and a beach party. In partnership with UK pop-up party innovators Lab54, and inspired by the insights of the New Zealand Life at Home Report, IKEA and Lab54 brought the garage to life for one huge garage party at Mount Eden’s Warehouse Basement. The party saw both local legends and renowned international DJs combining forces, with the secret party’s line-up featuring Ebony Boadu, JessB, Mistah Cee, Poppa Jax, Randy, and Seymore.