Lunchtime menus at worksites across Aotearoa are going to have to change with two brands of pies being discontinued come June.
Irvines and Mackenzies pies - as much as part of a tradie’s day as hi-vis and borderline chat - will no longer be for sale starting in June.
Although there will still be plenty of pie options to compliment the midday blue V, Irvines and Mackenzies played their role as cheaper meals that one could smack back in no time.
The tradie staples are being discontinued due to Goodman Fielder - the company that makes the pies - having to lower costs.
“Like many businesses across NZ, we have been hit hard by significant cost increases including fuel, energy, labour, and raw ingredients,” CEO Bernard Duignan told 1News. “We have made the decision to exit this category.”
The food company will also cut 90 jobs across their Palmerston North and Oamaru factories.
Reactions to the news recognise the significant loss to the Kiwi diet, even if the pies weren’t the tastiest options in the warmer.
"They're New Zealand classics," one shopkeeper told the NZ Herald
“I can't count the number of them I microwaved and smashed back in my drunken uni-student days,” wrote u/UsedZealand on Reddit. “They did their job. I don't think I ever ate one sober or before midnight.”
“I used to enjoy their pies 10 years or so ago but these days they just disappoint. I don't know whether their pies changed or my tastes did,” said u/goatjugsoup.
“What are you supposed to get at 2 am after a night on the silly juice now?” asked u/the_fridge_nz.
One comment said the “pies were terrible”, but another responded that, in fact, is what makes the pastries beautiful.
“You knew exactly what you were getting,” wrote u/thefurrywreckingball. “The bar was low and they remained consistent.”
RIP to two insanely recognisable and undeniably average New Zealand delicacies.
