Retail Meat New Zealand

22/10/2026

2026 Butchers’ Tour – What a great day out in Tāmaki Makaurau

Last week, delegates kicked off their Butchers’ Summit experience with our 2026 Butchers’ Tour around Auckland!

The tour took us behind the scenes at some fantastic butcheries, including Well Hung, Simply Fresh, Mapari Meats, New World Stonefields and Aussie Butcher New Lynn, showcasing the great work, creativity and innovation happening across the industry.

We also had the opportunity to visit some of our valued industry suppliers — Rum and Que, Pact Packaging, Dunninghams and Multivac — gaining insights into the products, services and innovations supporting our butchers. Plus a lunch stop at A Lady Butcher's Pizza place for lunch!

A big thank you to all the businesses who opened their doors and welcomed our group. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect, share ideas and celebrate our industry.

22/10/2026

20/10/2026

Congratulations to Peter Martin, the 14th recipient of the Christie Award!

The award recognises Peter’s more than 30 years of service to New Zealand’s retail meat industry and his outstanding contribution to training and mentoring the next generation of butchers.

Starting as a clean-up boy sweeping floors after school, Peter has gone on to mentor hundreds of apprentices, help develop butchery training standards and resources, and judge regional, national and international competitions.

Today, he leads the national apprentice team at Skills4Work and serves as head judge of the Pact Packaging Young Butcher and ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice competitions.

“I love the people in this industry and their passion for a craft I believe is awesome.”

Well deserved, Peter! 👏

Read more about the Christie Award and its past recipients:
https://www.rmnz.co.nz/christie-award

14/10/2026

A huge congratulations to Mapari Meats, crowned Supreme Winner at the 2026 Dunninghams Great New Zealand Sausage Competition last night, with their incredible Birria Taco sausage.

Beating a record-breaking 869 entries from 126 sausage makers across the country, this win was five years in the making, it impressed the judges with its Mexican-inspired flavours, balanced spices and an eight-hour broth.

Shoutout to our People’s Choice winner, Well Hung Butchery with their Chicken, Brie and Cranberry sausage, and Dunninghams’ Choice winner, Westmere Butchery with their Lamb Sicilian sausage.

05/10/2026

JOIN THE MANGAWHAI MEAT SHOP TEAM 🥩
Love food? Love people? Keen to learn?
We’re looking for an awesome person to join our family-run, award-winning butcher shop!
🔪 WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
🌭 Keen to learn hands-on butchery & product making
⚡ Able to work at a fast, efficient pace
🤝 Works well as part of a team
👨‍🍳 Has a passion for food & cooking
😊 Great with customers
💪 Has a positive attitude & strong work ethic
💡 Keen to learn, grow & help develop new products
Experience is great — but attitude, willingness to learn and being a good team player matter most to us.
We’re all about:
GREAT PEOPLE • GREAT PRODUCT • GREAT SHOP
We’re a local family business that takes pride in our products, our customers, our team and our Mangawhai community.
🕐 THE ROLE
6-month fixed-term contract, with the opportunity to extend
Monday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday • Every 2nd Saturday
Approximately 10am–6pm, with hours increasing over the busy summer season.
💰 Competitive pay based on skills & experience
If you're looking for an opportunity to learn, grow, work with great people and get stuck into the world of butchery and food, we’d love to hear from you!
📍 Mangawhai Meat Shop
📩 [email protected]
📞 09 431 4564
Applications close 16 October 2026
Applicants must have the legal right to work in New Zealand. We are unable to sponsor visas.

02/10/2026

Join our team for the summer! We’re looking for a friendly, reliable and enthusiastic Retail Assistant to join our butchery team over the busy summer period.

This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys working with people, is comfortable in a fast-paced environment, and wants to gain valuable retail and customer service experience.

What you’ll be doing:
● Serving customers and providing friendly, helpful service
● Operating the till and handling payments
● Displaying and packaging meat products
● Keeping the shop clean, tidy and well presented
● Restocking shelves and displays
● Assisting the butchers and wider team as required
● Following food safety and hygiene procedures

What we’re looking for:
● A positive, friendly attitude
● Reliable and punctual
● Good communication and customer service skills
● Comfortable working as part of a team
● Able to work in a busy environment
● Previous retail or food-handling experience is an advantage, but not essential
● Availability over the whole of the summer period, including weekends and busy holiday periods

What we offer:
● A friendly and supportive team
● On-the-job training
● A varied and active role
● Great summer work experience

Hours: 30+ on a roster that changes weekly. This role requires both weekend and public holiday work.
Location: Whangamata
Start date: As soon as possible

If you’re hardworking, enjoy dealing with customers and would like to join our team for the summer, we’d love to hear from you! Please send your CV and a brief introduction to Janene at [email protected]

30/09/2026

A big thank you to Alliance and Pure South New Zealand, the official Lunch Sponsor of the 2026 Butchers' Summit.

Alliance is a leading New Zealand red meat processor and exporter, producing grass-fed lamb, beef, venison and co-products for customers in more than 60 markets globally. Through its premium consumer brand, Pure South, Alliance showcases the quality, care and provenance behind New Zealand's world-class red meat.

We're grateful for their support and look forward to having Alliance and Pure South bring everyone together over lunch at this year's Summit.

28/09/2026

A big thank you to Rum and Que, a Gold Sponsor of the 2026 Butchers’ Summit.

Known for their award-winning range of sauces, seasonings and barbecue products, Rum and Que share our passion for great meat, bold flavours and quality craftsmanship.

We’re proud to have Rum and Que on board and thank them for supporting this year’s event, helping bring the industry together.

24/09/2026

Today is your last chance to register for the 2026 Butchers’ Summit!

There’s plenty happening across the two days:

Tuesday 13 October, optional daytime activity: Butchers’ Tour
Visit a selection of Auckland butcher shops and go behind the scenes with Auckland-based industry suppliers.

Tuesday 13 October, evening: Meat Up Welcome Drinks
Connect with fellow delegates at The Kingslander.

Wednesday 14 October, full day and evening: Butchers’ Summit Conference
Join us at Eden Park for a full day of speakers and networking, followed by the Dunninghams Sausage Mixer Awards.

Registrations close tonight. Secure your place here: https://www.rmnz.co.nz/butchers-summit

24/09/2026

What happens when Daniel Faitaua from 7 Sharp and James Smith, The Tattooed Butcher, get together to make a sausage? Pork, coconut cream and green onion, apparently!

Daniel brought the flavour idea, James brought the butchery skills, and Seven Sharp came along to capture it all. Their sausage made a special appearance at this week’s People’s Choice judging, where voters gave it a try after casting their votes.

Catch all the sausage making action on Seven Sharp tonight Friday, 25 September 7pm channel One.. The show will also reveal the Dunninghams Great New Zealand Sausage Competition People’s Choice winner.