Tasty and Hospitable
Take a bite of the good life
Our food, beverage and hospitality sectors are exploding. Sustainable, natural, fresh, real, innovative, creative, marketable and surprisingly diverse, we have something for all tastes and seasons. You’ll find it in the rapidly growing number of cafés, specialist eateries and bars across the region. Beginning with our ancestral maunga, and supported by our temperate coastal climate, the combination of our volcanic soil and geography creates fertile, abundant, and rolling landscapes. This unique mix has been the source of abundance for people here over hundreds of years. Today it’s being harnessed with new and exciting ideas by our wildly enthusiastic growers, foodies and beverage crafters. They’re a force to be reckoned with, producing a positively inspiring variety of fresh fare, applying new and innovative growing and production practices.
A wave of growth and change
Alongside exciting developments in traditional (but gourmet) production happening here, and already seen on supermarket shelves, there is a rising wave of specialist products, boutique farms, gardens (some supplying communities directly), food markets and festivals. Some local eateries use only 100% local, seasonal produce. Production of niche foods (everything from honey and cheese, to puha, mushrooms and clotted cream), coffee, craft beer, even gin, to name a few, is growing. Increasing numbers of our unique products are seen all over New Zealand, and we’re exporting more and more each year.
Good for the mind, body and soul, our pure produce is a source of immense pride and an increasing drawcard for visitors. It’s a must for anyone looking to experience the best of New Zealand.
Hospitality comes naturally here - our door is always open. And with our food and hospitality industries absolutely flourishing, the opportunity to find jobs, generate revenue, build a life, embrace your identity, champion community, create memories and enjoy tasty new experiences has never been better (or more satisfying).