About Our Partners
The partner network represents a body of industry experts, each playing an important role in the New Zealand food and beverage value chain. This network adds knowledge, credibility and influence to the New Zealand Food Awards programme. They help deliver the resources and support needed to continue developing products at the forefront of New Zealand’s food and beverage industry.
Principal Partner
Strategic Partners
Woolworths is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest employers with over 21,000 team members across 186 stores, distribution centres, processing plants, and support offices. They have been a proud partner to the New Zealand Food Awards for many years. Every week Woolworths serves around three million customers and works with hundreds of local food producers and suppliers.
Woolworths is committed to helping make Aotearoa a great place to live, where people and the environment thrive. They deeply value their skilled and innovative supplier partners that ensure customers have access to the product quality and New Product Development (NPD) they deserve.
The New Zealand Food Awards recognise the expertise, skill and innovation Woolworth’s see in the New Zealand supply base and highlight emerging businesses who will drive the future of NPD.
Cuisine is Aotearoa New Zeaand’s premium food and drink magazine, produced bi-monthly by people who really LOVE food.
First published in 1987, Cuisine is packed with New Zealand flavour; its pages contain everything you need to know about food #Cuisinestyle - what to cook, where to eat and the latest food and drink news.
The Cuisine brand is synonymous with good food and beverages made of quality ingredients so their input in judging the Artisan Award category is an obvious, natural fit. Finalists and winners of this award will also have the ability to wear a co-branded Cuisine and New Zealand Food Awards Quality Mark.
Category Partners
New Zealand Food Safety/ Haumaru Kai Aotearoa is part of the Ministry for Primary Industries. Under New Zealand law, the food industry is responsible for producing safe and suitable food and complying with standards.
New Zealand Food Safety oversees the food safety system, setting the regulatory standards and verifying they are met. They also actively work with industry to develop food safety guidance, promote food safety culture and monitor food safety and suitability.
Their input into the judging of the New Zealand Food Awards is invaluable. Working with the judges, they support with the compliance check process for all finalists, ensuring the New Zealand Food Awards Quality Mark represents New Zealand Food Safety’s seal of approval. They are also the proud sponsor of the Primary Sector Award category.
FoodHQ is the New Zealand hub of leading food and food production researchers that advocates for collaboration, food innovation and investment among researchers, industry, and policymakers to tackle challenges to advance the food industry.
FoodHQ is committed to the future of the food industry in New Zealand. As the proud sponsor for the Below Zero category, the New Zealand Food Awards provides FoodHQ with the opportunity to support innovation and excellence in the food industry as well as recognise and promote outstanding sector achievements.
AsureQuality offers a broad range of food assurance services which support New Zealand’s food, beverage and primary producers to uphold what Aotearoa stands for in food – a higher standard of quality and safety.
Their services cover the entire food supply chain and include audit, inspection, certification, farm assurance, industry training, assurance mark traceability, diagnostics and laboratory testing. AsureQuality are proud to be part of the New Zealand Food Awards and sponsor of the Product Lifetime Achievement Award.
The New Zealand Food Innovation Network (NZFIN) helps ambitious Food and Beverage companies to innovate, grow and achieve international success at scale. As a government-industry partnership, it acts as a catalyst for the food and beverage sector to ensure that it continues to thrive.
NZFIN provides advice, connections and complete solutions to our clients including the use of our state-of-the-art pilot food processing facilities for trials, or even commercial production and export. NZFIN has been a long-term partner of the New Zealand Food Awards and is thrilled to be sponsoring the Technical Innovation category to celebrate companies that have overcome technical challenges in their product development.
Palmerston North (or as they like to call it, Palmy) is a well-established food innovation ecosystem – from farming and agriculture to transport, distribution and logistics; education and training; and much more. Their unique geographic location enables the city to lead the future growth of a range of industries that follow the food innovation spearhead.
Palmy is home to New Zealand Food Awards owners Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University and fellow partner Food HQ. The city has more than 3000 scientists, researchers and innovators all concentrating on growing the food chain in Aotearoa.
Event Partners
Urban Gourmet is a renowned Auckland-based company that specialises in delivering exceptional catering services. With over 20 years’ experience in the industry, they have established a reputation for offering creative, modern, and inspiring menus that are flawlessly executed from start to finish. Using only the best seasonal ingredients, their dedicated team of chefs create sensational taste experiences that are sure to impress.
As a trusted partner in delivering unforgettable dining experiences, Urban Gourmet's talented chefs, event managers, and service staff work collaboratively with clients to ensure every detail is taken care of. Whether it is catering at your location or an event in one of Auckland's most iconic venues, Urban Gourmet guarantees a seamless journey that will leave a lasting impression on your guests.
Urban Gourmet are proud to align with the renowned awards programme and is excited to be a part of showcasing wonderful New Zealand companies who are at the cutting edge of innovation, and sustainability.
Auckland Conventions Venues & Events offers New Zealand's largest portfolio of unique and versatile venues for a variety of events – from large-scale international and domestic conferences, trade shows and exhibitions, through to glamorous corporate functions, gala dinners, and industry celebrations.
Their flagship venues are The Viaduct Events Centre, Aotea Centre and Shed 10. The Viaduct Events Centre is a contemporary building with an impressive waterfront location, glass walls, balconies, and easy access to Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter.
With the ability to scale events to carefully match each audience and budget, it is their mission to make every event a high-quality experience. It for this reason Auckland Conventions Venues & Events is a proud partner of the New Zealand Food Awards, helping to deliver the renowned gala dinner celebration in October.
Indevin Group is one of New Zealand’s leading wine companies and owner of the iconic Villa Maria brand. A pioneer of efficient wine industry practices, Indevin is proud to work with New Zealand’s leading producers, suppliers and brands to produce high-quality wine, that is admired across the globe.
Indevin is proud enable fine wine to be enjoyed by guests at the New Zealand Food Awards Gala Dinner annually.
Launched in 2018, TableHub is the world’s first digital table centrepiece and event engagement platform that delivers creative, captivating and sustainable digital content directly to every table at an event.
Designed and developed here in New Zealand, our innovative TableHub technology assists event managers, event owners and stakeholders tackle key challenges such as demonstrating sustainability at their event, providing additional value and exposure to sponsors through extended brand exposure, and creating meaningful engagement opportunities for event attendees.
As technology transforms the Food & Beverage industry, TableHub is proud to partner with the New Zealand Food Awards to assist them in transforming the table experience for their guests at the Gala Dinner.
Media Partner
Affiliate Partners
FMCG Business is proud to partner with the New Zealand Food Awards to support emerging and established producers, helping them to continue developing products at the forefront of New Zealand’s food and beverage industry.
FMCG Business is a quality bi-monthly magazine delivering a local and international perspective on the food, beverages, grocery and retail industries in New Zealand and beyond. It is supported by a dedicated digital presence, daily news updates, weekly e-Newsletters and social media channels engaging an even wider audience.
FMCG Business reaches local food producers and growers, decision makers, influencers and retail managers. The New Zealand Food Awards are very grateful to have FMCG Business’s support in promoting the programme and helping to celebrate our finalists and winners annually - since 2016.
The NZ Vegetarian Society's mission is to promote vegetarianism (including veganism), reduce cruelty to animals, improve human health, protect the environment, and preserve world resources. They achieve this by encouraging plant-based choices through education, information, support, campaigns, and research.
NZVS offer Vegan Certified and Vegetarian Approved product certification, which offers clarity for consumers to make informed choices for their health, animal welfare, and the environment.
Their sponsorship of the Awards steams from their commitment to promote sustainability and celebrate vegetarian and vegan options within the wider food industry.
