“It’s a massive pump for tourism from a different angle. It’s amazing that Tourism New Zealand has supported us. I would love to give them a big hug to say thank you.”
The New Zealand Herald spent today speaking to chefs and hospitality industry leaders around the country for their take on the world-famous restaurant ranking system’s first foray into Oceania.
Reactions were almost universally positive.
“I 100% support the Michelin Guide,” said chef Sid Sahrawat, from Auckland restaurants Cassia and The French Cafe. “When you think of Michelin, you think of the Holy Grail, and it’s judged on a consistent level around the world.”
At Wellington’s Logan Brown, Steve Logan said, “Hats off to the Government for recognising how important food is to our country, from producing through retailing, hospitality and exporting.”
Logan said he thought Michelin inspectors – who have been secretly dining in local restaurants for more than a year – would have been surprised by the breadth of good eateries.
“And they will be flabbergasted at how little it costs them to dine compared to most of the world!”
Lisa and Simon Levy, who operate Christchurch restaurant Inati, said a Michelin Guide would put New Zealand on the world stage for culinary tourism. They had personally planned European and American holidays around star-rated dining experiences and, “we’re hoping it will have the same impact … that people will travel to New Zealand for food tourism or gastronomic experiences nationwide and we can hero our food scene and stories on an international platform”.
Michelin-starred chef Nick Honeyman, who opened Le Petit Leon in France, with his wife Sina, in 2016.
The three-year partnership deal signed with Tourism New Zealand currently focuses on four centres – Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown.
The New Zealand Herald has confirmed these centres will be geographically defined by Regional Tourism Organisation boundaries, meaning the likes of Craggy Range in the Hawke’s Bay, one of only six restaurants to score the maximum three hats in the local Cuisine Good Food Guide awards, would be ineligible for inclusion.
Other acclaimed regional restaurants missing out include the two-hatted The Green in Waikato, The Chef’s Table at Blue Duck Station (Ruapehu district), Taupō’s Embra, Solera in the Bay of Plenty, Marlborough’s Arbour, and Moiety in Dunedin.
“While we’re a little wistful our region isn’t part of the initial rollout, any visitors who find their way to us soon realise they’ve stumbled upon a very special, local secret,” said Bradley Hornby, chef and co-owner of Arbour. “One day, we hope the off-the-beaten-track experiences will be part of the Michelin story too.”
Marlborough’s Arbour Restaurant – which recently scored 20/20 in a Viva review – will be ineligible for the first New Zealand edition of the Michelin Guide. It will assess only restaurants in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. Photo / Richard Briggs Photography
Hornby’s business partner at Arbour, Liz Buttimore, said the announcement was “bittersweet”.
“The surprise of finding this wee tractor shed in the middle of nowhere gives us a head start on a memorable guest experience, but it does mean we miss mainstream happenings at times. Let’s face it, Michelin tourists that stumble across us won’t hold back on telling them they missed us.”
Auckland chef Josh Emett, whose career spans multiple Michelin star accolades for restaurants he both worked in and set up for Gordon Ramsay in Britain and the United States, said there was “incredible value” in bringing the guide to New Zealand.
“Kudos for actually getting it over the line and committing to it and seeing the value in it.”
While many chefs the Herald spoke to today claimed Michelin would not change the way they did business, Emett (whose local restaurants include Gilt and Onslow) believed it would have an impact.
“A large part of my life was working in restaurants with that hanging over our heads, and I have had hundreds and hundreds of conversations – I mean, that’s what all of our conversations were about at some point – about the guide.
“It does change some things, definitely. It’s an internationally respected guide, so it does bring a lot of different pressures.”
Emett said inspectors probably placed less emphasis on fine dining now than they did in the 1980s and 1990s.
“It’s about excellence. It’s not about formality, it’s about doing things in your own way – and perfectly … of course it brings an element of pressure, but that’s the business of running restaurants, right?”
Zennon Wijlens, who co-owns Auckland’s Paris Butter (and picked up two knives at the recent Best Chef Awards), said his approach to the arrival of the guide was to “stay the course”.
“Probably the worst thing we could do is change what we are as a restaurant and what we’ve been doing.”
Wijlens, who routinely collaborates on special events with top international Michelin-starred chefs and restaurants, said New Zealand hospitality was unique.
“We like the fancy stuff, but we don’t mind if the top button’s not done up on one of our waiter’s shirts … I think, if anything, it [Michelin] is going to push chefs to start showcasing even more New Zealand produce – and the immediate benefit is the food tourism sector.
“It’s the small cafes across the road from the Airbnbs that people will stay at, it’s the wineries and the people who do tours, the ferries over to Waiheke … ”
He noted that when his business partner Nick Honeyman got his first star in France in 2024, “we noticed an influx in bookings here”.
Honeyman told the Herald he had no clue Le Petit Leon was being assessed, and it was only after he received his first star that he learned he’d been visited by five anonymous inspectors.
The impact on tourism here could be huge, Honeyman said.
“Look at somewhere like Bangkok or Thailand. They’ve gone from being a party destination to a food destination. It’s a place you now go to, to book and eat at amazing restaurants. Kiwis and Aussies didn’t do that 10 years ago. We went there because it was a cheap holiday.”
As a chef in New Zealand, Honeyman said he had chased accolades. In France, “it was the first time I said ‘let’s make a restaurant and let’s make it a really good one and make ourselves happy with it. And then it came. It was kind of a lesson for me – I think if you’re going to just chase stars, it’s a very lonely life”.
At Amisfield Restaurant, Vaughan Mabee said “of course” chefs loved the idea of making the Michelin Guide – but being repeatedly recognised as a “three hat” restaurant in local awards was what had helped catapult Amisfield to greater recognition (this year, it became the country’s first restaurant to make The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 51-100, debuting at 99 on the extended list).
Mabee also recognised the international tourism implications of the guide’s presence.
“New Zealand hasn’t really been under the microscope with our food. We’re always looked at as the most beautiful country … a few things are talked about, but it’s usually lamb roasts and steak and cheese pies and your odd whitebait fritter.
“But there are things that you can only get here that we take for granted. Things that are our ‘normal’. From our native giant black paua to our whitebait, to our blue cod, to the snapper in the North Island. Kawakawa, horopito, all these little endemic flavours of New Zealand that we take lightly.”
Mabee said it was “very special” to introduce tourists to those flavours – whether it was in a fine dining restaurant or a fish and chip shop.
“We’re an island and we have all of these unique things that are nowhere else in the world, and I’ve always been really supportive of promoting that. I think the fact that Michelin have already been here for the last year or so, silently reviewing all of the restaurants, should be exciting for everyone.”
More on Michelin: Reaction from chefs and industry leaders
Chris Scott, Sherwood, Queenstown: “Michelin has a huge international presence and while I don’t necessarily think it fits with the ‘Kiwi culture’ and will be something that we as New Zealanders will use to determine where we will dine out regularly, it will hopefully have a huge impact on the international/tourism market that we rely on.”
Lucas Parkinson, Aryeh, Piha: “I hope the Michelin Guide will boost our recognition on the world stage and help us through what is currently a very difficult and challenging time for hospitality … I’m also aware of the mental health side of things, with big highs come big lows. Many of us will be very excited to be in contention for recognition. However, I know the stories of the hardship and tough emotions of either not being included or losing a star/s, and I think that’s something we need to educate and prepare our hospitality industry for.”
Restaurateur Mimi Gilmore Buckley hopes New Zealand can define its own version of “Michelin-worthy”. Photo / Babiche Martens
Mimi Gilmour Buckley, Mama, Auckland: “Anything that shines a global light on the incredible creativity and craftsmanship within New Zealand’s hospitality scene is a win. That said, I hope it is done with a genuine understanding of who we are as a country, and that excellence here does not always look like white tablecloths or 10 courses. For us, it is about a deep connection to place, people, and produce … My hope is that in New Zealand we define our own version of what ‘Michelin-worthy’ means: something honest, creative, and uniquely ours.”
Henry Onesemo, Tala, Auckland: “I support anything that would help make NZ’s food landscape more competitive to our Australasian counterparts. Having worked in Michelin-star places in countries where Michelin has a notable presence, like Bangkok, I certainly saw how it benefited the food scene as a whole.“
Ben Bayly, Ahi, Auckland: “We need to inspire every single restaurant owner, every single chef – when you are serving a tourist, you are representing your country. We are the All Blacks of food, you know, and you’ve got a responsibility to make sure that you showcase our cuisine to these amazing tourists that come here. Michelin just emphasises that.”
Peter Gordon, ex-Homeland, Auckland: “I’m very pleased it’s happened, because we have some incredible restaurants here. To be able to be seen globally – I went to a three-star in Toulouse, and I went to a three-star in Wellington – I think that’s good.”
Marisa Bidois, Restaurant Association chief executive, Auckland: “We have consistently championed this opportunity through our policy work, industry forums and strategic discussions, and are thrilled to see this vision realised. We know many venues will be excited about how they can prepare for Michelin inspectors. We will develop resources, tools, and educational opportunities to support member restaurants that aspire to global recognition.”
Kim Knight joined the New Zealand Herald in 2016 and is a senior journalist on its lifestyle desk. She is a former Canvas magazine restaurant critic and holds a Master’s in Gastronomy.