Leong, who said in her 2025 memoir Guts that she was subjected to an unconsented sexual encounter in her 20s, alluded to her lived experience in the caption.
Vaughan Mabee and Melissa Leong were judges on the TV show Taste of Art, which was filmed in Queenstown last year.
“As a victim-survivor, it would feel like a betrayal to me if I did not say something about the situation at hand, and it’s this: We need to listen when women speak up, because it isn’t without fear, trepidation and personal cost when we do so.
“As the situation is still unfolding, this is as far as I will speak on this subject. I trust you will all act with consideration and respect for each other.”
TVNZ removed the food show from its streaming service this week and Australian broadcaster SBS announced it would not air the series.
Mabee has since apologised “unreservedly” to former staff, for “inappropriate behaviour to them or any inconsiderate comments made … I am truly sorry for any harm or offence”.
Amisfield was awarded Restaurant of the Year at the 2025 Cuisine Good Food Awards and received three hats, the highest accolade.
In a letter published on Cuisine’s website, owner and editor Kelli Brett wrote that the Amisfield listing was removed from the publication’s 2025 Good Food Guide after allegations of “alcohol and verbal abuse, lewd comments to colleagues and, at times, physical aggression and the resulting apology to former staff by executive chef Vaughan Mabee for his inappropriate behaviour”.
“It is not a decision that we have made lightly,” Brett wrote.