{"id":501736,"date":"2026-06-29T22:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T22:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/501736\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T22:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T22:40:08","slug":"michelin-guide-launch-which-new-zealand-restaurants-will-win-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/501736\/","title":{"rendered":"Michelin Guide launch: Which New Zealand restaurants will win stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI will have my fingers crossed with everybody else on Tuesday night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crown entity TNZ announced last November it had signed a deal for three years\u2019 worth of guides to cover Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.<\/p>\n

And now that multimillion-dollar coq au vin is coming home to roost. <\/p>\n

Which restaurants will get a star? Will the bubbly be bona fide French? And what about the Amisfield elephant in the room?<\/p>\n

We have everything you need to know about hospitality\u2019s biggest night since sliced bread.<\/p>\n

What time will the ceremony start?<\/p>\n

Red carpet arrivals for the inaugural Michelin Guide Restaurant Ceremony begin at 4pm. The ceremony proper starts at 5pm and will be livestreamed from the New Zealand International Convention Centre.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s going and what will they be wearing? <\/p>\n

The dress code is cocktail, but chefs who are flying in from around the country have been told to pack their whites (clogs, presumably, are optional). The Michelin contingent, including the guide\u2019s international director Gwendall Poullennec, will attend.<\/p>\n

Who is the host?<\/p>\n

Non Disclosure Agreements abound, but we can confirm Viva restaurant critic and broadcaster Jesse Mulligan is out of the country. <\/p>\n

Personally, we\u2019d pick Newstalk\u2019s Kerre Woodham to serve Michelin stars with a side of hospo cred via her infamous days as a waitress and maitre de\u2019.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s cooking? <\/p>\n

Confirmed internationals include chef Nobu Lee. He currently runs Nobuo, one of Taiwan\u2019s most celebrated one Michelin-starred restaurants, but Auckland will remember him best as the last man on the pass at Clooney<\/a> (RIP). <\/p>\n

He\u2019ll be joined by Michael Cimarusti of Providence, a seafood-centric restaurant in Los Angeles, where the top tier tasting menu costs around $880, excluding drinks.<\/p>\n

Any locals in the kitchen? <\/p>\n

Again with NDAs and wild rumours, but among the names being flung around are Ahi\u2019s Ben Bayly (makes sense, given he cooked for the $1.4m crayfish and heated cutlery \u201cstargrazing\u201d campaign<\/a> that kicked this whole Michelin thing off back in 2024), Tala<\/a>\u2019s Henry Onesemo and Chris Scott from Sherwood<\/a> in Queenstown.<\/p>\n

\"ChrisChris Scott, executive chef at Sherwood, is among the Queenstown contingent attending the inaugural Michelin restaurant ceremony. <\/p>\n

Who\u2019s actually eligible for a star? <\/p>\n

The initial investment in the restaurant ranking system that launched in France in 1900 only covers four centres. <\/p>\n

Craggy Range (Hawke\u2019s Bay), Chef\u2019s Table at Blue Duck Station (Ruapehu), Arbour (Marlborough), The Green (Waikato) and Embra (Taup\u014d) et al will have to remain content with their Cuisine Good Food Guide hats. <\/p>\n

An estimated 64% of the country\u2019s hospitality outlets are located in the four regions that will be covered by Michelin \u2013 7785 in Auckland, 2556 in Canterbury, 2058 in Wellington and 384 in Queenstown.<\/p>\n

The Amisfield effect<\/p>\n

One of those Queenstown restaurants is the much-lauded Amisfield. <\/p>\n

Its award-winning executive chef Vaughan Mabee resigned this year<\/a> against a backdrop of serious workplace misconduct allegations. <\/p>\n

In a statement, Michelin told us it wouldn\u2019t comment on the judging of individual restaurants or specific situations. <\/p>\n

However, \u201cthe Michelin Guide firmly condemns all forms of violence, harassment, or abuse, whether physical or psychological. Such behaviours are incompatible with the values of humanism and excellence that the Guide has upheld since its creation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Chefs v restaurants<\/p>\n

In the same statement, Michelin reminded us distinctions were awarded to restaurants, not to individuals. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey recognise the collective commitment of an entire team and do not constitute an endorsement of any individual\u2019s conduct or managerial practices, nor of the working conditions within an establishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, who will win a star?<\/p>\n

Auckland\u2019s rumour mill consistently grinds out two names \u2013 Paris Butter<\/a> (co-owner Nick Honeyman operates a one-star restaurant in France and is in town for the New Zealand ceremony) and Viva Top 50 Supreme Winner, Tala. <\/p>\n

Henry Onesemo, who owns the latter, told us he hoped Michelin would \u201cvalidate Samoan culture by including Samoa cuisine among the global elite\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"AA Michelin star on home turf for chef Nick Honeyman? The co-owner of Paris Butter (who runs a restaurant in France with wife Sina) is in Auckland for tonight’s ceremony. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s actually up for grabs? <\/p>\n

The first rung on the Michelin ladder (currently occupied by 11,772 restaurants worldwide) is the \u201crecommended\u201d or \u201cselected\u201d list. <\/p>\n

Bib Gourmand is described as \u201cnot quite a star, but most definitely not a consolation prize\u201d and recognises good cooking at more pocket-friendly prices. <\/p>\n

One, two or three stars are the most coveted and least awarded. There are currently just 161 three Michelin-starred restaurants in the world.<\/p>\n

The morning after <\/p>\n

Marisa Bidos, Restaurant Association head during the period Tourism New Zealand was negotiating with Michelin, said she hoped for \u201cmuch more than a one-night announcement . . . Ultimately, success won\u2019t be measured by how many stars are awarded. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be measured by whether, a year from now, we\u2019re welcoming more international visitors who are choosing New Zealand because of our food, whether restaurants are seeing stronger trading, and whether hospitality is increasingly recognised as one of our great cultural and tourism assets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Current association head Nicola Waldren said she hoped the guide would reflect the diversity of hospitality across the regions being recognised.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the great things about the Guide today is that excellence isn\u2019t defined by white tablecloths; it\u2019s about exceptional food, consistency and creating memorable experiences, and we know we have that in abundance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim Knight joined the New Zealand Herald in 2016 and is a senior journalist on its lifestyle desk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI will have my fingers crossed with everybody else on Tuesday night.\u201d Crown entity TNZ announced last November…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501737,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[89297,156,228,52211,3331,54677,117,111,139,2551,9332,69,154231,10270,59353,5436,49027,14578,5977,1533,6027,80],"class_list":["post-501736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-diners","tag-entertainment","tag-guide","tag-inspector","tag-launch","tag-michelin","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-night","tag-note","tag-nz","tag-pretend","tag-restaurants","tag-solo","tag-stars","tag-terrible","tag-tuesday","tag-which","tag-will","tag-win","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501736\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/501737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}