Michelin Guide confirms New Zealand debut opening a new chapter for Kiwi dining on the world stage

• November 6, 2025
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Michelin has announced that the MICHELIN Guide will launch in Aotearoa New Zealand in mid-2026, covering Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown its first-ever expansion into Oceania.

Inspectors are already in the country, eating anonymously and quietly taking the measure of kitchens from the waterfront to the high country. According to Michelin, they have been tracking New Zealand’s restaurant scene for several years, watching the emergence of new talent and concepts before formally committing the guide.

Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide, is clear about why New Zealand has finally made the cut. “We are thrilled to bring the MICHELIN Guide to Aotearoa New Zealand for the very first time. The country offers a rich and diverse culinary landscape, shaped by its indigenous Māori heritage, Pacific influences, and a new generation of chefs who champion local produce with creativity and passion. By highlighting the exceptional restaurants of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown, we hope to share with the world the unique flavours and talent that make New Zealand such an exciting gastronomic destination.”

For New Zealand, this is more than a new set of stars on chef’s jackets. It places the country in the same conversation as Japan, France, the United States and the Nordic countries – markets where a Michelin presence has been closely linked with culinary tourism, higher international visibility and investment in hospitality infrastructure.

A strategic win for tourism and hospitality

The government is treating the announcement as a sector-wide moment. New Zealand’s Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Louise Upston, calls it a validation of years of work by operators at every level of the industry. “This recognition is more than a win for our chefs and winemakers — it’s a triumph for our entire hospitality and tourism sector. It celebrates the incredible dedication and talent of the people who bring our food and beverage experiences to life every day.”

The timing is significant. New Zealand has been pushing hard to grow high-value visitation, with food and wine playing an increasingly central role in how the country is marketed offshore. Events such as Visa Wellington On a Plate, regional wine festivals and producer-led experiences have already laid the groundwork. Michelin’s arrival gives international travellers a shorthand they instantly recognise when choosing where to spend and stay

It also gives New Zealand a quiet regional advantage. While Asia-Pacific neighbours such as Japan, Singapore and Thailand have long been part of the MICHELIN ecosystem, New Zealand will become the first country in Oceania to host a guide, ahead of the major Australian capitals.

Four cities, one distinctive food story

The inaugural guide will focus on four very different but complementary culinary hubs. In Auckland, inspectors will find a harbour city where contemporary New Zealand cuisine sits alongside Pacific, Asian and European influences, supported by coastal seafood and strong connections to nearby wine regions.

Wellington’s compact, creative energy is expressed through chef-driven dining rooms, an unusually sophisticated café and coffee culture, and deep engagement with organics and sustainability. Christchurch, rebuilt and reimagined over the past decade, is increasingly defined by producers on the Canterbury plains and Banks Peninsula, with restaurants leaning into value-led, farm-to-table cooking. In Queenstown and Central Otago, alpine landscapes, pinot noir, wild game and high-country lamb give chefs a striking palette to work with, especially as sustainability and eco-conscious practices become central to the visitor offering.

For all four destinations, Michelin’s criteria – ingredient quality, mastery of technique, harmony of flavours, the personality of the cuisine and consistency mirror the standards many top New Zealand kitchens have been informally holding themselves to for years. The difference now is visibility and comparability. A star, a Bib Gourmand or a plate in the MICHELIN selection instantly puts a restaurant on the radar of well-travelled diners from London to Los Angeles.

A new reference point for New Zealand cuisine

The arrival of the MICHELIN Guide will not suddenly make New Zealand restaurants good as many already are. What it will do is give the world’s diners, travel advisors and media a familiar framework for understanding just how good they can be and a reason to cross half the globe to find out for themselves.

As inspectors continue their anonymous rounds and chefs quietly raise their game, the coming months will be a period of intense anticipation in kitchens across the country. When the inaugural New Zealand selection is finally revealed in 2026, it will not only be a roll-call of stars and Bibs, but a statement about how Aotearoa wants to present its food, its culture and its hospitality to the world.