c. 1300 CE onward
Māori hāngī tradition begins
Polynesian settlers develop the hāngī, an underground earth oven for slow-cooking meat and vegetables over hot stones.
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Cuisine book · 3 cities · 4 dishes
New Zealand
Māori hāngī roots meet Pacific and European settler cooking
New Zealand's food culture blends traditional Māori earth-oven cooking with British settler staples and, more recently, Pacific Island and Asian immigrant influence, alongside some of the world's best lamb and seafood.
History
Where it all comes from
1800s British colonisation
Sheep farming and British staples arrive
British settlers introduce sheep farming at scale, roast dinners and dairy, foundational to New Zealand's export economy.
Early 1900s
Pavlova dispute begins
A meringue dessert believed created in honour of ballerina Anna Pavlova's 1926 tour becomes a fiercely contested national dish with Australia.
Post-1980s
Pacific Islander and Asian immigration
Growing Pacific and Asian communities bring new ingredients and dishes, especially in Auckland's diverse food scene.
Today
Native ingredient fine dining
Chefs increasingly incorporate native ingredients like kawakawa and horopito alongside New Zealand's famous lamb and seafood exports.
Jump to a city
City 1 of 3
Rotorua
The heart of Māori cultural and culinary tradition.
Hāngī
c. 1300 CE, Māori tradition
Meat and vegetables slow-cooked in an underground earth oven over heated stones, still used for ceremonial gatherings.
City 2 of 3
Auckland
New Zealand's most diverse food city, blending Pacific and Asian influence.
Pavlova
1920s, contested origin
A meringue dessert topped with cream and fresh fruit, a staple of Kiwi Christmas tables.
Fish and chips
British settler tradition
Freshly battered local fish served with chips, often eaten on the beach straight from the paper.
City 3 of 3
Marlborough
Coastal seafood region known for shellfish and wine.
Green-lipped mussels
Farmed since 1970s in Marlborough Sounds
A native shellfish farmed extensively and served simply steamed with garlic and white wine.
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