NORTHLAND BUTCHERS WIN REGIONAL COMPETITION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday 12 September 2022
NORTHLAND BUTCHERS WIN REGIONAL COMPETITION
Photos of the competition are available here.
Two butchers from Northland have carved themselves a path to the grand final of the 2022 Pact Packaging Young Butcher and ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice of the Year competition.
The competition, held in Auckland over the weekend, saw butchers from the upper North Island sharpen their knives and cut their way through a two-hour cutting test to earn a place at the final.
Fresh off the plane from Sacramento where he has just competed at the World Butchers’ Challenge, Luka Young of PAK’nSAVE in Kaitaia placed first in the Pact Packaging Young Butcher of the Year category.
Luka is delighted with his win and say his recent experience as a Hellers Sharp Black competing in Sacramento was a great way to prepare for the regional competition.
“I have always looked up to other butchers who compete in competitions and then becoming a Hellers Sharp Black and being in that environment has been amazing,” says Luka. “I love to learn and find ways to better myself and have strived to reach my goal of getting into the final, so this feels really good.”
Anton Rameka from New World Regent in Whangarei claimed first spot in the ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice of the Year category. Anton says he is stoked with his win and was quick to thank his mentor who he says helped him immensely while he was preparing for the regional competition.
“I was very lucky to have Jared McLeod as my mentor from New World Regent who really pitched in and guided me on my display and helped me to improve on my cutting skills,” says Anton. “The judges commented on the quality and evenness of my cutting which I think might have given me the edge, so it has really helped having a mentor.”
The competition was one of four regionals being held around the country in a national series to find New Zealand’s top butchers to compete in a grand final showdown in November. Contestants put their butchery skills to the test by boning, trimming, slicing and dicing their way through a two-hour competition. They were tasked with breaking down a size 20 chicken, a full pork loin, a lamb leg, and a prime steer d-rump into a display of value-added products while being closely watched and scrutinized by judges.
Head Judge Peter Martin who is the Butchery Training Advisor at Skills4Work in Auckland, says he saw a very high standard of work across both competitions over the weekend.
The young butchers displayed some excellent technical skills,” says Peter who was also really impressed with the high standard from the apprentices. “It is great to see some of the apprentices who are competing for the first time doing an amazing job and lifting the overall standard of the competition.”
“I am a strong advocate for these competitions and the best part as a judge is seeing the opportunities for young people in our trade to showcase their skills at competition level,” says Peter.
Alongside industry and peer recognition, the Pact Packaging Young Butcher of the Year and the ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice of the Year will receive a coveted trophy and an all-expenses paid trip to the next World Butchers’ Challenge in 2024 with the opportunity to represent New Zealand in the ANZCO Foods Young Butchers of New Zealand team.
The competition is proudly sponsored by Pact Packaging, ANZCO Foods, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Dunninghams, Hellers, Skills4Work, Tegel, Wilson Hellaby, Cabernet Foods, NZ Pork, and Victorinox.
FULL DETAILS FOR ALL REGIONALS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Upper North Island
Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th September 2022
Skills4Work, Manukau, Auckland
South Island
Saturday 17th September 2022
Ara Institute of Canterbury, School of Food and Hospitality, Cnr Ferry Rd & Madras St,
Christchurch
Waikato/Central North Island
Thursday 22nd September 2022
New World Te Rapa, 751 Te Rapa Road, Hamilton
Lower North Island
Friday 30th September 2022
WelTec School of Hospitality, 52 Cuba Street, Wellington
Grand Final
Thursday 3rd November 2022
Vodafone Events Centre, Manukau City, Auckland
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For more information, please contact:
Lisa Moloney
Retail Meat New Zealand
lisa@rmnz.co.nz / 027 632 1644
Samara Calvert
Event Coordinator – Retail Meat New Zealand
samara@rmnz.co.nz / 021 055 3448
#nztopbutcher
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Pact Packaging Young Butcher and ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice of the Year is a prestigious event well regarded by the retail meat trade with the titles highly sought after. The competition has been running for over two decades and begins with five regional competitions where entrants showcase their knife skills during a practical cutting test. The Pact Packaging Young Butcher category of the competition is open to fully qualified butchers aged 35 years and under, those who are currently completing an apprenticeship fall under the ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice category.
The regional cutting test is two hours long and involves breaking down and displaying different cuts of meat. This year, the chosen cuts are a size 20 chicken, a full pork loin, a lamb leg, and a prime steer d-rump. The entrants are required to produce some compulsory cuts as well as utilising the remaining meat to demonstrate their creativity by value adding.
At the grand final the Pact Packaging Young Butchers and ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentices will tackle the same cuts as they did at the regionals but will have free reign to create what they wish with no compulsory cuts. The ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice competitors also have the addition of an interview and multiple-choice exam.
There will be six finalists in each category at the grand final. The first five will be winners from each of the regionals. The remaining finalists will be taken from the overall top marks across the nation.