ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice competition winners

The Grand Final of the ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice and Pact Packaging Young Butcher competitions was held last night (13 August), followed by the National Butchery Awards.

Cody Burbery from PAK’nSAVE Te Awamutu took out first place in the Butcher Apprentice competition, with Garett Smith from New World Feilding as runner-up.

Congratulations also to the 2026 Pact Packaging Young Butcher winner Rhys Tamanui from Waipawa Butchery. Rhys won the ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice competition in 2022 and went on to place third in the World Champion Butcher Apprentice competition in 2025.

The Butcher Apprentice competition comprises a multiple-choice exam and a practical two-hour cutting test assessing finalists’ safety, hygiene, efficiency, knife skills, display, products produced, and cooking instructions provided with their final products.

Finalists worked with a range of cuts, including ANZCO Foods beef rump and lamb leg. They were also given a mystery cut on the day – a lamb shortloin – to incorporate into their work.

As the 2026 winner, Cody receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the World Butchers’ Challenge in 2028, the opportunity to be selected for the ANZCO Foods Young Butchers of New Zealand Team, a trophy, and a Victory Knives set.

If you know someone completing a butcher apprenticeship who’d be keen to give the competition a go, encourage them to sign up. It’s a great opportunity to test their knowledge, showcase their skills, and complete against some of the country’s best emerging butchers. Entry is free, with regional competitions running from May to July each year.