Apprentice butcher wins regional heat
The 23-year-old, who works at Gardens New World in North East Valley, won the ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice lower South Island regional heat last Friday and earned a spot in the national final in Auckland on August 14.
Growing up with a mother who did not eat meat, he never really planned on becoming a butcher, but then he took a gap year to live with his father in Canada and took a job as a butcher in a local supermarket, Mr Hall said.
"It was the only free position available."
He said he fell in love with all aspects of cutting, marinating and presenting meat to customers.
His favourite cut of meat was a porterhouse steak.
"That was the first steak I ever had.
"I got a real marbled one at work, took it home, fried it up the first time and it can't get better than that for me."
He went from eating little meat to eating it more often so he could better instruct people how to prepare it.
Mr Hall said he loved the physical aspect of being a butcher.
"I'm a kinaesthetic learner so if someone shows me how to do something, I can get in there and get better at it."
He was excited about what the future held for him whether that was continuing working at the supermarket butchery, working for a private butchery or opening a home-kill butchering business.
For the time being, he was enjoying working at New World because it offered him a lot of opportunity.
He would complete his apprenticeship in November.
Winning the national apprenticeship competition would mean a lot to him because it drove him to have pride in his work, he said.
"Competition just lets you add your creative flavours."
Arrowtown butchery R.M Prime Produce butcher William Fletcher took top honours in the Pact Packaging Young Butcher category.
He started his apprenticeship in 2020 and has been a qualified butcher for a year and a-half.
He said it felt great to compete for the first time and be rewarded for his hard work and preparation.
Each competitor took part in a demanding two-hour cutting challenge, showcasing their technique, creativity and speed in pursuit of a spot in the national final.
Both Mr Hall and Mr Fletcher received a $150 cash prize and a trophy.
Head judge Peter Martin said the standard in the South Island was exceptionally high.
mark.john@odt.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Pushing our buttons to loosen our wallets
There's a suggestion that the cost-of-living crisis has taken the excitement out of supermarket campaigns. Photo: Supplied It's child pester-power versus high-end kitchenware versus 'just lower prices' at New Zealand supermarkets right now. The offerings couldn't be more different. New World shoppers collecting stickers to grab cast iron cookware , Woolworths giving out tin Disney Discs for kids to ... well, it's not really clear what kids do with them once they have them. At Pak'nSave, it's just business as usual - it doesn't do giveaways. In the past, these campaigns have created social media frenzies, with New World's knife promotion, miniature shops, and little gardens being big hits. During the so-called 'Summer of Smeg', shoppers took to Trade Me to complete their full set of knives. There were 39,000 searches for them on the site in the seven days after the promotion's launch. But there's a suggestion that the cost-of-living crisis has taken the excitement out of the offerings. Reddit users are divided between wanting New World's knife promotion back and just wanting lower grocery prices instead. "It feels to me like these promos ... people are getting less excited about them as they go along," says RNZ's money correspondent Susan Edmunds. "When we started off with the Smeg knives and the little gardens and stuff, it seemed like everyone was talking about it and swapping things, and there was lots of chatter about it online, and I'm not seeing that as much now. " Is the thought of some flash cookware enough to change a shopper's behaviour, or get them in the door of a different supermarket? Probably not, says Edmunds. "We're such creatures of habit when it comes to supermarket shopping that this is more likely to be rewarding loyalty with people who are already shopping there. "There wouldn't be that many people who are going 'oooh, Woolworths or New World'? and I'll be swayed to New World by the Smeg giveaway. But I suppose that would happen if you had one on one side of the road and one on the other." Kids' pester-power is probably worth a lot. "As more of us shop online, that's less of a factor, because kids don't get any say on where you're online shopping. But I suppose if you've got your kids nagging you to go to a particular shop, then that probably would sway you .... but people are so committed usually to 'their' supermarket that they're comfortable with and know where everything is." Having said that, her kids are collecting the Disney Discs and she's "finding them all over the house - probably Smeg dishes would be more useful". She says the New World tie-up with Smeg is helping the higher-end brand to get established. "This will help their brand recognition. People will start to get more familiar with it and maybe feel more comfortable if they're shopping, and they maybe want a fridge, and they see a Smeg fridge. This all helps with that." The cookware being offered at New World doesn't seem to feature in retail stores, although there's plenty of similar, and expensive, equipment. "But not that stuff, so I feel like this is probably a promotional play for Smeg to try and broaden its ... potential market, and build up its brand name, and it's got the power of New World behind it. Everyone loves these New World promotions, so it's a win for them [Smeg] from a marketing perspective, and it's a win for New World because you get these quite high-end products at a relatively cheap price ... and then I guess it's a win for consumers who get to stock up on - what is it - utensil holders and baking dishes and all sorts." Dr Saira Raza Khan (left) and Dr Pragea Putra (right) Photo: Alexia Russell Dr Pragea Putra is a lecturer in marketing at the University of Auckland Business School. His shopping behaviour is currently being dictated by the demands of his seven-year-old son, who is collecting the Disney Discs from Woolworths. He tells The Detail , while New World tends to attract shoppers who are a bit more established and value quality, and want nice things in their kitchen, Woolworths is tapping into the family market - parents with kids in tow. But he thinks Woolworths has missed a marketing trick with its failure to emphasise that the discs it's giving away aren't plastic - they're recyclable aluminium - and that there are games you can play with them instead of just collecting them to look at. Dr Putra's colleague, Dr Saira Raza Khan, looks at a different form of button-pushing - she's an expert in consumer behaviour. Her research has looked at the best way to get public health messages through, and it suggests that consumers are sick of having the fear factor used against them to get them to change their behaviour. Dr Khan says gratitude is an underused, but powerful, motivator and health practitioners should be looking at it more often. Check out how to listen to and fol low The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
RNZ News
7 days ago
- RNZ News
Smeg New World giveaway smart move, says marketing expert
Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas Being part of New World's latest promo is unlikely to hurt Smeg's higher-end image, even if people are picking up its products for nothing, marketing experts say. The supermarket is offering baking dishes and utensil organisers in return for stickers collected at a rate of one per $20. Some items, such as the cast iron braiser, require cash on top of stickers. Kitchen Things is selling Smeg casserole dishes for more than $450 and a set of three containers for $439. Sarah Dodds, a senior marketing lecturer at Massey University, said it was a smart move for Smeg to be involved in the New World giveaway. "It gives them exposure to a broader target market, a sensible growth strategy in today's market to increase market share. "Although Smeg is typically positioned as a premium, designer appliance brand, partnering with a major supermarket like New World offers widespread visibility across New Zealand, creating brand awareness and interest from aspirational consumers who may not have previously considered high-end appliances." She said giveaways could often generate excitement and goodwill. "Associating the brand with a Kiwi supermarket can personalise the brand and increase its relatability. "The key will be to preserve the brand's premium appeal while benefiting from New World's broad reach to grow the brand in New Zealand. Having said that, New World is positioned as a supermarket that offers quality product and a full-service, premium shopping environment, so in that sense, Smeg fits reasonably well with New World." University of Auckland marketing professor Michael Lee said, if it was a new type of promotion, it could be detrimental to the Smeg brand, but the model was well known. "New World has done enough of these now, all with high-end brands, that they have sort of become pseudo status promoters of the brands involved." Foodstuffs said the promotion was a successful one, with 92 percent awareness among New World shoppers. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
22-07-2025
- RNZ News
Foodstuffs commits to rebuilding New World Victoria Park after fire
Fire engulfed the supermarket in June. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi Foodstuffs says it's "100 percent committed to rebuilding" New World Victoria Park at the same site as its fire-damaged predecessor . A massive blaze broke out at the central Auckland supermarket in June, taking more than 10 hours to extinguish and significantly damaging the building. The announcement of a new store was made on the supermarket's social media. "Work is well under way to make our fire-damaged site safe for entry. "Right now, it's still too dangerous for anyone to go inside, but specialist crews and structural engineers are on-site, carefully stabilising the building so we can begin the recovery." "We're 100 percent committed to rebuilding a new supermarket on the same site. Our focus is on getting back up and running as quickly as we can, but safety comes first." The statement went on to say it has brought forward the opening of the store in Point Chevalier to 19 August, which is 5km away. The New World store in Victoria Park had employed more than 180 people . Foodstuffs said it continues to work with affected staff. "To our amazing team, we're continuing to work one-on-one with each of you and are so grateful for your patience and resilience. "Being part of the Foodstuffs North Island co-operative means Foodstuffs have been able to off over 100 roles across 23 Auckland stores, and we're doing everything we can to help our people find the right next step," the statement on social media said.
