Medals for top Kiwi cheeses

The judging for the New Zealand Champions of Cheese Awards 2025 finished with 65 gold medals, 83 silver medals and 51 bronze medals for local cheesemakers.

The highest scoring gold medal cheeses are in contention to be named as Champions at the NZ Champions of Cheese Awards 2025 Gala Dinner in Hamilton next month.

The awards, managed by the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association, highlighted exceptional qualoty and innovation in the local cheese industry. Assessment was conducted at Hamilton's WINTEC in early March with master judge Jason Tarrant guiding 30 judges, supported by 20 stewards.

Tarrant notes that it was pleasing to see a nearly 10% increase in total entries over the previous year, with a significant 50% lift in the number of flavoured cheeses entered for assessment and double the number in the blue cheese, export cheese and Greek or Danish-style cheese categories.

Tarrant says their taste buds were thrilled by "outstanding blue cheese, adventurous flavour-added entries that complemented the cheese while offering a real point of difference for consumers".

"All of which was in sharp contrast to the delicate and decadent fresh Italian-style cheese that melted in the mouth and also captured the attention of judges," he says.

For example, in the dish Champion Fresh Italian-Style Cheese category, Anabelle Exquisite Dairy Bouchees Black Garlic and Truffle received a gold medal with judges commenting, "Lovely fresh, smooth cheese. Uniform and consistent sizing... good balance of flavours. Presence of black garlic and truffle harmonise nicely. Great cheese."

In the FSQSNZ Champion Aged Flavour Added Cheese category, Jones Family Farm Peppered Havarti received a gold medal. with judges saying, “Excellent cheese! Excellent flavour! Beautifully presented! Cheese flavour and body well balanced. Pepper was the perfect addition”.

Awarding Kāpiti Artisan Bridge Street Blue a gold medal in the Ecolab Champion Blue Cheese category, the judges’ said, “Rustic external cheese (positively). Well broken down interior, interior decadent… inside was awesome. Some firmness, some creamy ‘oozy’ texture which was great… a good cheese. Well done.”

The NZSCA says Kiwi cheese lovers will find these and other medal winners at their local supermarket and specialty retailer.

NZSCA chair, Simon Lamb, says consumers will know the medalwinning cheeses because they will wear NZ Champions of Cheese gold, silver and bronze medals.

“Its consumers guarantee the cheese is made in NZ and it’s been assessed by experts who affirm it’s of the highest quality. Buying NZ cheese helps maintain jobs and income for NZ businesses.”

Lamb thanked the awards sponsors and all the volunteer judges and stewards whose expertise made the awards possible. “Without the voluntary contributions of judges and stewards who donate their Sunday to help find NZ’s best cheeses, the NZ Champions of Cheese Awards wouldn’t be possible.”

The NZ Champions of Cheese Awards are in their 22nd year of recognising the country’s finest cheeses and shining a light on the best examples to guide consumers on purchase decisions with trophies and medals awarded to outstanding NZ Cheese.