Waikato butchers a cut above on home ground in national competition
Skills tested in two hours of boning, trimming, slicing and dicing
Two butchers from Waipā 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, in Hamilton last month saw butchers from the Waikato 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 Champion Young Butcher Competition, New World Rototuna’s Brad Gillespie, originally from Te Awamutu, placed first in the Pact Packaging Young Butcher of the Year category.
Brad says he is stoked with his win as the level of competition was very high.
“I think competing on the world stage in Sacramento really helped set me apart,” says Brad.
“It’s a great confidence booster and in the lead-up to the final I now want
to focus on creating some new products and maybe bring home a ‘best product’ award as well as the grand title.”
Nineteen-year-old Dallas Prince from Wholly Cow Butchery in Cambridge won the ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice of the Year category.
Dallas is 18 months into his apprenticeship and says he is over the moon with his win.
“It’s the first time entering the competition and I was short on time to practice, but once I got going everything just seemed to flow really well,” says Dallas.
“I stuck to what I knew and kept it simple, but now I want to use my skills to elevate my display for the final.”
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 scrutinised by judges.
Head judge Peter Martin, who is the Butchery Training Advisor at Skills4Work in Auckland, says it was a very close competition and he saw a high standard of work from all the competitors.
“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 grand final is on November 3 in Manukau City, Auckland.