Finalists announced for Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence 2023

Finalists for the prestigious 25th-year Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence 2023 have been announced and they recognise and celebrate the success, achievements and resilience of people across the hospitality and accommodation sector.

The Awards started in 1997 but were not held in 2020 due to the COVID epidemic, and were held online in 2021, which makes this year’s celebration the 25th year in person.

These are the longest-running, biggest, most prestigious national hospitality awards for excellence that recognise the best of the best talent and the finest hospitality and accommodation industries have to offer.

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Hosted by Hospitality New Zealand, the Awards for Excellence are in conjunction with long-time principal sponsor, Lion New Zealand. Winners of the Hospitality Awards for Excellence 2023 will be announced at a gala dinner at the Pullman Hotel, Auckland, on 28 June – the final night of the Hospitality New Zealand Conference #HNZ23.

There are 20 categories from which the overall Supreme winner will be chosen. There is also the People’s Choice Award, which is open to finalists across every category and voted on by the public.

Hospitality NZ Chief Executive Julie White says she is delighted by the number of entries.

She said: “These awards are the pinnacle of our industry so we were expecting a lot of interest, and we have not been disappointed. We want to recognise and reward members who create the highest possible standards and experiences for both their guests and their team.

“I didn’t envy the judges’ job to whittle the number of entries down to these finalists, but they’ve done a great job in sorting out the best of the best.

“Every year it’s a shame we have to single out anyone because operators and workers across the hospitality and accommodation sectors deserve an award for the perseverance they’ve shown.

“It’s inspiring to see hospitality businesses still striving to be the best and to meet customers’ needs after what they’ve been through.”

The Industry’s Leader of the Year People’s Award categories will be announced at the Hospitality Social Event on the evening of June 27.

These People Awards are about people in the hospitality and accommodation industry doing great things.

They acknowledge and celebrate the people behind our country’s most successful hospitality and accommodation venues.

For the first time, the People’s Awards will feature an award for Supplier of the Year, in recognition of industry icon and pioneer Michael Friend and former Awards for Excellence Head Judge, who recently died after an amazing contribution to the industry spanning 50 years.

These People Awards and Hospitality Social event, to be held at Sweatshop Brew Kitchen, is sponsored by Coca Cola Europacific Partners.

Voting is now open for the public to vote for their favourite hospitality or accommodation venue.

The Finalists

Leader of the Year – Hospitality:

Bert Haines, Future Hospitality Group
Blair Impey, Republic Hospitality Group
Darren Tait, Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre
David Allot, SkyCity Auckland
Greg Miller, Valley d’Vine Restaurant and Function Centre

Leader of the Year – Accommodation:

Chris McIntosh, Naumi Hotel Wellington
Desmond Moraes, Capstone Hotels
Doron Whaite, QT Auckland
Hannah Chinnery, Bolton Hotel
Oliver Faull, Swiss Belhotel International

Future Leader of the Year:

Ana-Maria Didenco, Miro
James Wakefield, Fantail and Turtle
Liam Cabourn, Future Hospitality Group
Mason Lattimore, Kaiser Brew Garden
Sam Stapley, The Mayfair

Chef of the Year:

Cameron Davies, The Fat Duck Te Anau
Casey McDonald, Craggy Range
Dean Thompson, Schnappa Rock
Desmond Davies, Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre
Gideon Landman, Tantalus Estate
James Laird, Esther at QT Auckland
Rae Xue, SkyCity Auckland

Best Hotel:

Bolton Hotel, Wellington
QT Queenstown, Queenstown
Ramada Remarkables, Queenstown
Rydges Wellington Airport, Wellington
The Langlands, Invercargill

Best Country Hotel:

Otautau Hotel, Otautau
Theatre Royal Hotel, Kumara
Woodbourne Tavern and Motels, Renwick

Best Motel Under 25 Rooms:

Hanmer Springs Scenic View Motel, Hanmer Springs
Palazzo Motor Lodge, Nelson
Radfords on the Lake, Te Anau
Two Tree Lodge, Blenheim
Whangaparaoa Lodge, Whangaparaoa

Best Motel Over 25 Rooms:

Awa Motel, Whakatane
Central Park Apartments, Cromwell
Garden Court Suites & Apartments, Queenstown

Best Luxury Accommodation:

Craggy Range, Hawkes Bay
The Hotel Britomart, Auckland
Hotel Fitzroy Curated by Fable, Auckland
Kamana Lakehouse, Queenstown
The Landing, Te Tii

Best Mid-Scale Accommodation:

Hot Water Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park, Whitianga
Hotel Give, Christchurch
Ophope Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park, Ohope
Rydges Latimer Christchurch, Christchurch
Rydges Rotorua, Rotorua

Best Destination Venue:

Fable Terrace Downs, Windwhistle
Millbrook Resort, Arrowtown
Owen River Lodge, Murchison
Tantalus Estate, Waiheke Island
The Store Kekerengu, Clarence

Supplier of the Year:

Aaron Kedzlie, Gilmours Mt Roskill
Brent and Karen de Bres, AMS Nightlife
Jill Newton, Lion NZ
Juliearna Kavanagh, Hop on Hop Off Wine Tours
Matt Humphrey, Gilmours Wellington
Todd Lynch, Crombie Lockwood

Best Sustainability, Environmental and/or Recycling Practices:

Aura Accommodation, Rotorua
Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, Christchurch
The Hotel Britomart, Auckland
The Landing, Te Tii
TOAD Hall Motueka, Motueka

Outstanding Achievement in Training and Workforce Development:

Delaware North, Wellington
EVT Hotels and Resorts NZ Ltd, Wellington
Kaiser Brew Garden, Christchurch
The Keg Room, Hamilton
Wynyard Pavilion, Auckland

Best Marketed Establishment:

Castaways Resort, Waiuku
Edgewater Resort Hotel Limited, Wanaka
Heyday Beer Co, Wellington
Kaiser Brew Garden, Christchurch
SkyCity Hotel Group, Auckland

Best Restaurant:

Botswana Butchery Queenstown, Queenstown
Craggy Range, Hawkes Bay
King of Snake, Christchurch
Tantalus Estate, Waiheke Island
White + Wong’s Viaduct, Auckland

Best Café:

Bonobo Cafe, Christchurch
CoLab Cafe, Hastings
Hello Sunday, Christchurch
Majestic at The Mayfair, Christchurch
TOAD Hall Motueka, Motueka

Best Fine Dining:

Craggy Range, Hawkes Bay
Fife Lane Kitchen and Bar, Mount Maunganui
Kamana Lakehouse, Queenstown
Tantalus Estate, Waiheke Island
The Bunker Restaurant and Bar, Queenstown

Best Restaurant in an Accommodation Venue:

Bloody Mary’s at Rydges Latimer, Christchurch
Eliza’s Manor, Christchurch
Esther at QT Auckland, Auckland
Kamana Lakehouse, Queenstown
The Press Club and Fable Dunedin, Dunedin

Best Bar:

Kaiser Brew Garden, Christchurch
Little Blackwood, Queenstown
Market ST, Napier
Rooftop at QT Auckland, Auckland
Thistle Inn, Wellington

Best Sports Bar:

D4 on Featherston, Wellington
Richmond Club, Christchurch
Schapiro’s Sports Bar, Auckland
The Fox, Auckland
The Locker Room Sports Bar, Queenstown

Best Late Night Venue/Live Entertainment Venue:

Danny Doolans, Auckland
Miss Gee’s Bar and Eatery, Tauranga
The Tahi Bar, Warkworth
Wynyard Pavilion, Auckland
Yonder, Queenstown

Best Gaming Venue:

Cambridge Hotel, Wellington
Four Kings, Wellington
Smith and McKenzie Steak House, Hamilton
Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club, Upper Hutt
Woodbourne Tavern and Motels, Renwick

Best Local Venue:

Smith and McKenzie Steak House, Hamilton
Sprig + Fern Berhampore, Wellington
The Elmwood Trading Company, Christchurch
The Keg Room, Hamilton
Thistle Inn, Wellington

Excellence in a Gaming Club, RSA or Sporting Venue:

Hornby Club, Christchurch
Petone Working Men’s Club, Lower Hutt
Richmond Club, Christchurch
The Porirua Club, Porirua
Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club, Upper Hutt

Further information HERE

The awards will be part of #HNZ23, a two-day conference and trade show designed for everyone in the hospitality and accommodation sectors. This year’s theme is ‘By Industry, For Industry’, where an expected 400 delegates can front-foot the key issues.

The conference, partnered with Maximum Occupancy, will feature global and national keynote speakers, a dedicated workshop hui aimed at supporting business owners and managers, as well as first-time leaders in the industry. Sessions include topics such as diversity, emerging technology, challenging conversations, business continuity planning, and bouncing back. A first this year is a dedicated workforce summit on day 2, where the industry will explore and discuss key workforce issues.

Further information on the conference and trade show HERE

More information on Maximum Occupancy and get tickets HERE