Mapari Meats’ masterpiece named NZ’s Supreme Sausage

Mapari Meats in Auckland has been crowned the Supreme Winner of the 2026 Dunninghams Great New Zealand Sausage Competition for its Birria Taco sausage after the national sausage awards were announced in Auckland.

Co-owners of Mapari Meats, Richard Healey and Geoff Calder, said they were stoked with the win.

Richard Healey said, “To finally get the win is a huge credit to all our staff. It was a real team effort, and they deserve a lot of the credit for this one. It’s been five years in the making, so it’s a great achievement.”

Geoff Calder added, “A lot of love and care went into this particular sausage, including an eight-hour broth, so to get this result after all that effort is just amazing.”

A record-breaking 869 entries were submitted this year from 126 sausage makers nationwide, all vying for the chance to claim bragging rights as New Zealand’s Supreme Winner.

With 13 different sausage categories in the competition, several judging panels made up of butchers, chefs and food writers spent six days last month assessing each sausage on its technical composition, aroma, appearance, texture and taste. The highest-scoring sausage in each category then progressed to the final supreme round of judging.

Judges were unanimous in their decision to award the prestigious title to the Birria Taco sausage, with judge Hannah Miller Childs, owner of A Lady Butcher, describing the winning sausage as a real crowd-pleaser.

“It had those intensely savoury, beautiful Mexican-inspired flavours, with a little chilli, clove and cinnamon. What really impressed us was how beautifully all those flavours melded together. You weren’t tasting the chilli, the clove or the cinnamon individually – you were tasting one great sausage. That balance is what made it stand out,” says Miller Childs.

Fellow judge Brian Everton from Cabernet Foods says the standard of entries seems to go up another level every year.

“You can see the care and pride producers are putting into their sausages, and that really comes through in the texture and all the technical aspects of making a great sausage. At this final stage of judging, it ultimately comes down to the combination of flavours and innovation – those are the things that can lift one sausage above another.

“The winning sausage really nailed those qualities, setting itself apart in a field of exceptionally strong contenders,” says Everton.

People’s Choice

But the judges weren’t the only people getting a say in this year’s top sausages.

The public were also invited to taste and vote for their favourite during a special lunchtime People’s Choice sausage sizzle held at The Green in Central Park, Auckland. The six highest-scoring sausages from the supreme judging were tasted anonymously, with Well Hung Butchery in Milford, Auckland taking out the People’s Choice Award for its Chicken, Brie and Cranberry sausage.

Todd Treadwell, owner of Well Hung Butchery, says he was taken aback when he heard the news.

“I couldn’t believe it. It’s been our second-best-selling sausage for more than a year, so to win the People’s Choice Award is fantastic. The public are great critics, which makes this award particularly special. The whole team is really excited and we’re already thinking about new ideas for next year’s competition.”

The third major award, the Dunninghams’ Choice Award, recognises the highest-scoring sausage made using a Dunninghams sausage mix. This year, Westmere Butchery in Auckland took home the award for their Lamb Sicilian sausage.

Category Champions, Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners were also announced across all 13 sausage categories, resulting in a nationwide guide to where sausage lovers can find New Zealand’s top snags.

The results highlight the incredible depth and diversity of New Zealand’s sausage-making talent, with medal-winning snarlers produced by butchers from Northland to Southland. From traditional favourites to more adventurous flavour combinations, the competition showcases both the timeless appeal of the quintessential Kiwi sausage and the creativity of today’s sausage makers.

With summer fast approaching, the announcement of New Zealand’s top sausages gives Kiwis a great reason to fire up the barbecue. The competition provides a trusted way to discover some of the country’s best sausages – giving barbecue lovers plenty of medal-winning snarlers to seek out this summer.

A full geographical map of the medal-winning sausages is available here.

The Dunninghams Great New Zealand Sausage Competition is managed by Retail Meat New Zealand and proudly supported by Dunninghams, Big Chill, MCC Label, Multivac Handtmann and Pact Packaging.

Photos supplied by Retail Meat NZ

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