What to know | New Zealand's First Michelin Guide Selects 110 Restaurants, Queenstown's Five Starred Venues Accumulate Six Stars
The key details: The Michelin Guide enters Oceania for the first time, featuring 110 restaurants across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. Queenstown claims the nation's highest density of stars, while Taiwanese chef Nobu Lee is also mentioned outside the award list.
The Michelin Guide released its first-ever New Zealand selection in 2026, marking Michelin's debut entry into Oceania. The selection spans four cities—Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown—featuring 110 restaurants in total, of which 15 received stars, 35 were awarded Bib Gourmand recognition, and 60 were included in the guide's selected list. Each city shows a distinct distribution of stars, reflecting the geographic and stylistic diversity of New Zealand's dining landscape.
New Zealand's first Michelin Guide covers four cities: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. Image: Tourism New Zealand
How are Queenstown's starred restaurants distributed?
Among the 15 starred restaurants, Essence in Queenstown is the only restaurant in all of New Zealand to receive two stars, led by executive chef Paul Froggatt. The restaurant opened in September 2025, representing one of the South Island's newer dining destinations. Besides Essence, Queenstown also has four one-star restaurants—Amisfield, Kika, Rātā and Sherwood—bringing the city's total to five starred restaurants and six stars combined, the highest star count of any of the four cities.
By comparison, Auckland has five one-star restaurants, including Ahi., Mudbrick, Paris Butter, Tala and The Estate; Wellington has three one-star restaurants—Jano Bistro, Logan Brown and Ortega; and Christchurch has two one-star restaurants, Inati and Tussock Hill. Across the 15 starred restaurants in the four cities, the distribution shows that although Queenstown is not the most populous city, it achieved the most concentrated star results in this inaugural guide.
What other awards are worth noting besides the starred list?
The guide also announced three individual awards. The Young Chef Award went to Robert Fairs of Londo in Christchurch; the Service Award was given to Stina Persen of Graze in Wellington; and the Sommelier Award was presented to Matthew Aitchison of The French Café in Auckland. These awards were judged separately from the starred list, reflecting the guide team's attention to overall service and professional specialization, rather than using the dishes alone as the sole criterion.
Chef Nobu Lee of NOBUO, the two-Michelin-star restaurant in Taipei, began his culinary career in New Zealand. Image: Tourism New ZealandAntipodes mineral water featured in New Zealand dining introduction. Image: Tourism New Zealand
Notably, chef Nobu Lee of NOBUO, the two-Michelin-star restaurant in Taipei, began his culinary career in New Zealand. NOBUO itself was elevated from one star to two stars in July 2026. Although NOBUO is not included in this New Zealand guide, Nobu Lee's perspective on New Zealand's dining landscape remains of interest—he stated that if he could only eat one meal in New Zealand, his top recommendation would be Amisfield, the one-star restaurant on the South Island.
Nobu Lee, who began his culinary career in New Zealand. Image: Tourism New ZealandNobu Lee says that if he could only eat one meal in New Zealand, his top recommendation would be Amisfield, the one-star restaurant on the South Island. Image: Tourism New Zealand
What changes are there for Taiwanese travelers' transportation arrangements?
For Taiwanese travelers planning to visit restaurants on this list, flight arrangements are a practical consideration. Air New Zealand plans to increase its direct flights between Taipei and Auckland from the current three per week to five to seven per week in the first quarter of 2027, with a planned daily frequency during the Lunar New Year period. However, this remains a future scheduling plan that has not yet been implemented, and current flight frequencies still apply for now.
In addition, Air New Zealand has appointed chef Josh Emett as a culinary ambassador, with a newly announced business class menu set to be served on the Auckland–Taipei route starting October 2026, though actual in-flight meals remain subject to the airline's arrangements. This menu update is not directly connected to the Michelin list on the ground, but it shows that New Zealand's culinary quality is being newly presented to Taiwanese travelers from both the restaurant side and the airline service side.
Air New Zealand has appointed chef Josh Emett as culinary ambassador, with a new business class menu served on the Taipei route starting October 2026. Image: Tourism New ZealandAir New Zealand's in-flight dining introduction. Image: Tourism New ZealandAir New Zealand business class cabin. Image: Tourism New Zealand
Overall, this inaugural guide, covering 110 restaurants across four cities, outlines the current dining landscape of New Zealand. Queenstown's total star count and Essence's two-star achievement are the most notable highlights of this list, but the guide itself covers only four cities and is not a complete survey of restaurants nationwide in New Zealand.
