A New World Marton butcher has taken out the top spot in the Lower North Island Butchery Apprentice of the Year regional heat

Renee Steer, from New World Marton has taken out the top spot in the Lower North Island Butchery Apprentice of the Year regional heat.

A New World Marton butcher has taken out the top spot in the Lower North Island Butchery Apprentice of the Year regional heat.

Renee Steer, 19, has been working at the supermarket for five years and is about to complete her three-year butcher qualification.

“I love working in the butchery department because it allows me to prepare and present food in creative ways,” she says.

“It’s also nice to be able to bring the skills I learn at work back home with me and even to the occasional party.”

This was Steer’s second time competing in a regional heat, after narrowly missing a spot in the finals last year.

“It was all for the best though,” she says. “This time around I felt much calmer and more prepared.”

The annual Anzco Foods Butchery Apprentice of the Year competition puts the technical and creative skills of young Kiwi butchers to the test.

Within a tight two-hour timeframe, competitors are tasked with breaking down an entire lamb leg, pork loin, beef rump and size 20 chicken into a display of value-added products, all while under the watchful eye of judges.

Steer says the hardest part was the time pressure.

“It’s a lot of cutting, boning and presenting to do in just two hours and I almost didn’t make it. Winning came as a complete surprise and a total relief,” she says.

Steer’s success has earned her a spot in today’s grand final in Auckland today with the other regional winners to compete for the title of Butchery Apprentice of the Year. “I’m nervous but excited to go and compete alongside the new friends I’ve made.

“My parents are going to come to support me though, which will help with the nerves. My store owner surprised me by booking the flights and accommodation, which I’m so grateful for,” she says.

The winner will receive a trophy, knife set and an all-expenses paid trip to France to compete in the 2025 World Butcher’s Challenge as part of the Anzco Foods Young Butchers of New Zealand team.

This year, five out of six Butcher Apprentice of the Year finalists are Foodstuffs employees midway through the Foodstuffs Butchers Apprenticeship Programme. Foodstuffs North Island training manager butchery Hugh Robertson says the programme was developed to address New Zealand’s butcher shortage by providing comprehensive training to 100 young Kiwis annually.

“At Foodstuffs, we cover the programme costs to offer aspiring butchers, like Renee, three years of on-the-job training, providing essential skills that fast-track their careers and enable them to gain formal qualifications.

“Many new hires come into our supermarkets seeking general employment and don’t realise the opportunities that are available in specialised fields such as butchery. Programmes like these allow us to nurture their potential for future success.

“Renee is the perfect example of the young talent we try and foster with this programme, and we couldn’t be prouder of her success,” Robertson says.