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Wednesday, July 01, 2026
Aotearoa New Zealand has a well-deserved reputation for being a welcoming, friendly and inclusive destination – and that extends to manuhiri (visitors) with dietary, cultural or religious food requirements.
If you have clients travelling to New Zealand who follow a halal diet, you can assure them that they’ll be able to enjoy quality food, try local cuisine – important to 83% of people looking to visit New Zealand – and experience the manaakitanga (a deep expression of hospitality) that underpins the local food and beverage scene.
From hands-on cooking classes to walking food tours, your clients will find there are plenty of food tourism experiences that are halal-friendly.
The operators mentioned are just a small section from across the motu (country) that offer experiences suitable for those eating halal. This may mean that vegetarian, vegan or seafood options are available rather than being halal certified and we recommend contacting operators directly if you or your clients have any questions or concerns.
Take your tastebuds on an urban food safari with Big Foody(opens in new window) who offer walking food tours in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin. Both group and private tours are available, treating your clients to everything from farmers markets and coffee roasteries to chocolate shops and freshly caught seafood. Be sure to advise Big Foody of your client's halal food requirements at the time of booking.
Discover Te Puia(opens in new window) by night with this nearly 3-hour evening experience that includes a captivating cultural performance filled with waiata (song), poi and haka as well as a delicious hāngī (food cooked in an earth oven) buffet dinner. Your clients will may also have the chance to see the southern hemisphere’s largest geyser erupt! Be aware that while the kitchen is halal-friendly and the hāngī itself does not contain pork, there are pork items available as part of the wider buffet.
Experience Māori culture, delicious kai (food) and geothermal wonders by night with the Te Pō Hāngī Dinner at Te Puia in Rotorua
Experience the iconic Hobbiton™ Movie Set(opens in new window) by day and night on this highly popular experience where your clients will be guided through The Shire™ first at dusk and later by lantern-light. In between they’ll sit down for a two-course, family-style banquet fit for a hobbit – second helpings encouraged! Although the Hobbiton kitchen is halal-friendly, be sure to advise of your clients’ requirements at the time of booking or at least 48-hours in advance.
Sample fresh seafood, cooked at the source on this 3-hour catamaran cruise with the Marlborough Tour Company(opens in new window). Departing from Picton, your clients will travel through the picturesque Marlborough Sounds, visiting a mussel farm, feeding blue cod and tasting both New Zealand King salmon and mussels cooked different ways including freshly steamed and oven roasted. Please note that one mussel option is cooked with wine and that alcohol is served on board with non-alcoholic options available.
Sample New Zealand's famed kaimoana (seafood) including fresh mussels on a cruise through Queen Charlotte Sound in Marlborough
Hapuku Kitchen’s(opens in new window) relaxed hands-on cooking classes celebrate seasonal ingredients from local sources. Your clients will participate in producing a multi course, farm-to-table meal that includes harvesting, foraging, collecting, cooking and of course, eating. While regular classes cannot cater to dietary requirements, both half and full day private classes are able to accommodate a halal diet.
All aboard New Zealand’s only dining tramcar! Combining fine dining on a heritage tram with evening sightseeing of central city Christchurch, this is a truly unique experience and bookings are essential. Changing with the seasons and featuring quality local and regional produce, your clients will enjoy a multi-course halal-friendly menu with halal options available. Advise the Tramway Restaurant(opens in new window) of your clients’ dietary requirements at least 72 hours in advance.
Build up an appetite with hands-on farm-to-plate cooking classes with Hapuku Kitchen in Kaikōura
If your clients want to take a break from self-catering and dine out at local cafés and restaurants, they can be rest assured that if halal meat is not available there will be vegetarian, vegan and seafood options as an alternative. We recommend checking in advance if hospitality venues have official halal certification.
Weekly farmers markets take place around New Zealand, like the Britomart Saturday Market in Auckland, and are a great choice for self-catering travellers following a halal diet
Halal is an Arabic word meaning “permissible” and it applies to what food and drink is allowed under Islamic dietary guidelines.
For meat to be halal, it must be sourced, killed, prepared and served according to specific principles to avoid contamination with non-halal substances.
Nutritionally and flavour-wise, halal meat is identical to non-halal meat.
New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries(opens in new window) (MPI) is responsible for ensuring all halal meat products – both within New Zealand and those prepared for export – abide by strict standards as defined by the Islamic community.
This includes recognising and approving halal certification bodies such as the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand(opens in new window) (FIANZ Halal) and Halal Conformity Services(opens in new window) (HCS). These entities provide certification to halal-meat plants as well as other food providers.
The following foods and food by-products are considered "haram" meaning not permissible:
Yes, there are community guides and directories available for your clients when travelling in New Zealand, helping to identify which restaurants are halal certified. Remember to advise your clients that it’s their responsibility to personally verify whether tourism operators and hospitality venues are halal certified or halal-friendly.