Six of New Zealand’s top butchers have undergone one of their final trainings in Auckland before their trip to Paris.
The Hellers Sharp Blacks will take on the world’s best butchers at the World Butchers’ Challenge on the 31st of March, 2025.
Team Captain Riki Kerekere said his team has done everything it can to prepare for its competition against 13 other nations this month.
“We are excited and looking forward to reconnecting with everyone. See you soon, Paris," said Kerekere.
The Hellers Sharp Blacks Team includes Captain Riki Kerekere (Auckland), Reuben Sharples (Auckland), Luka Young (Auckland), Dan Klink (Northland), Cherise Redden (Auckland), Corey White (Auckland) and Samantha Weller (Woodend, Christchurch).
The team has been led by team manager Brydon Heller.
Preceding this event, five of New Zealand’s top young butchers will also compete in the World Champion Butcher Apprentice and Young Butcher Competitions.
Outside New Zealand, the Makani Australian Butcher Team and Great Britain’s Team GB: UK Lions (pictured) have also prepared for a tough competition, with final training completed in their respective countries.
New Zealand’s top young butchers competing in the World Champion Butcher Apprentice Competition is Rhys Tamanui (Hawke’s Bay), and in the World Champion Young Butcher Competition includes: Brad Gillespie (Hamilton), James Smith (Auckland), Morgan Clark (Nelson) and Anton Rameka (Mangawhai).
In 2025, the World Butchers’ Challenge (WBC) expanded its worldwide reach to five continents, with new participating nations in Asia and Europe, including Indonesia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Spain.
First established in 2011 as a trans-Tasman rivalry between New Zealand and Australia, the competition has grown into a global event.
