Beef and Lamb NZ turns 40m, 1986 to 2026

Beef + Lamb New Zealand CEO, Rod Slater and Tanya Hart, Marketing Manager pose with oars from 2018 Rowing gold medallists, Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell.

40 years of Beef and Lamb New Zealand

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Incorporated (BLNZ Inc), the organisation responsible for marketing red meat to Kiwis, turns 40 on 15 October. It was established in 1986 as the NZ Beef and Lamb Marketing Bureau and, after a change of name to Beef + Lamb New Zealand Inc, has grown into a household brand on the back of campaigns that put beef and lamb at the centre of family meals. BLNZ Inc is a separate organisation from Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd, the farmer levy body formed in 2010.

Domestic retailers spearheaded the organisation, recognising the value a category-level marketing programme could add to a market where the vast majority of volume was sold under a generic retail brand. Processors and farmers later added their support, creating a globally unique, pre-competitive initiative representing the full red meat supply chain. All three still back it today.

40 years of highlights

Here are some of the highlights, in no particular order, from the past 40 years.

The Iron Maidens

Mention ‘Beef and Lamb’ to most Kiwis and they will usually respond with the Evers-Swindell twins and Sarah Ulmer. In the mid-2000s, female athletes were still largely overlooked by sponsors. Beef + Lamb New Zealand saw an opportunity and the rest, as they say, is history. Two gold medal-winning performances in Athens 2004, within half an hour of each other, made our Iron Maidens heroes. Four years later in Beijing, as the Evers-Swindell twins crossed the line for another gold, the commentator exclaimed ‘it must have been all the beef and lamb’.

Scotch steak in packaging with Quality Mark sticker 2025.

The Quality Mark

Introduced in 1997, the New Zealand Beef and Lamb Quality Mark set standards so that when consumers pick up a pack of beef or lamb, they can be confident in the quality and tenderness of the cut. Almost 30 years on, 86% of New Zealanders have heard of it, and it still helps shoppers choose with confidence at the chiller.

World Iron Awareness Week

Beef + Lamb New Zealand started the week in 2014 to raise awareness of the importance of dietary iron. Now in its 13th year, it is backed by 60 domestic partners across the food system and has grown into an international event.

Ambassador Chefs

Next year marks 30 years of the Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chef programme, which has seen many of Aotearoa’s finest wear the branded chef’s jacket, including Peter Gordon, Michael Meredith and Sid Sahrawat. When the Michelin Guide awarded its first New Zealand stars this year, three of the 15 starred restaurants were led by current or former ambassadors: Platinum Ambassador Shaun Clouston’s Logan Brown, Mrinal Ghosal’s Mudbrick (Ambassador 2023 to 2025) and Ben Bayly’s Ahi (Ambassador 2011).

National Lamb Day

Started in 2015, the day marks the anniversary of the first shipment of frozen meat leaving Port Chalmers for London in 1882. That voyage started an export trade that underpins a food and fibre sector now earning around $60bn a year. Today the day is celebrated at events across the country and in London, recognising the hard work and innovation of our farmers.

Roast beef on rye bread canapes being passed over a table with salads and roast lamb.

Digital First

In 2000, Beef + Lamb New Zealand launched recipes.co.nz, now the go-to place for Kiwis looking for inspiration and advice on getting the most from their meat. Our kitchen studio now produces a steady stream of recipe and cooking videos for the site and our social channels.

What’s changed, and what hasn’t

A lot has changed in 40 years. Where Kiwis buy their beef and lamb, how they cook it and the flavours they pair with it have all moved on. The reasons they choose it have held remarkably steady: great taste, good fuel for their families and trust in the safety of the product. Those reasons matter all the more while households are watching every dollar.

“The idea that started this in 1986 still holds,” says BLNZ Inc CEO Kit Arkwright. “Farmers, processors and retailers compete every day. However, they have come together over the past 40 years and backed Beef + Lamb New Zealand Inc to keep our product front of mind for generations of Kiwi cooks.”

BLNZ Ambassador Chef 2024 BJ Sebastian plated this beef dish.

Marking 40 years

The celebrations coincide with World Iron Awareness Week (12 - 18 October), with parkrun activations in Auckland and Wellington. Thank you to the farmers, processors and retailers who have backed us over four decades, and to the home cooks who keep beef and lamb on the table. Here’s to the next 40. For recipes and inspiration, visit recipes.co.nz.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand turns 40