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Japanese Food Suppliers in New Zealand: Sourcing Guide for Restaurants (2026)

New Zealand's Japanese food supply chain is short and runs mostly out of Auckland. One Japanese-owned importer with five branches covers dry goods, frozen fish, sake and restaurant sundries for the whole country, the Kikkoman group's wholesale arm has a second national network, and the fish comes from New Zealand boats and farms rather than from Toyosu. Three agencies sit behind every delivery: the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) registers food importers and sets the biosecurity and food safety rules, the New Zealand Customs Service collects duty, 15 percent GST and the excise on alcohol, and the local council's District Licensing Committee issues the on-licence a restaurant needs before it can sell sake. This guide covers the suppliers Japanese restaurants in New Zealand can buy from, the rules behind each delivery, what can be said about demand from the Japanese trade figures, the items that stay hard to source, and the retail shops worth knowing for small kitchens in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Washoku Agent works with Japanese restaurants across 26 countries on chef recruitment and operations. The information below is compiled from the suppliers' own websites and official sources, checked on 2026-10-28; confirm current pricing, minimum orders and delivery areas directly with each supplier, and check regulations with the authority named.

AT A GLANCE
Japan's food and beverage exports to New Zealand, 2025
JPY 5.0 billion
food and live animals JPY 4.4 billion, up 22.1 percent; beverages JPY 0.6 billion, down 1.8 percent (Ministry of Finance trade statistics)
JETRO Supporter Stores in New Zealand
15
certified restaurants and shops, September 2026; Australia has 1,686
Who may import food for sale
a registered food importer
registered with MPI, with a Customs client code and Trade Single Window access for goods over NZD 1,000 (business.govt.nz, Customs)
Excise on alcohol from 1 July 2026
NZD 3.8999 per litre
for drinks over 9 to 14 percent ABV; NZD 71.034 per litre of alcohol above 14 percent; GST of 15 percent applies on top (Customs)

Notable Japanese food suppliers and distributors in New Zealand

The suppliers below were selected because Japanese restaurants in New Zealand can buy from them, and each company's website was opened on the date shown. The list is short: one Japanese-owned importer group and the Kikkoman group's wholesale arm cover the Japanese dry goods and sake, the fish comes from New Zealand fishing companies and a salmon farm, and the only sake brewed in the country is in Queenstown. For a neutral list of outlets that use Japanese ingredients, JETRO's Japanese Food Supporter Store programme is searchable by country.

SupplierWhat they are best forBase and coverageRestaurants / wholesale
Tokyo Food Co., LtdImporter, wholesaler and distributor of Japanese food across New Zealand since 1987 (company formed 1996; 370 staff across the group in July 2025): soy sauce, wasabi and rice, frozen fish and vegetables, sake and shochu, plus chopsticks, packaging and kitchen machinery; the group owns Japan Mart and Tokyo Liquor, and Dassai lists Tokyo Food as its restaurant distributor for New ZealandHead office and warehouse at 32 Bowden Road, Mount Wellington, Auckland; branches in Hamilton (Pukete), Tauranga (Tauriko), Lower Hutt (Gracefield) and Christchurch (Avonhead); nationwide deliveryYes, wholesale accounts for the food service trade; apply online, then order through its order portal
JFC New Zealand LtdNew Zealand arm of the JFC Group, which runs the Kikkoman Group's wholesale business in 24 countries and regions (August 2025) and distributes mainly Japanese groceries to restaurants and retailers15 Bruce Roderick Drive, East Tamaki, Auckland; branches in Auckland, Wellington and ChristchurchYes, the group sells to restaurants and retailers; no company website was found for JFC New Zealand, so contact the Auckland office
Tokyo Liquor (sake, beer, shochu, whisky)Established in 2009 as a subsidiary of Tokyo Food; imports sake monthly, from popular brands to rare and premium bottles, graded on its site by junmai daiginjo, daiginjo, junmai ginjo, junmai, honjozo, futsushu and nigori, plus shochu, umeshu and Japanese whisky; holds an off-licenceShops in Newmarket, Sylvia Park and Wyndham Street (Auckland) and High Street, Lower Hutt (Wellington); online shopRetail off-licence; restaurant supply of the same brands goes through Tokyo Food's wholesale accounts
Hancocks Wine, Spirit and Beer Merchants (sake importer)Exclusive New Zealand importer and distributor of wine and spirit brands for the licensed trade, with a sake category (Gekkeikan, Yoshinogawa and Ukiyo appear in its brand index) alongside Japanese wine and spirits from JapanLocation not stated on its site; distributes to the on-premise and off-premise tradeYes, its site is for licensed trade customers only, with a restaurant and bar exclusive range
Zenkuro Sake (New Zealand brewed sake)New Zealand's first sake brewery, founded in Queenstown in 2015 by a team with long ties to Japan; its range includes a junmai daiginjo, plus sake kasu and sake wareQueenstown cellar door; stocked by the restaurants and retailers on its stockist list in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson and QueenstownYes, its stockist list names more than 60 restaurants and bars in New Zealand, including Masu, Azabu, Kazuya and Harbourside in Auckland, Kazaguruma and Koji in Wellington, and Kinji and Tanoshi in Christchurch
Lee Fish (Leigh Fisheries)Long-line caught wild fish from small boats, each fish landed live one at a time; the company started as a smokehouse in Leigh in 1957 and exports to Europe, North America, Asia and Australia10 Pakiri Road, Leigh, north of Auckland; deliveries in the North IslandYes, a food service team supplies restaurants, cafes and commercial kitchens direct
Solander Seafood and FishingFamily-owned fishing company with its own vessels: bigeye, yellowfin, albacore and bluefin tuna, swordfish, mahimahi, moonfish and marlin, plus a wholesale online store that lists items such as yellowtail kingfish sashimi saku blocksNelson; supplies restaurants New Zealand wideYes, chefs sign up as a merchant on its wholesale site for trade prices, or email for a price list
Ōra King salmon (The New Zealand King Salmon Co.)A breed of King salmon developed by New Zealand King Salmon for culinary professionals, raised from Takaka hatchery water to the Marlborough Sounds and harvested 52 weeks a year; featured on menus in top restaurants around the world17 Bullen Street, Tahunanui, Nelson; New Zealand food service managers for the upper North Island, lower North Island and South IslandYes, a New Zealand food service team sells direct to restaurants; retail outlets include Little Fish Co in Christchurch and Bidfood branches in Nelson, Greymouth and Whangarei
Moore Wilson's (Wellington)Wellington family business established in 1918 as a wholesale supplier for grocers and restaurants; cash-and-carry pricing for hospitality professionals and the public, fresh produce, and a stockist of Zenkuro sakeWellington City, Porirua, Lower Hutt and MastertonYes, serves hospitality professionals as well as home shoppers
Seafood for the sushi counter
Sushi counters in New Zealand buy local fish, and there is no Japan-direct seafood house of the kind found in the US or Canada; Tokyo Food carries frozen fish on the same truck as its dry goods, and Japan's exports of fish and fish preparations to New Zealand were JPY 0.34 billion in 2025, of which fish itself was JPY 0.11 billion (Ministry of Finance trade statistics). The counter is supplied by three New Zealand sources. Lee Fish in Leigh, north of Auckland, long-lines from small boats, lands each fish live and runs a food service team that delivers to restaurants, cafes and commercial kitchens in the North Island. Solander in Nelson fishes tuna, swordfish and marlin from its own vessels, supplies restaurants New Zealand wide, and lets chefs order at trade prices through its wholesale site, where the frozen list includes yellowtail kingfish sashimi saku blocks. Ōra King, the New Zealand King Salmon Co.'s restaurant salmon, is raised in the Marlborough Sounds, harvested all year and sold through food service managers in the upper North Island, lower North Island and South Island. Japanese fish such as hamachi, uni or kinmedai did not appear on any supplier site opened for this guide, so a counter that wants them must ask Tokyo Food or JFC New Zealand what they can bring in frozen.

Hard-to-source items, and practical workarounds

Fresh fish from Japan
Problem. No importer opened for this guide lists fresh Japanese fish, and Japan's exports of fish to New Zealand were only JPY 0.11 billion in 2025. Every consignment needs a registered food importer, biosecurity clearance and an import entry within 20 days of arrival, so a single restaurant cannot run weekly air shipments on its own.
What works. Build the counter on New Zealand fish: long-line wild fish from Lee Fish, tuna and kingfish saku blocks from Solander, and Ōra King salmon. Ask Tokyo Food and JFC New Zealand for their frozen Japanese lines for the rest.
Sake that is not already imported
Problem. Sake pays excise at the border (NZD 3.8999 per litre of beverage at over 9 to 14 percent ABV, NZD 71.034 per litre of alcohol above 14 percent, from 1 July 2026) plus 15 percent GST, and the restaurant needs an on-licence from the District Licensing Committee before it can pour. A restaurant importing a brewery's bottles itself takes on the Customs client code, the import entry and the excise.
What works. Build the list from what Tokyo Food and Tokyo Liquor already bring in each month and what Hancocks carries for the licensed trade, add Zenkuro from Queenstown as the local pour, and give the importer lead time for anything new.
Japanese beef
Problem. Bovine meat is a food of high regulatory interest, so every lot needs food safety clearance at the border: ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection, GMP and HACCP processing, BSE measures under the WOAH code and an official certificate from the exporting country. Japan is on MPI's list, but only for meat from cattle born, reared and slaughtered in Japan and processed or manufactured in Japan, so the paperwork has to follow each lot from the Japanese plant.
What works. Buy from a registered food importer that can show the official certificate for each lot; for questions on biosecurity or import health standards, MPI's Animal Imports team (animal.imports@mpi.govt.nz) is the contact named on MPI's import pages.
Restaurant sundries and equipment
Problem. There is no dedicated Japanese restaurant equipment dealer among the suppliers opened for this guide.
What works. Tokyo Food lists chopsticks, packaging and kitchen machinery on its wholesale page, and Japan Mart sells Japanese knives, bento boxes and sake cups at retail; order both with the food account.

Japanese ingredients in highest demand in New Zealand

The Ministry of Finance trade statistics, by commodity group and country, show what New Zealand buys from Japan. In 2025 Japan exported JPY 4.44 billion of food and live animals to New Zealand, up 22.1 percent on 2024, plus JPY 0.60 billion of beverages, down 1.8 percent, so about JPY 5.0 billion in all against JPY 4.2 billion the year before. The largest group was other food preparations at JPY 2.70 billion (up 19.2 percent), the heading that covers sauces, seasonings, noodles and prepared foods. Coffee, tea, cocoa and spices followed at JPY 0.64 billion (up 69.1 percent), of which tea alone was JPY 0.33 billion, almost three times the 2024 figure; then cereals and cereal preparations at JPY 0.43 billion (up 21.1 percent, rice JPY 0.02 billion of it), fish and fish preparations at JPY 0.34 billion (down 10.7 percent, of which fish JPY 0.11 billion and fish preparations JPY 0.23 billion), fruit and vegetables at JPY 0.19 billion (up 24.4 percent) and meat and meat preparations at JPY 0.08 billion (up 40.6 percent). For scale, New Zealand is not among MAFF's top 20 markets for Japanese farm, forestry, fishery and food exports in 2025, a list that ends with Cambodia at JPY 11.9 billion, while Australia was 10th at JPY 38.2 billion. The supplier side matches the statistics: Tokyo Food names soy sauce, wasabi and rice as its main lines, followed by frozen fish and vegetables, sake and shochu, and restaurant sundries; Tokyo Liquor imports sake every month; Dassai lists a New Zealand restaurant distributor; and 15 outlets were certified as JETRO Japanese Food Supporter Stores by September 2026.

Japanese supermarkets and specialty grocers

For small outlets, the Tokyo Food group's shops double as a cash-and-carry for seasonings, rice, frozen goods and sake. Japan Mart, which describes itself as the largest Japanese supermarket in the country, runs seven stores in the North Island and two in the South Island, and Tokyo Liquor has four. None of the shops below advertises trade terms except Moore Wilson's, which serves hospitality professionals and the public at the same counter; prices elsewhere are retail.

AUCKLAND
6 Auckland stores: 435 Khyber Pass Road, Newmarket; Sylvia Park Shopping Centre, Mt Wellington; 26-28 Wyndham Street, CBD; Westfield Manukau; WestCity Henderson; 218 Kitchener Road, Milford. Serving New Zealand since 1987; nationwide shipping.
AUCKLAND AND WELLINGTON (SAKE)
Sake, beer, shochu, whisky and umeshu at Newmarket, Sylvia Park and Wyndham Street in Auckland and 218 High Street, Lower Hutt; online shop.
WELLINGTON
Unit 4, 218 High Street, Hutt City: the group's only Japanese grocery in the Wellington region, opened December 2022, at the same address as the Lower Hutt Tokyo Liquor.
WELLINGTON (TRADE AND PUBLIC)
Wholesale supplier for grocers and restaurants since 1918 with cash-and-carry pricing; stores in Wellington City, Porirua, Lower Hutt and Masterton; stocks Zenkuro sake.
CHRISTCHURCH
Shop 23, Westfield Riccarton, 129 Riccarton Road (opened October 2017) and Shop 123, The Hub Hornby, 418 Main South Road (opened January 2021).

Import rules you need to know

In one lineSource
Under section 108 of the Food Act 2014, a person must not import any food for the purpose of sale unless the person is a registered importer, or is importing the food through an agent who is a registered importer; importing more food than a reasonable person would need for personal consumption is treated as importing for sale unless the contrary is proved.Food Act 2014, section 108 (New Zealand Legislation); business.govt.nz (MBIE), Importing laws
If you are importing goods worth more than NZD 1,000, you need a client code and a supplier code, and you must register for the Trade Single Window.New Zealand Customs Service, Register as a commercial importer
You may have to pay Customs duties and GST of 15 percent on anything you import.New Zealand Customs Service, Customs duty and GST
Excise and excise-equivalent duty on alcohol is adjusted every 1 July in line with the Consumers Price Index.New Zealand Customs Service, New excise duty rates for alcohol from 1 July 2026
Food labels follow the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Standard 1.2.1 (Federal Register of Legislation); FSANZ, Labelling
Selling sake to diners needs an on-licence under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, sections 8, 14 and 17 (New Zealand Legislation); Ministry of Justice, ARLA; Health New Zealand
Bovine meat and bovine meat products are foods of high regulatory interest, which means they need food safety clearance at the border because of the potential presence of the BSE agent.MPI, Importing bovine meat and bovine meat products: foods of high regulatory interest
All food and food-related products that are imported for sale must meet New Zealand standards and requirements; MPI helps to make sure imported seafood products are correctly labelled, safe to eat, and free from pests and harmful organisms.MPI, Importing seafood
Read the full text of each rule, with sources
  • Under section 108 of the Food Act 2014, a person must not import any food for the purpose of sale unless the person is a registered importer, or is importing the food through an agent who is a registered importer; importing more food than a reasonable person would need for personal consumption is treated as importing for sale unless the contrary is proved. In practice the importer needs a Customs client code to be registered with Customs and must be registered with MPI if importing food, and MPI must be satisfied that the goods meet import regulations and rules, do not pose a biosecurity risk, and meet food safety and labelling requirements. All import entries are lodged electronically, through Customs' Trade Single Window (TSW) or EDI software, no later than 20 days after the goods arrive; MPI prefers details to be lodged in advance. (Food Act 2014, section 108 (New Zealand Legislation); business.govt.nz (MBIE), Importing laws, Act version as at 18 December 2024, archived 29 December 2025; business.govt.nz last reviewed 10 July 2025)
  • If you are importing goods worth more than NZD 1,000, you need a client code and a supplier code, and you must register for the Trade Single Window. Lodgements through TSW include import entries and Biosecurity Authority Clearance Certificate (BACC) applications, so one online submission covers both Customs and MPI for an imported consignment. There are no submission charges for TSW Online, but Customs and MPI transaction fees on lodgements still apply. (New Zealand Customs Service, Register as a commercial importer, page updated 3 October 2024)
  • You may have to pay Customs duties and GST of 15 percent on anything you import. Whether duty applies depends on the item's tariff classification, whether a concession can be applied for, where the item was made and where it was exported from; duty is calculated on the Customs value, and GST on the Customs value plus duty plus shipping and insurance. Alcohol also carries a Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) levy. Customs and MPI charge goods levies to recover the cost of managing goods at the border. (New Zealand Customs Service, Customs duty and GST, page updated 8 August 2024)
  • Excise and excise-equivalent duty on alcohol is adjusted every 1 July in line with the Consumers Price Index. From 1 July 2026 the rates (GST excluded) are 58.492 cents per litre of beverage for drinks over 1.15 to 2.5 percent ABV, NZD 38.999 per litre of alcohol for over 2.5 to 6 percent, NZD 3.1199 per litre of beverage for over 6 to 9 percent, NZD 3.8999 per litre of beverage for over 9 to 14 percent, and NZD 71.034 per litre of alcohol for anything over 14 percent. The new rates apply to alcohol imported after midnight on 30 June 2026. (New Zealand Customs Service, New excise duty rates for alcohol from 1 July 2026, June 2026)
  • Food labels follow the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The provisions of the Code that apply in New Zealand are incorporated in, or adopted under, the Food Act 2014. Standard 1.2.1 requires packaged food for retail sale to bear a label with the name of the food, lot identification, the supplier's name and address, warning statements and declarations, the ingredient statement, date marking, storage and use directions and nutrition information, with extra requirements for some foods including alcoholic beverages. Food Standards Australia New Zealand sets the standards; in New Zealand they are enforced by MPI. (Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Standard 1.2.1 (Federal Register of Legislation); FSANZ, Labelling, compilation of 12 August 2022; checked October 2026)
  • Selling sake to diners needs an on-licence under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. Section 14 provides that on any premises an on-licence is held for, the licensee can sell and supply alcohol for consumption there and can let people consume alcohol; an off-licence (section 17) covers sale for consumption somewhere else. Buying stock is simpler: section 8 provides that nothing in the Act applies to the sale or supply of alcohol by a person, in the course of that person's business as a maker, importer, distributor or wholesaler of alcohol, to the holder of a licence, so an importer may sell sake to a licensed restaurant without a licence of its own. Applications go to the territorial authority (local council), whose District Licensing Committee decides; the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority hears appeals. Unless the council decides otherwise, on-licences have maximum hours of 8am to 4am and off-licences 7am to 11pm. (Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, sections 8, 14 and 17 (New Zealand Legislation); Ministry of Justice, ARLA; Health New Zealand, Act version as at 5 April 2025, archived 13 March 2026; ARLA and Health NZ pages checked October 2026)
  • Bovine meat and bovine meat products are foods of high regulatory interest, which means they need food safety clearance at the border because of the potential presence of the BSE agent. All imported bovine meat must come from animals that passed ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection, be processed in premises operating under GMP and a HACCP-based programme, meet BSE measures in line with Chapter 11.4 of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code or alternative measures agreed between the exporting country's Competent Authority and MPI, and meet any country-specific import conditions. Japan is on MPI's list: any bovine meat and bovine meat product may be imported if it is derived from cattle born, reared and slaughtered in Japan and processed or manufactured in Japan, with an official certificate as the clearance requirement. Food containing less than 5 percent bovine meat, and flavourings, stock powders and instant noodles where the only meat is flavouring or extract, are excluded. (MPI, Importing bovine meat and bovine meat products: foods of high regulatory interest, archived 17 January 2026)
  • All food and food-related products that are imported for sale must meet New Zealand standards and requirements; MPI helps to make sure imported seafood products are correctly labelled, safe to eat, and free from pests and harmful organisms. Food importers have legal obligations under the Biosecurity Act 1993, the Animal Products Act 1999, the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997, the Food Act 2014 and related legislation, and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, and must also meet the Importing Food Notice. Questions about biosecurity requirements or meeting import health standards go to animal.imports@mpi.govt.nz, and food safety questions to info@mpi.govt.nz. (MPI, Importing seafood, archived 23 January 2026)

How to choose a Japanese food supplier in New Zealand

  • Decide who imports. Section 108 of the Food Act 2014 requires food imported for sale to come in through a registered importer; if Tokyo Food, JFC New Zealand or another New Zealand importer brings the product in, the MPI registration, the Customs client code and the import entry sit with them. If you import yourself, you take on all three and MPI must be satisfied on biosecurity, food safety and labelling for every consignment. (Food Act 2014, section 108 (New Zealand Legislation); business.govt.nz, Importing laws, Act version as at 18 December 2024, archived 29 December 2025)
  • Run two seafood accounts: a wholesale fishing company for the counter (Lee Fish in the North Island, Solander nationwide) and the Ōra King food service manager for your island for salmon. Ask each for delivery days and cut-off times, because the boats land on the day and the saku blocks are frozen. (Supplier websites opened in this guide, October 2026)
  • Price the sake list with excise and GST in it: NZD 3.8999 per litre of beverage for anything over 9 to 14 percent ABV and NZD 71.034 per litre of alcohol above 14 percent from 1 July 2026, then 15 percent GST on top of the Customs value, duty, shipping and insurance. (New Zealand Customs Service, New excise duty rates for alcohol from 1 July 2026, June 2026)
  • Apply for the on-licence through your local council early. Under section 14 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 the on-licence is what lets the restaurant sell and supply alcohol for consumption on the premises, and under section 8 an importer or wholesaler may sell to the holder of a licence without a licence of its own, so the sake account with Tokyo Food, Hancocks or Zenkuro can open the day the licence is granted and not before. (Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, sections 8 and 14 (New Zealand Legislation), Act version as at 5 April 2025, archived 13 March 2026)
  • Use the JETRO Supporter Store list to see which outlets in New Zealand are certified as using Japanese ingredients. New Zealand had 15 on the September 2026 list against 1,686 in Australia, so it is a short list, not a market map. (JETRO, Japanese Food and Ingredient Supporter Stores, September 2026)

The bigger picture

New Zealand's supply chain for Japanese food is small and concentrated: one importer group with five branches and its own grocery and liquor shops, the Kikkoman group's wholesale arm, a handful of fishing companies and a salmon farm that already sell to the country's best restaurants, and a sake brewery in Queenstown. Japan's food and beverage exports to the country were about JPY 5.0 billion in 2025, too small to appear in MAFF's top 20 markets, and 15 outlets hold JETRO certification. The constraint for a new restaurant is rarely the dry goods. It is building a counter on New Zealand fish, getting the on-licence and the sake list in place before opening, and having a chef who knows how to specify and cut local species and which bottles the two Auckland importers can actually supply.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to register with MPI to buy Japanese ingredients for my restaurant?

Not if you buy from a New Zealand importer or distributor: section 108 of the Food Act 2014 lets food be imported for sale through a registered importer, so the registration, the Customs client code and the import entry sit with them. If you import food yourself, you need to be registered with MPI as a food importer, hold a Customs client code and lodge each entry through the Trade Single Window within 20 days of arrival.

Who supplies sashimi-grade fish in New Zealand?

New Zealand fishing companies and a salmon farm rather than a Japanese importer. Lee Fish in Leigh long-lines wild fish and delivers to restaurants in the North Island; Solander in Nelson supplies tuna, swordfish and kingfish saku blocks to restaurants nationwide at trade prices; Ōra King salmon is sold by the New Zealand King Salmon Co.'s food service managers for the upper North Island, lower North Island and South Island.

How does a restaurant buy sake in New Zealand?

Through an importer, once the restaurant holds an on-licence from its council's District Licensing Committee. Tokyo Food imports sake and shochu for its wholesale accounts, its retail arm Tokyo Liquor imports monthly and sells from four shops, Hancocks carries a sake category for the licensed trade, and Zenkuro in Queenstown sells New Zealand brewed sake to more than 60 restaurants and bars. Excise is NZD 3.8999 per litre of beverage for drinks over 9 to 14 percent ABV and NZD 71.034 per litre of alcohol above that, from 1 July 2026, plus 15 percent GST.

Can I serve Japanese wagyu?

Yes, through an importer that can clear it. Bovine meat is a food of high regulatory interest, and MPI's list of permitted sources includes Japan: any bovine meat or bovine meat product derived from cattle born, reared and slaughtered in Japan and processed or manufactured in Japan, cleared with an official certificate. Japan's meat exports to New Zealand were JPY 0.08 billion in 2025, so volumes are small; ask the importer for the certificate for each lot.

Which suppliers deliver outside Auckland?

Tokyo Food has branches in Hamilton, Tauranga, Lower Hutt and Christchurch and delivers nationwide, and JFC New Zealand lists branches in Wellington and Christchurch. Solander supplies restaurants New Zealand wide from Nelson, Ōra King has a South Island food service manager, Moore Wilson's serves the Wellington region, and Japan Mart has shops in Lower Hutt, Riccarton and Hornby.

Does Washoku Agent supply ingredients?

No. We recruit Japanese chefs for restaurants in New Zealand and help with the visa process. The chef usually knows the suppliers above by name, knows which bottles the Auckland importers already carry, and will set up the accounts in the first weeks.

Sources (checked 2026-10-28)
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