New Zealand
Compact country; excellent supermarkets; strong café culture; easy city and tourist-town travel.
One of the world's most plant-based-friendly countries for English-speaking travellers — but beef tallow in chip shops and mānuka honey in health foods catch even experienced vegans off-guard.
New Zealand ranks #8 globally — a well-earned position driven by strong supermarket labelling, a genuinely enthusiastic plant-based café culture, and English as the only language you need. Auckland and Wellington both score considerably higher at city level, placing them among the most vegan-navigable cities in the Asia-Pacific region.
Outside the main centres, the picture shifts. Much of rural New Zealand operates on a traditional meat-and-three-veg model where vegan options may amount to a supermarket aisle and little else. The national rank reflects city performance more than the average across the whole country.
Woolworths (formerly Countdown) and New World stock clearly labelled plant-based products throughout their ranges. Always check labels on packaged foods — particularly anything marketed as "natural" or a "health" product. Mānuka honey is added freely to foods that are otherwise entirely plant-based, and not every label flags it prominently.
Say This at the Café
| I'm vegan — no meat, fish, dairy, eggs, or honey | Opening line; include honey explicitly to cover mānuka | Full baseline |
| Can I get oat milk instead of dairy? | NZ cafés offer oat, soy & almond widely; small surcharge common | Plant milk swap |
| No butter on the toast, please | Toast arrives buttered unless you specify; always ask at breakfast | Dairy on bread |
| Is there any honey in this — including mānuka honey? | Health bowls, smoothies, raw dressings — honey added without flagging | Honey check |
| Is the kūmara made with butter or cream? | Ask whenever kūmara appears as a side dish or in soup | Dairy in kūmara |
| Does the vegetable soup use any meat or fish stock? | Coastal restaurants and pubs — seafood stock common in "veg" soups | Stock base |
| What oil do you fry in — vegetable oil or beef fat? | At fish & chip shops and takeaways; tallow still used in many | Frying oil |
| Is there any dairy in the sauce or dressing? | Salad dressings, pasta sauces, and dips often contain cream or yoghurt | Hidden dairy |
| If this matters to you: is this cooked on a shared grill with meat? | At BBQ venues, burger joints & casual dining; a personal preference check | Shared grill |
What Actually Works
Woolworths (formerly Countdown), New World, and Pak'nSave all carry dedicated plant-based sections with a wide range of clearly labelled products. Woolworths and New World have the broadest selection; Pak'nSave offers the best value on staples — oats, legumes, frozen vegetables, and dry goods. Most supermarket own-brand products are clearly labelled. Always read labels on anything marked "natural" or "health" — mānuka honey appears in products that are otherwise entirely plant-based.
Japanese restaurants and poke bowl cafés are widespread across New Zealand cities and larger towns, and consistently among the easiest venues for vegan travellers. Rice, edamame, avocado, cucumber, and pickled vegetables are standard; staff are generally comfortable with vegan requests. Specify no mayo, or ask for vegan mayo, and confirm the sushi rice vinegar seasoning doesn't include honey. Nearly every town of any size has at least one of these venues.
Both cities have well-established fully plant-based restaurants and a density of vegan-friendly cafés that outperforms their size. Wellington in particular is remarkable — the capital supports more dedicated vegan venues per capita than most comparable cities in the region. HappyCow coverage is reliable and frequently updated for both cities. Christchurch's post-earthquake rebuild introduced a modern café culture that includes solid vegan options across the central city.
New Zealand follows the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) code, which requires the 14 major allergens — including milk, eggs, and fish — to be clearly emphasised on prepacked food labels, usually in bold, but sometimes by a different typographic style. Useful for supermarkets and packaged foods. It does not solve café menus, bakery cabinets, or restaurant cooking methods. Use allergen labelling to navigate supermarket aisles confidently; always ask directly in any café or restaurant — the law does not reach the kitchen.
Where It Gets Harder
New Zealand's #8 ranking reflects its city and tourist-town performance more than the national picture. Step outside the main centres and the experience changes substantially — rural towns, traditional accommodation, and the honey question in health-food culture all introduce friction that the headline rank doesn't capture. Outside the main centres: assume supermarket first, restaurant second.
Much of rural New Zealand — the King Country, Southland, rural Hawke's Bay, inland Marlborough — operates on a traditional food culture where vegan options may not extend beyond a supermarket aisle. Cafés in small towns sometimes offer nothing suitable. Plan provisions before leaving the main highways; a Four Square or New World in even a small town is far more useful than holding out for a restaurant.
New Zealand farm stays and rural B&Bs are frequently dairy-farming operations where butter, cream, and cheese appear at every meal as defaults — and where plant-based alternatives may not be stocked. Traditional Māori hospitality at a marae involves communal kai (food) where declining dishes can carry real cultural weight. Contact hosts before arrival whenever possible; most will accommodate with notice, but assumptions about "vegan-friendly" accommodation don't transfer from city hotels to rural stays.
Queenstown is among New Zealand's most visited destinations and one of the most expensive for dining. The tourist-facing restaurant scene leans heavily on Central Otago lamb, venison, and dairy-based fine dining. Vegan options exist but can be sparse and costly. Budget alternatives — the fish and chip shops along the lakefront — are precisely where tallow frying is most likely. Research specific venues ahead rather than relying on walk-in options.
Health-focused cafés — a thriving category in New Zealand — frequently build menus around whole foods and plant ingredients while treating honey as categorically separate from animal products. Mānuka honey carries such a wellness aura that it appears in smoothies, açaí bowls, granola, and dressings without any disclaimer. A menu described as "plant-based" or "wholefood" in New Zealand does not reliably exclude honey or bee pollen. Always ask.