Steak of Origin
Every year the search is on for New Zealand’s tastiest and most tender sirloin steak, in B+LNZ’s Steak of Origin challenge. Beef farmers, retailers, wholesalers and foodservice companies can enter.
How Steak of Origin works
The competition involves an initial assessment of the sirloin at Lincoln University. Each steak is aged before it is tested for tenderness, percentage marbling, pH and percentage cooking loss. This narrows the field down to the semi-finalist steaks which are cooked and tasted by a panel of judges. Top chefs and celebrities then choose the best steak from the finalists (four from each of the four classes) at the Beef Expo held in Feilding in May.
The four classes are:
- Best of Breed – European
- Best of Breed – British
- Best of Breed – Crossbreed and Other
- Best of Brand – Retailers, Wholesale and Foodservice
Beef + Lamb New Zealand Inc, which is responsible for domestic promotion of beef and lamb, runs the Steak of Origin challenge on behalf of Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd. For more information on the competition, including this year's winners, see the Beef + Lamb New Zealand consumer website.
Golden Lamb Awards
B+LNZ funds an annual competition, nicknamed the Glammies, to find the most tender and tasty lamb in New Zealand.
Background to the Glammies
After the 2007 pilot ‘Lamb Oscars’ held in the South Island, the competition went national in 2008 with the introduction of four classes:
- Class 1: Fine Wool
- Class 2: Dual Purpose Pure Breed
- Class 3: Dual Purpose Composite
- Class 4: Terminal
Entrants select their best 25-50 lambs for processing. Legs are then removed and analysed at Lincoln University for tenderness and yield. The finalists' products are tasted by a panel of judges which includes chefs, celebrities and industry personnel.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand Inc, responsible for domestic promotion of beef and lamb, runs the Golden Lamb Awards on behalf of Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd. For more information on the competition, including this year's winners, see the Beef + Lamb New Zealand consumer website.
Maori Excellence in Farming Award
We sponsor the Maori Excellence in Farming Award, the Ahuwhenua Trophy competition. The competition promotes successful farming approaches including governance, financing and management, to the wider Maori farming community.
The Maori Excellence in Farming Award is open to Maori farming operations throughout New Zealand. The winner in each of three regions goes on to compete for the prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy and prizes.
The event focuses on sheep and beef farmers every two years, alternating with dairy farmers. For more information on the competition, including this year's winners, see the Ahuwhenua Trophy website
World Young Shepherds Challenge
In 2011 Beef + Lamb New Zealand hosted the first ever World Young Shepherds Challenge, an international competition and educational event for young shepherds aged 18-25.
A pentathlon of activities was designed to test the shepherding skills of participants from 11 countries. They were judged on things like sorting sheep, handling and crutching techniques and shearing, as well as being quizzed on flock management and health issues.
The visitors also gained exciting new insights into the industry through tours of meat and wool processors, visits to sheep farms and Lincoln University, and a field day at Caberfeidh high country station.
Challenge origins
The idea for the competition was born at the International Sheepmeat Forum in Brussels in 2009. Discussions in 2010 between European delegates identified a strong link between rugby playing countries and sheep production. This triggered the idea to run an inaugural world event in New Zealand, on the back of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.