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NZ Made Food & Drink Big Winners at People’s Choice Awards
NZ Made Food and Drink the Big Winners at People’s Choice Awards
The overall winners of the Buy NZ Made People’s Choice Awards, in association with TSB Bank, have been announced at SKYCITY Auckland this evening.
It appears that the way to a Kiwi’s heart is through their stomach, with 15 of the 20 finalists being food or drink products.
It was a particularly successful night for Whittaker’s Chocolate, who were the winners of four out of the five product categories. EasiYo’s Yoghurt Sachets took out the fifth award, for the Best NZ Product on the World Stage (Export).
Run in conjunction with the 25 year anniversary of the Buy NZ Made Campaign, the People’s Choice Awards were initiated with the aim of celebrating NZ product excellence and showcasing the range and quality of products made locally.
More than 180 products were nominated from throughout the country, and the finalists and overall winner in each of the five categories were decided entirely by public vote. Voting was open for a month and the response from the New Zealand public was strong.
“The People’s Choice Awards have been a big success” said Buy NZ Made Manager Trina Snow. “The huge number of products nominated really reinforced the fact that a lot of great things are made in New Zealand. The public relished the opportunity to support their favourites through voting”.
In addition to the People’s Choice Awards, Buy NZ Made also presented young inventor Ayla Hutchinson with their “Rising Star” award, in recognition of the outstanding progress the Taranaki 14 year old has made with her Kindling Cracker invention, which is an axe-free method of cutting kindling.
The finalists and overall winners
in the Buy NZ Made People’s Choice Awards are:
| Category | Finalists | Overall Winner |
| Best NZ Product on the World Stage (Export) | · Beeswax Polish Range,
Beekind · Yealands Wines, Yealands Family · Yoghurt Base Sachets, EasiYo · Durepox, Resene Automotive and Light Industrial | EasiYo Yoghurt Sachets, EasiYo |
| Best New NZ Product (launched in 2012/13) | · Choco-ade,
Griffins · Kindling Cracker, Kindling Cracker · L&P Chocolate, Whittakers · Upside Down Sauce, Watties | L & P Chocolate, Whittaker’s |
| Most Innovative NZ Product | · Crammed Jammin Cream
Donut, Tip Top · Kindling Cracker, Kindling Cracker · L&P Chocolate, Whittakers · Playbox/Table, Hebe Natural Children’s Furniture | L & P Chocolate, Whittaker’s |
| Most Iconic NZ Product | · Tomato Sauce,
Watties · Cookie Time, Cookie Time · Vanilla Ice Cream, Tip Top · Whittaker’s Chocolate, Whittakers | Whittaker’s Chocolate, Whittaker’s |
| Most Loved NZ Product | · Boysenberry Ripple Ice
Cream, Tip Top · The Original Chocolate Chunk Cookie, Cookie Time · Tomato Sauce, Watties · Whittaker’s Chocolate, Whittakers | Whittaker’s Chocolate, Whittaker’s |
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