Top of the South the BBQ Capital of New Zealand

The people of Marlborough and Nelson are the country’s keenest barbecue chefs, according to an analysis of per-capita demand by region for barbecue gas swap-bottles conducted by swap-bottle retailer OnGas.

Named by NIWA last year as the sunniest spot in New Zealand, the area was following by Northland in second place and Waikato in third. Large urban areas did not place highly with Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington ranked tenth, thirteenth and fourteenth respectively.

OnGas Group Manager Brenda Talacek said that the results showed the summer tradition of backyard barbecues was alive and well, especially outside the main centres, with expected volumes over the next few weeks set to reach record highs.

“In the weeks over Christmas and New Year Kiwis swap three times their normal weekly volume of empty bottles for full ones,” Ms Talacek said.

“We’ve seen record numbers swapped over that period in each of the past seven years”.

In its November to January Seasonal Climate Outlook, NIWA is forecasting temperatures to be above average or near average for all regions of New Zealand.

“Swapping your old gas bottle for a full one is a great way to prepare for the warmer weather and we make sure it’s done the right way too. Any bottles we can’t reuse are recycled and any leftover gas is captured for re-use rather than let off into the atmosphere.”

Ms Talacek said anyone unsure about the safety of using their old gas bottle could exchange it for a safety-checked one at any OnGas outlet.

“All our bottles are safety-checked, filled correctly and leak tested by trained operators.

“This is important not only for peace of mind while you’re grilling but also the higher summer temperatures can lead to changes in the internal pressure and the possibility of some gas venting if cylinders are over filled.”

OnGas pre-filled 9kg LPG bottles can be picked up OnGas operates more than 850 swap outlets around the country where empty gas bottles can be exchanged for full ones.

Top ten list of swap bottle demand by region, per capita: Marlborough Region + Nelson Region (combined)
Northland Region
Waikato Region
Gisborne Region + Hawkes Bay Region (combined)
Bay of Plenty
Nelson Region
Taranaki Region
Tasman Region
Otago Region
Auckland Region

Ends

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