New Zealand School Of Food And Wine Limited

What New Zealand School Of Food And Wine Limited does

New Zealand School of Food and Wine Limited (NZSFW) is a private vocational training institution founded in 1995 by Celia Hay and headquartered at Level 3, 104 Customs Street West, Auckland's Viaduct Harbour, with a secondary campus in Christchurch. The school delivers NZQA-accredited qualifications spanning Levels 3 to 6 across three tracks: Cookery & Bakery (Foundation Level 3 through Diploma Level 5 two-year), Hospitality (Level 3 and Level 4 covering barista, wine and spirits), and Wine (Level 5 Professional Wine Knowledge through Level 6 Professional Wine Management/Sommelier). It is an authorised WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust, London) certificate provider for Levels 1-3 Award in Wines and Level 2 Award in Spirits, an authorised French Wine Scholar provider, and rated NZQA Category One in both the 2018 and 2025 External Evaluation and Review cycles — the highest quality rating available.

The school's product portfolio extends beyond full-time qualifications to a broad short-course catalogue (baking, patisserie, artisan breads, chocolate, croissants, macarons, barista, cocktails, WSET wine and spirits, French Wine Scholar), NZQA micro-credentials (Baking & Patisserie, Classic Cooking, Barista & Service Skills, Spirits & Cocktails, NZ Wine Foundation and Advanced), compliance courses (LCQ Alcohol Manager, Food Safety), secondary school holiday programmes (Café Cooking 101, School Holiday Barista, Mocktail & Bartending), and corporate team-building events (Kitchen Confidential, Team Cocktails, Wine Tasting Quiz Night, Restaurant for the Night, Food & Wine Dynamics). Founder Celia Hay (WSET Diploma of Wine, MBA, Master of Education) has authored the New Zealand Wine Guide and How to Grow Your Hospitality Business, providing proprietary educational content.

The business model is tuition-driven across full-time programmes (NZ$3,950 to NZ$26,250 per programme depending on level and domestic/international status, with NZ Government subsidies applied to domestic students and student loans/allowances available on select programmes), per-course short-course fees (NZ$155 to NZ$1,495), micro-credential fees (NZ$255 to NZ$1,495 domestic, NZ$415 to NZ$755 international), and corporate event fees. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the foodandwine.co.nz website using the Arlo course management platform, supplemented by secondary school careers departments via the STAR Funding pathway, an employer recruitment channel, and online interactive delivery for selected compliance and wine courses. The company is wholly founder-controlled with no external investors, parent entity, subsidiaries, or funding rounds disclosed.

Name

New Zealand School Of Food And Wine Limited

Legal name

New Zealand School of Food and Wine Limited

Website

https://foodandwine.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

New Zealand School of Food and Wine (NZSFW) is a private, NZQA Category One-rated vocational training institution founded in 1995, delivering accredited cookery, hospitality, and wine qualifications (Levels 3-6) from Auckland's Viaduct, serving aspiring chefs, sommeliers, international students, and wine enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Culinary & Hospitality Education

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Culinary Arts (Chef Training) (EDAOAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bar & Beverage (Bartending/Mixology/Coffee/Tea) (EDAOAKAH)

Keywords

• Vocational culinary education
• Hospitality training programmes
• Wine education certification
• Barista training courses
• Sommelier certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Full-time Programme Fees: Tuition fees charged for full-time vocational programmes ranging from 16 weeks to 2 years, including Cookery, Hospitality, and Wine diplomas and certificates. Domestic students receive New Zealand Government subsidies and may be eligible for student loans and allowances.
2. Short Course Fees: Individual cooking classes, wine courses, barista training, and cocktail/bartending courses sold on a per-course basis. Includes WSET qualification courses, French Wine Scholar, and LCQ licensing courses.
3. Micro-Credential Courses: NZQA-accredited micro-credential programmes (e.g., Baking & Patisserie, Classic Cooking, Barista & Service Skills, Spirits & Cocktails) offered at subsidised domestic rates and higher international rates.
4. Corporate & Team Events: Team-building events including Kitchen Confidential, Food & Wine Dynamics, Team Cocktails, Wine Tasting Quiz Night, and Restaurant for the Night booked by corporate groups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The school delivers NZQA-accredited vocational programmes in cookery, hospitality, wine, and barista skills at its Auckland campus, supported by an online course management platform for enrolment and information. Programmes include the New Zealand Diploma and Certificate in Cookery, NZ Certificate in Hospitality, WSET-aligned wine and sommelier certifications, barista training, and online LCQ (Licensee Qualification) courses, targeted at aspiring chefs, hospitality workers, and wine professionals.

Product overview

The New Zealand School of Food and Wine offers a comprehensive suite of culinary, hospitality and wine education programmes, functioning as a portfolio of NZQA-accredited qualifications and professional short courses. The portfolio consists of three main full-time programme tracks: Cookery & Bakery (Certificate Foundation Level 3 through to Diploma Level 5), Hospitality (Certificate Level 3-4 covering food & beverage, barista and wine), and Wine (Certificate Level 5 through to Diploma Level 6 covering WSET qualifications). Short course offerings complement the full-time programmes with micro-credentials in Baking & Patisserie, Classic Cooking, Artisan Breads, Chocolate, Croissants, Macarons, Barista skills, Cocktails & Mixology, WSET wine and spirit qualifications, and compliance courses including LCQ Alcohol Manager and Food Safety certificates. The school also provides corporate team-building events and secondary school holiday programmes. An Authorised WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) certificate provider, the school operates from Auckland's Viaduct as an NZQA Category One rated institution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Zealand Diploma in Cookery NZQA-accredited diploma-level cookery programme for aspiring chefs and culinary professionals.
• New Zealand Certificate in Cookery

Quantifiable outcome

• NZQA Category One External Evaluation and Review rating in 2025 and 2018
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NZ Qualifications Authority (NZQA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNZQA is the New Zealand government agency that approves and accredits vocational education providers. NZSFW is a registered and accredited private training institution under section 439 of the Education and Training Act 2020, and accredited to provide programmes under section 441 of the Act.
• NZ Sommelier & Wine Professionals AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association for New Zealand sommeliers and wine professionals. NZSFW students participate in association events including fundraising evenings and travel-by-glass tastings; the school supports the association's competitions including the Best Sommelier of the World.
• Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSET is a UK-based global leader in wine and spirits education. NZSFW is an authorised WSET certificate provider delivering Levels 1, 2, and 3 Award in Wines and Level 2 Award in Spirits. Student data is shared with WSET for exam registration and certification.
• NZ Specialty Coffee AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry body for specialty coffee in New Zealand. NZSFW includes barista training aligned with industry standards, with the NZ Specialty Coffee Association listed as a partner on the school website.
• Barkers of GeraldineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBarkers of Geraldine is a New Zealand beverage company. They sponsored the MIT Bartending Competition where NZSFW hospitality students won 3 gold medals and 1 silver medal.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Institute of Culinary Education (ICE): US-based culinary and hospitality career school offering diploma and certificate programmes in culinary arts, pastry, and hospitality management. Comparable as a large-scale private culinary training institution with multiple specialisations including wine and beverage.
• Le Cordon Bleu: Global network of culinary and hospitality schools delivering chef and management qualifications. Comparable to NZSFW as both deliver credentialed culinary education across multiple levels, though Le Cordon Bleu operates at significantly larger scale internationally.
• Culinary Institute of America (CIA): Premier US culinary college offering degree-level and certificate programmes in culinary arts and hospitality. Operates in the same vocational culinary education category as NZSFW with similar hands-on teaching model and recognised graduate outcomes.
• William Angliss Institute: Australian specialised tertiary institution for hospitality, culinary arts, and tourism training. Comparable as a regional vocational culinary institution offering similar programmes including patisserie, cookery, and wine pathways with formal accreditation.
• Auckland University of Technology (AUT) School of Hospitality and Tourism: NZ university offering hospitality, tourism, and culinary-related degree programmes. Comparable as a higher education alternative for students considering hospitality careers, though AUT offers degrees rather than NZSFW's diploma and certificate portfolio.

Regional players

• NZMA (NZ Management Academies): Largest New Zealand private training establishment offering vocational programmes across hospitality, cookery, business, and trades. Comparable as a domestic vocational training competitor within the same NZQA-accredited framework serving similar student segments.

Direct peers

• Aspiring Cookery (Queenstown Resort College): Private NZ culinary and hospitality school offering diploma programmes in cookery and hospitality. Directly comparable as a competing New Zealand private training establishment in the culinary/hospitality vocational category with similar NZQA accreditation framework.
• Leiths School of Food and Wine: UK-based private culinary school offering professional cookery, wine, and hospitality diplomas in a small, hands-on format. Most directly comparable as an independent, founder-influenced culinary school focused on professional chef and sommelier pathways with internationally recognised credentials.
• Tante Marie Culinary Academy: UK private culinary school offering professional culinary diplomas with small class sizes and hands-on teaching. Comparable to NZSFW as a similarly-sized independent culinary training institution with diploma-level programmes.

Others

• Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET): UK-based global organisation administering wine and spirit qualifications delivered through authorised providers. NZSFW is an APP (Approved Programme Provider) for WSET, so WSET functions as a content and certification partner rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/nzschooloffoodandwine
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewZealandSchoolofFoodandWine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-zealand-school-of-food-and-wine
• Instagraminstagram.com/nzschool_foodandwine
• Pinterestnz.pinterest.com/nzschool_foodandwine

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Zealand School Of Food And Wine Limited