Culinary, Baking and Hospitality News Articles

As the Matariki stars rise in the midwinter sky, Aotearoa enters a time of reflection, connection and renewal. Known as the Māori New Year, Matariki signals a moment to remember those who have passed, celebrate the present with whānau, and look ahead with intention to the year to come.

Two Toi Ohomai tutors are gaining fresh perspective, both professionally and personally, during a three-month teaching placement in China.

What happens when culinary students are given creative freedom, a handful of unknown ingredients, and a brief to completely rethink the dining experience?

Studying culinary arts has opened doors Zennah Andrew-Maui never imagined. The Ōpōtiki 19-year-old has been honing her skills in the kitchen at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology but is now preparing to embark on a new adventure, working at a five-star resort in the United States.

There’s generally a buzz in the kitchens at Toi Ohomai, an energy that comes not just from simmering sauces and the clatter of pans, but from a sense of purpose.

Home cooks and volunteers recently whisked up a storm at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology’s Windermere campus.

When Hongyang (Bill) Bi walks through Rotorua’s Toi Ohomai campus, it’s not just a workplace, it’s somewhere that shaped his future.

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Certificate in Baking (Level 4) ākonga, Shania Nickel, has made the grand final of a prestigious national dessert-making competition.

Gold medals and sweet flavours were on the menu for two Toi Ohomai ākonga at New Zealand’s largest student culinary competition.

A restaurant owned by Toi Ohomai graduates, that impressed New Zealand Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, has won the People’s Choice Award at the 2025 Selwyn Awards.