As the inaugural Michelin Guide to New Zealand/Aotearoa goes to press at the end of the month, there’s no better time to get a taste of the culinary magic unfolding across the Tasman.

I’ve lost count of the number of dishes I’ve devoured at Essence, each almost too beautifully crafted to eat, when Paul Froggatt appears beside my table.

The culinary director of the resort town’s newest boutique hotel, the ROKI Collection Queenstown, has emerged from the kitchen to present the finale: a diorama of the spectacular Rees Valley with a delicate array of sweet treats balancing on stones in its turquoise river, a favourite fishing spot of the chef.

It’s a wonderfully theatrical closing act to a dining experience that elevates premium local ingredients to an art form.

“We’re lucky to have access to some incredible produce down here," says the British-born chef, who previously spent a decade heading up the kitchen at Taupō’s Huka Lodge. It’s Paul’s creative respect for the region’s bounty that makes his food such a joy to eat.

Mountains, walks, wine, wool – New Zealand/Aotearoa does many things well. That list now firmly includes food, with the nation’s government so confident in its calibre of cuisine it forked out a reported $5.5 million to have the Michelin Guide come to rate its restaurants in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau, Wellington/Te Whanganui a Tara, Christchurch/Ōtautahi and Queenstown/Tāhuna against the world’s best. With New Zealand’s Michelin-starred restaurants set to be announced on 30 June, this is our pick of the establishments worth watching.

Exploring New Zealand’s dining scene 

My latest visit to Queenstown, amid an explosion of autumnal colours reflected in another one of Paul’s signature dishes, leaves little doubt the Michelin inspectors were impressed by what the region served up.

Behind the mock-Tudor facade of Sherwood (soon to be reimagined by Melbourne’s Flack Studio), executive chef Chris Scott’s menu revolves around the 700-square-metre organic kitchen garden.

After I stop by for a lunch of velvety butterfish in vermouth beurre blanc and melt-in-your-mouth woodfired yams, I’m not surprised Sherwood has been awarded two ‘hats’ in the latest Cuisine Good Food Awards, New Zealand’s version of Australia’s Good Food Guide.

It was Amisfield’s monumental degustation experience, of course, that put Queenstown – and New Zealand – on the global dining map. With a reputation to rebuild following the recent departure of controversial celebrity chef Vaughan Mabee, it will be head chef Sung Peng’s time to shine when the winery restaurant reopens in July following a two-month renovation.

Newer on the scene is Toast & Oak, where executive chef and sommelier Giulio Barducci – former general manager of Aosta, Arrowtown’s next-level neighbourhood Italian – takes me on a rollicking adventure from New Zealand to Italy via Asia with his ‘chef’s journey’ menu.

“In Europe you can pretty much get anything at any time, but here it’s so seasonal that we are constantly evolving," says the native Florentine as he presents my favourite dish of the evening: a girasole (sunflower-shaped ravioli) stuffed with Cook Strait king crab and garnished with a dollop of caviar and a fiery nasturtium petal.

Also spicing up Queenstown’s culinary landscape is the Ayrburn dining precinct, where a 1890s homestead has been whimsically transformed into modern Chinese restaurant Billy’s. Don’t leave without sampling Aunty Lu’s duck and garlic chive xiao long bao. And why stop there, when you can fancy-dine your way to Wānaka via Cardrona Distillery’s hatted restaurant?

A culinary experience shaped by culture

New Zealand’s four Michelin cities offer a distinct flavour of the nation’s gastronomic identity, shaped by local produce, culinary talent and a deeply rooted commitment to sustainability driven by kaitiakitanga – the Māori concept of stewardship.

The dynamic blend of Auckland’s cosmopolitan urban energy, coastal locale and proximity to agriculture is served up with style at the likes of Ben Bayly’s Ahi., where every dish is a celebration of regenerative farming.

Set in the 1924 Chancery Chambers, Josh and Helen Emett’s Gilt Brasserie has redefined European-style all-day dining for New Zealand’s largest city, with its playful riffs on brasserie staples such as tomato schnitzel and Sicilian-style crudo with local tuna, salmon and kingfish.

Even the airport has become a dining destination, where chef Nancye Pirini skilfully showcases her Samoan and Māori heritage at the Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport’s Te Kaahu restaurant.

With more eateries per capita than the Big Apple, Wellington also punches above its weight in culinary innovation. At zero-waste-focused Graze, every dish is spear caught, hand dived or farmed within New Zealand by people who share the chefs’ ethics.

Kelda Hains’ three-course menu at Rita, another neighbourhood favourite, changes every night. Reflecting the capital’s rich cultural diversity, Chaat Street pumps out small plates that transport you to the streets of India and Damascus – pure mezze heaven.

Back down on the South Island, Christchurch’s food scene spans casual-cool to ultra-exclusive. Here, you can pull up a stool at pocket-sized wine bar Londo for a smart light meal or settle in at Mapu for an intimate, experimental degustation by Chilean-born chef Giulio Sturla.

Michelin aficionados will know it awards stars solely for the food on the plate. The system arguably does a disservice to New Zealand, where manaakitanga (hospitality) is a key element of the dining experience, and premium local wine pairings elevate every meal. Wherever the stars fall, it’s an exciting time for the country and the champions of its bounty.