McDonald's New Zealand
The New Zealand operating and franchising business of McDonald's, combining the chain's international menu with locally developed products and restaurant formats.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
McDonald's New Zealand is the New Zealand subsidiary and restaurant network of the international McDonald's fast-food company. Trading locally through McDonald's Restaurants (New Zealand) Limited and commonly marketed as “Macca's,” the business opened its first restaurant in Porirua in June 1976. It subsequently expanded from the North Island into the South Island and developed a nationwide network of company-operated and franchised restaurants. The New Zealand operation sells the principal McDonald's categories found internationally: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken products, French fries, breakfast food, soft drinks, milkshakes and desserts. Its local offer has also included salads, fish, wraps, smoothies, fruit, McCafé beverages and regionally adapted products. The Kiwiburger, featuring ingredients associated with New Zealand hamburgers such as beetroot and egg, became the best-known local menu creation. Other products and programs, including Georgie Pie, breakfast bagels, the Massive McMuffin and collaborations such as Cookie Time McFlurry, show how the business has used limited-time and locally recognizable items to adapt the global brand to domestic tastes. The company's early development was shaped by New Zealand's import controls, industrial disputes and the need to establish local supply chains. The first restaurant's kitchen was imported under conditions requiring local replication, while shortages and disruption among suppliers affected buns and beef patties. McDonald's New Zealand later strengthened domestic production and distribution arrangements. These experiences helped create a locally integrated operating model rather than simply importing finished products. Expansion accelerated during the 1980s and 1990s. Restaurants reached Christchurch in 1987, Dunedin in 1988, and the 50th and 100th locations opened in 1991 and 1996 respectively. Breakfast was introduced nationally during the 1990s, and the first New Zealand McCafé opened in Auckland in 1998. McDonald's also acquired the Georgie Pie chain in 1996; although the standalone chain was closed in 1998, the brand later returned as a McDonald's menu product. During the 2000s and 2010s, the business modernized its customer proposition through nutritional labeling, McCafé, delivery trials, self-service ordering and menu experimentation. Create Your Taste kiosks allowed customers to assemble customized burgers, while All Day Breakfast was introduced in 2016 and later withdrawn. McDonald's marked its 40th anniversary in New Zealand in 2016. The company also introduced a te reo Māori menu at its Hastings restaurant in 2018 and extended the Happy Meal Reader's program to New Zealand in 2019. By 2017, the operation had 167 restaurants nationwide and served an estimated one million people each week. The company reported more than NZ$250 million in revenue for the 2018 financial year, according to the cited Wikipedia article. McDonald's New Zealand has also emphasized local sourcing; the reference material states that it purchased more than NZ$150 million of local produce in 2016. In the 2020s, the business continued using delivery platforms and faced planning scrutiny over a proposed Wanaka drive-through. It remains an active national quick-service restaurant business with a combination of global signature products, New Zealand adaptations, franchised operations and local supply relationships.
History
McDonald's entered New Zealand in 1976, opening its first restaurant in central Porirua on 7 June. The launch exposed the practical difficulties of establishing an international fast-food system in a country with strict import controls and an unsettled industrial environment. The initial kitchen was imported under an arrangement that required local businesses to reproduce it. Supply interruptions also affected buns and beef patties. A bun-supply dispute forced restaurant staff to locate substitutes around Wellington, while beef production was initially dependent on Gear Meat Company. After Gear Meat closed during an industrial dispute in 1982, McDonald's New Zealand imported patties from Australia and relocated meat-forming equipment to Auckland to protect supply. The second restaurant opened on Auckland's Queen Street in 1977. Drive-through restaurants followed in New Lynn and Lower Hutt in 1978, and the network expanded through the North Island during the remainder of the decade. By late 1987 there were 25 North Island restaurants. The first South Island locations opened in Christchurch on 3 November 1987, followed by Dunedin in December 1988. The national network continued to grow through the 1990s: the 50th restaurant opened in Hamilton in 1991, and the 100th opened at Auckland University of Technology in 1996. Breakfast was introduced during the same period, first at Queen Street and later nationwide. McDonald's New Zealand acquired the Georgie Pie fast-food chain from Progressive Enterprises in 1996. The standalone chain was closed in 1998, with some sites converted to McDonald's restaurants and the remaining sites sold. Also in 1998, the first New Zealand McCafé opened at Queen Street. McCafé subsequently became an important part of the local business and helped position McDonald's as a significant coffee-shop operator as well as a burger chain. In the 2000s, McDonald's New Zealand added nutrition information to packaging for core menu items and continued to adjust restaurant formats. The original Porirua location closed in 2009 and was replaced by a nearby drive-through restaurant in Kenepuru Drive. The company also developed local products and promotions. The Kiwiburger, launched in 1991, used egg and beetroot to evoke a New Zealand-style hamburger. It was removed from the permanent menu in 2004, returned in limited promotions, rejoined the longer-term menu and was eventually discontinued again in 2021, with later promotional appearances. The 2010s brought renewed experimentation. Georgie Pie was reintroduced on a trial basis in 2013 and later expanded to many restaurants, before being discontinued in September 2020. Create Your Taste, introduced in 2014, used touch-screen kiosks to let customers customize burgers and receive table delivery; its related online competition was withdrawn in 2016 because of offensive user-generated names. All Day Breakfast launched on 4 May 2016 with a restricted range of breakfast items and was discontinued in 2021. McDelivery was trialled in Auckland from July 2016, while later delivery used third-party platforms. The company celebrated its 40th anniversary in June 2016. In 2018, Hastings became the first New Zealand location to display its menu in te reo Māori. In 2019, the Happy Meal Reader's program arrived, linking children's meals with a large-scale book distribution initiative. The business also faced employment-relations disputes, including a 2013 strike over pay and workplace concerns, and planning opposition to a proposed Wanaka drive-through. By 2017, the operation had 167 restaurants nationwide and was reported to serve approximately one million people each week. McDonald's New Zealand remains active, operating through a mix of franchised and corporate structures while combining global products with local menus and supply relationships.
- 2025
Wanaka proposal declined
[1]A proposed drive-through restaurant near Wanaka was declined after substantial local opposition.
- 2019
Happy Meal Reader's program launches
[1]McDonald's introduced the reading-focused Happy Meal program in New Zealand.
- 2018
First te reo Māori menu
[1]The Hastings restaurant became the first New Zealand location to offer a menu written in te reo Māori.
- 2016
All Day Breakfast launches
[1]A limited All Day Breakfast menu launched nationally on 4 May.
- 2014
Create Your Taste introduced
[1]Self-service kiosks were introduced to support customer-created burgers and table delivery.
- 2013
Georgie Pie returns as a trial product
[1]A Georgie Pie product returned to selected restaurants before a wider rollout was announced later that year.
- 1998
First New Zealand McCafé opens
[1]The first McCafé opened at the Queen Street restaurant in Auckland.
- 1996
100th restaurant and Georgie Pie acquisition
[1]The 100th restaurant opened in Auckland, while McDonald's acquired Georgie Pie from Progressive Enterprises.
- 1991
50th restaurant opens
[1]The 50th New Zealand restaurant opened at Chartwell Square Mall in Hamilton.
- 1987
South Island expansion begins
[1]Restaurants opened in Christchurch, extending the network beyond the North Island.
Products and positioning
A globally recognizable quick-service restaurant brand localized for New Zealand through domestic sourcing, regional menu items, McCafé operations, franchising and adaptation to local cultural and consumer preferences.
Hamburger · 1976
Big Mac
McDonald's signature two-patty hamburger and one of the core products sold in New Zealand. It was present on the opening Porirua menu and remains a central international offering.
Locally adapted hamburger · 1991
Kiwiburger
A New Zealand-oriented hamburger built around a quarter-pound beef patty with egg, beetroot, lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup and mustard. It was introduced as a permanent product, later appeared in limited promotions, and has experienced several withdrawals and returns.
Pie · 2013
Georgie Pie
A pie product associated with the New Zealand Georgie Pie chain acquired by McDonald's in 1996. After the standalone chain was closed, McDonald's revived the product in selected restaurants in 2013 and later expanded it, before discontinuing the menu line in September 2020.
Coffee and beverages · 1998
McCafé
The coffee-shop format operated inside many New Zealand McDonald's restaurants. The first local McCafé opened in 1998, and the format broadened the brand's role beyond burgers and supported its position in the country's coffee market.
Breakfast · 2016
All Day Breakfast
A restricted breakfast menu launched nationally in 2016. It included hotcakes, hash browns and selected McMuffins, including bacon-and-egg and chicken-based variants. The program was later discontinued in 2021.
Children's meal
Happy Meal
The children's meal platform has been part of the New Zealand business for decades. In 2019, its Reader's program added books as an alternative or complement to the usual toy-based offer.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Happy Meal Reader's Program
New Zealand
The program promoted children's reading by offering books with Happy Meals, with a stated target of distributing 800,000 Roald Dahl books over 12 months.
Outcome. The program extended McDonald's global reading initiative to the New Zealand market.
- 201640th Anniversary Retro Promotion
New Zealand
The Queen Street Auckland restaurant recreated elements of the 1970s experience and sold selected original-menu items at their historical 1976 prices.
Outcome. The promotion commemorated four decades of New Zealand operations.
- 1997McDonald's Young Entertainers
New Zealand
McDonald's New Zealand endorsed a televised talent program for young New Zealanders during the late 1990s.
Outcome. The endorsement period ended after 1999.
Brand decisions
2025
Wanaka drive-through proposal declinedOtherBackground
McDonald's proposed a 445-square-metre drive-through near Wanaka, later reducing its proposed operating hours and logo scale.
Action taken
Commissioners declined the consent application after receiving more than 350 public submissions, approximately 90 percent of which opposed the project.
Aftermath
The proposed Wanaka restaurant did not receive approval.
2016
Launch All Day BreakfastProduct launchBackground
Following launches in the United States and Australia, McDonald's New Zealand broadened the hours during which selected breakfast products could be ordered.
Action taken
A limited breakfast range launched nationally on 4 May 2016.
Aftermath
The All Day Breakfast menu was discontinued in 2021.
2014
Introduce Create Your Taste kiosksStrategyBackground
The business tested a more customizable and technology-enabled ordering experience.
Action taken
Customers could assemble burgers on touch-screen kiosks and receive the completed meal at their table.
Aftermath
The associated online burger-naming competition was removed in 2016 after offensive submissions.
1996
Acquire Georgie PieM&ABackground
McDonald's sought to acquire the established New Zealand pie chain Georgie Pie from Progressive Enterprises.
Action taken
The chain was purchased; its standalone restaurants were later closed or converted, and the brand was subsequently used for McDonald's menu products.
Aftermath
Georgie Pie returned as a McDonald's product in 2013 but was discontinued in 2020.
Recent events
- 2025
Wanaka drive-through consent application declined[1]
Regulation
Commissioners declined a proposed McDonald's drive-through near Wanaka after the Queenstown Lakes District Council received more than 350 submissions, most of which opposed the proposal.
- 2019
Happy Meal Reader's program launches in New Zealand[1]
Campaign
The program offered books instead of or alongside toys, with a stated plan to distribute 800,000 Roald Dahl books over 12 months.
- 2018
Hastings restaurant introduces a te reo Māori menu[1]
Other
The Hastings restaurant became the first McDonald's location in New Zealand to offer a menu written in te reo Māori.
- 2016
Create Your Taste competition withdrawn[1]
Campaign · Other
A burger-design competition associated with the Create Your Taste program was removed after users submitted offensive burger names.
- 2016
McDonald's begins Auckland McDelivery trial[1]
Product launch
Delivery was trialled in New Lynn and Glenfield, with minimum-order and delivery-fee conditions.
- 2016
McDonald's celebrates 40 years in New Zealand[1]
Campaign
The Queen Street Auckland restaurant marked the anniversary with a retro service format and selected items based on the original 1976 menu.
- 2013
Georgie Pie returns to selected McDonald's restaurants[1]
Product launch · Product generation
McDonald's began testing a Georgie Pie product again and later announced a broader rollout, reviving a New Zealand fast-food brand it had acquired in the 1990s.
- 2013
Employees begin a Wellington strike over pay and workplace issues[1]
Other
A strike began at the Bunny Street restaurant in Wellington amid demands concerning pay equality and employment relations.
- 1987
McDonald's expands to the South Island[1]
Other
The first South Island restaurants opened in Christchurch, marking a major stage in the brand's national expansion.
- 1976
First McDonald's restaurant opens in Porirua[1]
Other
New Zealand's first McDonald's restaurant opened on Cobham Court in central Porirua in June 1976.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/mcdonalds-new-zealand · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled