Mapari Meats
When you visit us, you’ll meet Mapari’s owners, Richard Healey and Geoff Calder. Richard and Geoff have been friends since primary school days, and both have family farming running through their veins. Between them, they have many years of experience in butchery, business and farm management, both here in New Zealand and overseas.
We’re all about meat and the benefits of quality cuts, for everyone from BBQ Kings to Keto Queens. We can help with suggestions for hearty breakfasts with our range of tasty sausages made on premises to interesting choices for lunches or dinners, special dinner parties or weekend brunches and BBQ. We can even tell you how to make your dollar go further with less well-known but tasty cuts or give you ideas for quicker meals if you’re running short on time. Whatever you need, if it’s meat or smallgoods, Mapari Meats is your local go-to for everything you need.
MEAT THE OWNERS
Richard Healey
Richard grew up in rural New Zealand on a working dairy farm. Ever since he was a little boy, he has had a passion for the agricultural industry, which had him pursuing a few different paths over his working career.
After training in Queensland and winning Gold for his pork sausage, he came back to New Zealand to work as a butcher for a local Cambridge butchery where he went on to hone his butchery skills and knowledge about meat processing here in New Zealand.
Richard then took a break from the butchery industry to pursue a career as a livestock agent and worked for one of New Zealand’s leading stock and station agencies across the upper North Island. Here, he developed a passion for animal breeding and stock selection for consumers. This, coupled with the realisation that New Zealanders were missing out on some of the best meat available in our country, eventually led him back to open a butcher shop. Not only is Richard an exceptional butcher, but he is also involved in the breeding and farming of our red meat, which is what sets us apart from any other butchery in the country.
Geoff Calder
Everyone knows Geoff, and if you don’t, you will definitely know someone like him. At school, Geoff was talented at every sport he played and was always surrounded by people. It didn’t matter where he was, even in a completely new place, Geoff could mingle effortlessly.
As a natural people person, Geoff was always attracted to businesses that directly involve customers – from working in a butcher shop on the Gold Coast to running his own tourism venture providing one-on-one guiding around New Zealand for high-profile visitors like John Travolta. However, over the course of several backyard barbecues and beers, the idea of setting up your own speciality butchery that too with your best friend, was too good to give up on. Geoff is really stoked to be starting this venture, and can’t wait to meet you at Mapari.