Michael's Bakery is an award-winning family bakery at 2d Coppell Place, Hoon Hay, Christchurch, known for high-quality breads, pies, cakes and pastries. Owner Michael Meaclem has run the bakery for over 30 years, having trained as a trade-certified Cake and Pastry Chef under the late Russel Hatherley in 1979, with a love of food passed down from his mother.
The bakery hand-crafts an array of breads, pastries, pies, sandwiches, rolls, donuts, slices and vegetarian options, using what Michael describes as only the best local ingredients, with a growing focus on natural and organic ingredients where possible. The bakery's Smokey Pork and Watercress pie was voted Best Gourmet Pie in New Zealand in 2008, and Michael was recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 by the Baking Industry Association of New Zealand, reflecting his work training baking apprentices at ARA Institute of Technology (formerly CPIT) and the New Zealand Bakels Training School since 1994.
Michael's Bakery is a proud sponsor of Sydenham Rugby, and offers Click & Collect along with select online ordering, including seasonal Hot Cross Buns.
At 2d Coppell Place in Hoon Hay, Michael's Bakery has been a Christchurch fixture for more than 30 years under owner Michael Meaclem. What started with a trade certification as a Cake and Pastry Chef under the late Russel Hatherley in 1979 has grown into a bakery known across the region for the quality of its breads, pies, cakes and pastries.
Michael traces his love of food back to his mother, Diane Meaclem, whom he describes as a fabulous cook. Over decades in the trade, he's watched the industry shift — from classic mince pies to more elaborate fillings like chicken, cranberry and brie in a rich white sauce, and from standard loaves to ciabatta, enriched breads and sourdough. That evolution shows up across the bakery's current range, which spans traditional and more contemporary baked goods side by side.
Among the bakery's proudest achievements is its Smokey Pork and Watercress pie, voted Best Gourmet Pie in New Zealand in 2008 — a genuine national recognition for a savoury item that sits alongside a broader pie selection and a family-sized pie option for sharing.
Beyond running the bakery day to day, Michael has spent decades training the next generation of bakers. He began teaching baking apprentices at ARA Institute of Technology (formerly CPIT) in 1994, and more recently at the New Zealand Bakels Training School. That contribution to the industry was recognised in 2016, when the Baking Industry Association of New Zealand awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Michael's Bakery's counter covers a genuinely wide spread: pies, sandwiches, rolls, donuts, slices and vegetarian options sit alongside a full bakery case of breads and pastries. On the bread side, that includes sourdough, ciabatta, and a vine fruit and rosemary baton, while pastries range from almond croissants and pane au chocolate through to Danish selections, choux pastry, cinnamon brioche, citron and strawberry tarts, bee sting buns, and — around Christmas — traditional stollen. Berliner donuts round out the sweeter end of the counter.
Michael describes the bakery's approach as using only the best local ingredients to produce the best baked goods, with a more recent interest in exploring natural and organic ingredients where they fit.
Michael's Bakery is a proud sponsor of Sydenham Rugby, reflecting its position as a genuinely local, community-connected business rather than a chain outlet. That local focus, paired with three decades of consistency under the same owner, has helped build the kind of loyal customer base that keeps coming back for the same familiar favourites.
For customers who can't always make it in during opening hours, Michael's Bakery offers Click & Collect along with select online ordering — including seasonal items like Hot Cross Buns, which can be ordered ahead of Easter. A price list is also available on the bakery's website for those wanting to check what's on offer before visiting.
Michael's Bakery is open Tuesday to Friday from 6am to 3pm, and Saturday from 7am to 3pm, with the shop closed every Sunday, Monday and all public holidays. For Christchurch locals after genuinely handcrafted baking — from an award-winning pie to fresh sourdough and pastries — Michael's Bakery in Hoon Hay offers three decades of consistent, trade-trained quality.