Kahurangi Café sits in the Village Green shops at the University of Waikato, looking out across the lake — a setting that has made it the go-to spot for a coffee fix on campus. Open Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 3pm, it pours coffee and smoothies, keeps a cabinet stocked with ready-to-eat food, and runs a kitchen turning out made-to-order breakfast and lunch items through the day.
The café is one face of Kahurangi, a brand established in 2015 in a partnership between the University of Waikato and Montana Group, recognised as the largest privately-owned caterer in New Zealand. Alongside the café, Kahurangi manages catering for the university's Halls of Residence, operates the Kahurangi Kiosk and The Canopy at The Pā, and caters functions and events on and off campus. The name was chosen with care: in te reo Māori, kahurangi means prized, precious, honourable, distinguished and treasured. At the business's founding, the Kaumatua of the University gifted the phrase 'Kai A Te Rangatira He Korero' — the sustenance of the chiefs is robust debate — a reminder that sharing food is also about sharing conversation and community.
Breakfast anchors the menu, from eggs your way and eggs benedict to creamy mushrooms on ciabatta and toasted crumpets, with fries and a range of additions carrying the day. Front of house is led by café manager Stacy Paul, who brings 20 years of café industry experience to the pass and the counter.
Behind the scenes, every Montana Group kitchen follows a Food Control Plan registered with the Ministry for Primary Industries, with monthly audits, external verification and an in-house dietitian keeping a nutrition and allergen lens over everything. Kahurangi is committed to using produce and artisan suppliers from its Waikato and Bay of Plenty communities, and explores the tikanga of Māori techniques and tastes in its contemporary, innovative cooking. The group holds GOLD-level Qualmark certification for its products, service and management.
Perched in the Village Green shops at the University of Waikato, looking out across the lake, Kahurangi Café has become the go-to spot for a coffee fix on campus. It pours coffee and smoothies, keeps a cabinet stocked with ready-to-eat food, and runs a kitchen turning out made-to-order breakfast and lunch on weekdays from 7:30am to 3pm.
The café is one face of Kahurangi, a brand established in 2015 in a partnership between the University of Waikato and Montana Group — recognised as the largest privately-owned caterer in New Zealand, with more than 30 kitchens across two cities. Alongside the café, Kahurangi manages catering for the university's Halls of Residence — Student Village, College Hall and Bryant Hall — feeding more than 700 students, runs the Kahurangi Kiosk and The Canopy at The Pā, and caters functions and events on and off campus.
The name was chosen with care. In te reo Māori, kahurangi means prized, precious, honourable, distinguished and treasured. At the business's founding, the Kaumatua of the University gifted the phrase 'Kai A Te Rangatira He Korero' — the sustenance of the chiefs is robust debate. It frames how Kahurangi sees its work: bringing people together to share not just food but conversation, replenishment and growth.
Breakfast anchors the menu. There are eggs your way — two eggs fried, poached or scrambled on toasted five-grain bread — and eggs benedict, pairing poached eggs with spinach and bacon on an English muffin under hollandaise. Creamy mushrooms with spinach arrive on toasted ciabatta, while sweeter starts include toasted crumpets with golden syrup and butter or Nutella, banana and whipped cream. A muesli of toasted oats, coconut Greek yoghurt and fruit compote covers the lighter end.
Through the day, straight-cut and curly fries — each served with a choice of tomato sauce or aioli — keep things ticking, and additions like bacon, hollandaise, roasted mushroom, chilli oil, tomato relish, an extra egg or gluten-free toast let diners build a plate to suit. Menu items are flagged for made-without-gluten options and made-without-dairy choices, part of a wider approach to dietary care.
Front of house is led by café manager Stacy Paul, who brings 20 years of café industry experience. The brief for her team is simple: be the campus's reliable coffee stop.
Behind the café sits serious food infrastructure. Every Montana Group kitchen follows a Food Control Plan registered with the Ministry for Primary Industries, overseen by a dedicated Nutrition & Food Quality team that runs detailed monthly audits at each site, with regular external verification on top. An in-house dietitian provides a nutrition lens across the business, and the team caters for special dietary requirements with regular staff training and careful allergen management. Kahurangi also holds GOLD-level Qualmark certification, an audit-driven distinction covering products, service, facilities, safety and business management.
The cooking philosophy leans on local sourcing and tikanga. Kahurangi is committed to using produce and artisan suppliers from its Waikato and Bay of Plenty communities, and explores the tikanga of Māori techniques and tastes — traditional methods and ingredients applied in contemporary, industry-leading ways. Sophisticated kitchens with blast freezers and combi ovens that cook with steam, dry heat or fan force mean food reaches the table within minutes of leaving the stovetop.
Kahurangi Café trades Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 3pm. The kitchen closes at 2:30pm — and at 11am from 4 November for the summer — but coffee and cabinet snacks remain available after that. Find it in the Village Green shops at Gate 1 on Knighton Road, Hillcrest, with the lake as a backdrop. Whether it's a coffee between lectures, a made-to-order benedict or fries by the water, the café keeps things straightforward: good coffee, honest plates and a warm campus welcome.