Cameron Harrison is a New Zealand owned and operated butchery and delicatessen, led by award-winning Master Butcher Rob Cameron. Based in Wellington, the business runs retail outlets in Ngaio, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt and Seatoun, and distributes its award-winning, artisan, free range and free farmed small goods to customers nationwide.
Rob Cameron's love of butchery began growing up in a hard-working farming environment in Tiniroto, Gisborne. He was named Apprentice of the Year and Maori Trade Trainee of the Year for butchery in 1995, went on to win Young Butcher of the Year at 22, and later taught butchery at WELTEC for three years. He opened his first Cameron Harrison butchery in Tawa in August 2009 and has since won over 20 awards, expanding the business to Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Ngaio and Seatoun.
The Upper Hutt facility produces the company's award-winning ham, bacon and sausages, along with a range of smoked specialty small goods. Cameron Harrison can also process local farm and wild game or home kill meat into the same top-quality small goods sold in its retail outlets — simply drop meat off fresh or frozen at the Ngaio, Lower Hutt or Upper Hutt butcheries, and it's processed within one to two weeks.
In-store, customers will find premium European cheeses, Italian pasta, organic milk and fresh breads alongside local produce, specialised rubs and condiments, and the company's range of signature baked pies. Products can also be ordered online for delivery to your door, and the team is happy to source items on request if something isn't in stock.
Cameron Harrison describes itself as Wellington's premium butchery and delicatessen, and the story behind it starts with founder Rob Cameron, whose love of butchery began growing up in a hard-working farming environment in Tiniroto, Gisborne. That early grounding turned into a career: Rob was named Apprentice of the Year and Maori Trade Trainee of the Year for butchery in 1995, then went on to win Young Butcher of the Year at just 22. He later spent three years teaching butchery at WELTEC before using that experience to manage and grow several butcheries of his own.
Rob opened the first Cameron Harrison butchery in Tawa in August 2009. In the years since, the business has won more than 20 awards, and Rob has expanded his butcheries to Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Ngaio and Seatoun, with plans to keep growing. Throughout that growth, Rob has kept a flexible management role so he can provide first-hand, on-the-job training and mentoring to every staff member, aiming to keep Cameron Harrison at the forefront of the industry.
The Upper Hutt facility is where much of the magic happens — it's the source of the company's award-winning ham, bacon and sausages, plus a range of smoked specialty small goods. Alongside the artisan sausage range and signature baked pies, the shelves are stocked with NZ premium beef, free farmed lamb and pork, and free range or organic chicken.
It's not just meat, either. Walk into any Cameron Harrison store and you'll also find premium European cheeses, Italian pasta, organic milk and fresh breads (including the Kapiti Artisan Bread range), alongside local produce, specialised rubs and condiments, deli products, chilled and dry pasta and pasta sauces, canned goods, snack foods, and baked goods and coffee. If something isn't on the shelf or in the online shop, the team can order it in on request.
One of the more distinctive services Cameron Harrison offers is processing customers' own wild game or home kill meat into the same top-quality small goods sold in its stores. Hunters and home-kill customers can drop their meat off fresh or frozen at the Ngaio, Lower Hutt or Upper Hutt butcheries, and the team will process it within one to two weeks. A dedicated wild game pricelist is available for anyone wanting to see costs before dropping meat off.
All four Cameron Harrison stores — Ngaio at 4 Crofton Rd, Upper Hutt at 3 Geange St, Lower Hutt at 829 High Street in Avalon, and Seatoun at 30 Dundas Street — keep the same hours: 8:00am to 6:00pm Monday through Saturday, and 8:00am to 5:00pm on Sundays. Online ordering is also available, with delivery to your door, credit card payments accepted online, and all prices listed in NZD inclusive of GST.
Outside of the stores, Rob Cameron can usually be found either hunting back home in Tiniroto, Gisborne, or training down at Wainuiomata Boxing Club — a club he founded and still manages, alongside running one of Wellington's most decorated butchery businesses.