How Many Distilleries Are There in New Zealand?

The Distil-Nation NZ directory currently tracks 107 distilleries and craft spirit producers around the country — though the true national total likely shifts as new producers launch.

As of the current Distil-Nation NZ directory, we're tracking 107 distilleries and craft spirit producers across New Zealand, spanning both the North and South Islands.

Where that number comes from

This figure reflects the producers listed in our own directory (see the Distilleries section of this site), which we build and update from public sources including distillery websites and industry lists. It is not an official government or industry-body census — craft distilling is a fast-moving space, with new producers launching regularly and some smaller operations coming and going, so any single number is really a snapshot in time.

Why we don't quote a single "official" national total

There isn't one authoritative, constantly updated public register of every NZ distillery that we're aware of. Industry groups like Distilled Spirits Aotearoa maintain their own member lists, but membership doesn't capture every producer, and not every distillery is a member. If you need a citable "official" total for research or reporting purposes, we'd recommend cross-checking our directory against Distilled Spirits Aotearoa's current member list rather than treating either source alone as definitive.

The regional spread

Auckland is home to the largest concentration of distilleries in our directory, followed by Canterbury and Otago — see our article "Which regions of New Zealand produce spirits?" for the full regional breakdown.