World Iron Awareness Week (WIAW) runs from 12-18 October 2026. The week is all about awareness of iron deficiency anaemia and highlights the important role iron-rich foods play in a balanced diet. Red meat like New Zealand beef and lamb are key sources of easily absorbed dietary iron.
You can find out more information about WIAW here.
Our sister organisation responsible for domestic consumer marketing, Beef and Lamb New Zealand Inc, leads the WIAW campaign. This year they’ve teamed up with parkrun for a morning of movement, good times and burgers.
If you’re in Auckland tomorrow (Saturday 10 October) or Wellington next Saturday (17 October), join the fun. Register here.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand Inc turns 40
Coinciding with WIAW, on 15 October BLNZ Inc celebrates 40 years since it was founded. Some highlights from their work over the years include:
- Iron Maidens - gold medals for the Evers-Swindell twins and Sarah Ulmer at Athens 2004 put the BLNZ Inc brand on the map.
- Quality Mark - introduced in 1997 to ensure tender meat on the domestic market, it remains a fixture of retail almost 30 years on.
- National Lamb Day - since 2015, marking the day the Dunedin left Port Chalmers in 1882 for the first shipment of frozen lamb. Today we celebrate all those involved in New Zealand's food and fibre sector.
- Ambassador Chefs - Three decades of working with the best of New Zealand's chefs, including Peter Gordon, Rex Morgan, and recent Michelin Star-awardees Ben Bayly and Shaun Clouston.
- Recipes.co.nz - the go-to for Kiwi cooks since 2000, the website is now one of the biggest recipe websites in the country.
BLNZ Inc thanks the farmers who have backed them for four decades. Find out more information about their work here.