McDonald's takes top spot as New Zealand's fast-food tastes evolve, according to Nielsen

Nielsen CMI data reveals a changing fast-food landscape, with value, convenience and a growing appetite for different flavours shaping Kiwi food choices

Auckland, New Zealand, September 23, 2026 - McDonald's has become New Zealand's most widely consumed fast-food choice, overtaking Fish & Chips as changing demographics, greater price sensitivity and an appetite for different flavours reshape the way Kiwis eat, according to the latest Nielsen Consumer & Media Insights (CMI) data.

The findings reveal a fast-food market where major quick-service brands are competing alongside long-established Kiwi favourites, but also one that is being shaped by broader changes in how New Zealanders think about food, value, convenience and health.

For fast-food operators, retailers and food and beverage brands, the data points to an increasingly complex consumer, one who wants value and convenience but is also looking for flavour, variety and healthier choices that still taste good.

McDonald's now has the greatest reach among New Zealanders, with 40.4% having bought or eaten it in the past month.

Fish & Chips remains a major part of New Zealand's fast-food landscape, reaching 30.8% of the population, followed by KFC at 24.7% and Chinese food at 20.5%.

Domino's rounds out the top five at 19.6%, while Burger King (16.8%), Pizza Hut (16.7%) and Subway (15.7%) also have significant reach.

The results show that New Zealand's fast-food habits span both global quick-service brands and traditional takeaway favourites, creating a diverse competitive landscape for the country's food industry.

The biggest change, however, becomes apparent when looking back five years.

In 2021, Fish & Chips was New Zealand's leading fast-food choice, reaching 38.5% of the population, ahead of McDonald's at 37.2%.

Today, those positions have reversed.

McDonald's has grown to reach 40.4% of New Zealanders, while Fish & Chips has declined to 30.8%, putting McDonald's firmly into the number one position.

The shift in Fish & Chips is particularly pronounced across generations. Older New Zealanders are the only age groups where Fish & Chips consumption has grown over the five-year period, increasing 7% among those aged 60-74 and 25% among those aged 75 and over.

As a result, people aged 60 and over now account for 35% of New Zealand's Fish & Chips eaters, up substantially from 26% five years ago.

Helene Maurer, Nielsen Commercial Director, NZ Agencies & Advertisers, said: McDonald's overtaking Fish & Chips is a striking illustration of how New Zealand's food habits are changing. Fish & Chips remains an important Kiwi favourite, but its consumer base is increasingly skewing older, while major quick-service brands are competing for consumers across a much broader range of occasions.

For food businesses, the important point is that these changes don't happen in isolation. What Kiwis eat is being influenced by what they can afford, how much time they have, the flavours they want to experience and the expectations they have around health and taste.

Those expectations have also changed noticeably over the past five years.

Price has become an even greater consideration in food and product choices. More than four in five New Zealanders (80.5%) now agree that price is an important factor when choosing products, compared with 76.5% five years ago.

At the same time, Kiwi palates are becoming more adventurous. Almost two-thirds (64.4%) say they like trying flavours from other cultures, up from 57.1% five years ago, while 61.9% say they like trying new products.

Convenience remains firmly in the mix. Six in 10 New Zealanders (60.7%) say they want ideas that make cooking meals easier, while almost half (47.7%) prefer to pull meals together quickly rather than spend time in the kitchen.

Health is increasingly important too. Almost six in 10 New Zealanders (59.8%) agree that a healthy diet and plenty of exercise are an essential part of their life, up from 51.9% five years ago.

But there is an important qualification: taste still wins. More than three-quarters of New Zealanders (75.9%) say they will eat healthy food if it tastes good.

For fast-food operators, retailers and food and beverage brands, the combination suggests that consumers are not necessarily choosing between value, convenience, health and enjoyment. Increasingly, they expect food choices to deliver across several of these needs at once.

Where fast food competes also changes significantly depending on the occasion.

Lunch and dinner are fast food's strongest major meal occasions. Almost a quarter of New Zealanders (24.6%) visited a fast-food restaurant for lunch in the past seven days, while 30.0% did so for dinner.

Breakfast tells a different story. Caf s remain the leading out-of-home choice for breakfast, with 12.0% of New Zealanders visiting a caf for the occasion in the past seven days, compared with 7.6% visiting a fast-food restaurant.

Later in the day, the balance shifts again. Fast-food restaurants are the most popular outlet type for a late-night snack, with 7.3% of New Zealanders visiting one for that occasion.

Glenn Channell, Pacific Head of Advanced Analytics at Nielsen, said: For food brands, capturing market share hinges on understanding the specific eating occasion, where consumers increasingly weigh value and convenience differently whether they are buying breakfast, grabbing lunch on the run, or ordering late-night delivery.

That matters beyond fast food. Grocery retailers and FMCG brands are competing for many of those same occasions, which means understanding the combination of price, convenience, flavour, health and timing can help businesses identify where the next opportunity lies.

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