The Best NZ-Made Dog Treats, Toys and Products
THE BEST NZ-MADE DOG TREATS, TOYS AND PRODUCTS
Someone asked me the other day what NZ-made dog stuff I actually rate. Not the marketing version. The real one.
I run a gift box company so I test lots of products, and I only put things in our boxes that Hudson would approve of. So here's what I keep coming back to. Nothing sponsored, nothing paid for, just what I like.
Why I lean into NZ-made
You could buy imported treats for less, sure. Plenty of them are fine. But there's a handful of reasons I keep picking the local option when I'm sourcing for our boxes.
Freshness for one. Treats made here haven't spent three weeks in a shipping container getting warm somewhere near the equator. They land on the shelf a lot faster and honestly you can taste the difference. Dogs seem to notice too.
Our food safety rules are also pretty strict, which means some ingredients get flagged here that other countries would just wave through. I won't name names but there are a few common imported treats I actively won't stock because of ingredient stuff I'm not comfortable with.
And then there's the small business piece. Nearly every NZ-made brand I stock is family run. Some of them are literally people making treats in a certified home kitchen. When you buy their stuff you keep them going, which I reckon matters more than people give it credit for.
The NZ-made treats I actually rate:
Naked Possum - Yes, possum treats. I know it sounds a bit weird.
Bear with me because most dogs go absolutely wild for them. Naked Possum makes dehydrated treats out of possums caught here in NZ (which, if you didn't know, are a genuine problem for our native birds, so buying possum-based treats is basically a small ecological good deed while also being delicious).
Single ingredient, no additives, high protein, nothing dodgy added. And your dog will thank you. We put a bag in a lot of our boxes because they feel a bit special.
Mutt Butter - Kiwi-made peanut butter specifically for dogs, and here's why that matters more than it sounds.
Regular peanut butter often has xylitol in it. Xylitol is a sweetener and it's actually toxic to dogs, even in small amounts. Not "upset tummy" toxic, properly toxic. So if you've ever given your pooch a scoop of your own peanut butter without checking, they're probably fine but yeah, don't do it again.
Mutt Butter is made for dogs, xylitol free, no salt, no sugar. Just peanuts. You can smear it in a Kong, load it on a LickiMat or use it to sneak medication in. It's the workhorse in our boxes.
Gourmate - Small Kiwi female lead brand doing ethically sourced meat treats.
Their little training-sized ones are gold if you're teaching your dog anything at the moment. Dogs will do a lot for a good treat and these are considered VERY good in most dog focus groups I've conducted (i.e. mine). Their bigger chews are the kind that occupy a pooch on the couch for a solid half hour, which any dog parent knows is worth the entry fee alone.
We use their Calamari treats in our get well soon boxes as they are low in calories for a dog that is not burning many while recovering and because they feel premium enough for an occasion but they actually get eaten, which for a premium dog treat is not always a given.
Good Noze
Another small NZ operation.They're picky about where their meat comes from. Local, traceable, no filler.
Animals Like Us
Auckland-made grain-free treats, single protein. Great for dogs with sensitive stomachs. Their jerky-style ones are what I reach for when I want a high-value training reward. Very short ingredient list. No mystery stuff.
Meal toppers and something a bit different
Scoop Dog
Small NZ brand doing meal toppers and dog jelly (along with a lot more other products) which if you haven't come across meal toppers before is basically fun stuff you sprinkle on top of your dog's regular food to make dinner more interesting.
The jelly is a fun one too. It's a dog-safe jelly treat you can serve on hot days (frozen it's basically a summer icy pole for dogs) or use as a slow-eating enrichment thing when you want them occupied for a while. Different vibe from a regular biscuit or chew, works nicely as a "little something extra" moment when you want to spoil them without going overboard. And their Ice-cream and Hot Choccie is famous in Pawsome land. Zolo's Barkday box had one and he was, unsurprisingly, delighted.
Zeal
One of the OG Kiwi dog brands. Been around a long time and for good reason.
They make everything from air-dried complete meals to jerky treats to chews, and their air-dried food is popular with dog parents who want a step up from kibble without going full raw. High meat content, ingredients you can actually recognise.
Tu Meke
Kiwi brand doing wild-sourced and ethically farmed dog food and treats. The story here is worth telling. Tu Meke was set up with a proper sustainability commitment. They use wild game (venison, wallaby, goat) that would otherwise be culled as pests, plus ethically farmed lamb and beef. Similar vibe to Naked Possum in that ethical sense.
Also their branding is genuinely beautiful which shouldn't matter but honestly makes them a lovely one to include because they look properly premium sitting in a box.
Wellness — the one product every dog household should have
Smith & Burton healing ball - I'd recommend this even to dog parents who don't think they need it right now.
The thing about a good healing balm is you don't realise how useful it is until winter hits and your pooch's paws start cracking, or the heat pump's been on all week and their nose is dry, or your senior dog gets those crusty patches on their elbows. Then you reach for it and go "oh yeah, this stuff is the good stuff."
Natural ingredients, no synthetic anything, made here in NZ. I include it across our Just Because and Get Well range because it's genuinely useful year-round, not just when something's wrong.
On other wellness brands, the NZ dog wellness scene is growing. Shampoos, calming sprays, dental stuff being made here now. But Smith & Burton is the one I keep coming back to for pure reliability. If you know a good Kiwi wellness brand I haven't mentioned, ping me. Always keen to try new ones.
NZ-made toys - Right, honest bit. Most decent dog toys sold in NZ are imported. Kong is American. LickiMat is Australian. Chuckit is American too. There are Kiwi toy makers out there but the range is smaller.
If you're specifically hunting NZ-made toys your best bet is a local independent pet store because they often carry small makers who don't have big online presences. Also Instagram is a good spot to find them.
At Pawsome Pooch Parcels we do include imported toys but we're picky. A well-made import beats a poorly-made local any day.
How to tell "made in NZ" from "packaged in NZ" (which is a whole different thing)
This trips people up all the time. "Made in New Zealand" means the product was actually manufactured here. Ingredients might not all be local but the making happened on Kiwi soil.
"Packaged in NZ" is different. It usually means the product came in bulk from overseas and got put in local packaging. Technically legal to say. Very different in practice.
"NZ Owned" doesn't mean NZ made either. A Kiwi-owned company can import everything they sell.
What to actually look for on packaging:
The official "Made in New Zealand" mark. There's a proper certification with a little kiwi bird icon on it. That's the real one.
Language about ingredients being sourced locally, not just packaging happening here.
Brand stories that name actual places, farms, or people. If a brand is vague about where their stuff comes from, there's usually a reason. Small-batch language, real traceability, that kind of thing.
What's actually in our boxes
Every Pawsome Pooch Parcel is put together by hand and built around as many NZ-made products as possible. A typical one has:
Something from Naked Possum, Gourmate or Animals Like Us
A packet of Mutt Butter for training and enrichment
Smith & Burton healing balm
A plush or interactive toy (usually imported but chosen carefully)
A hand-written card, personalised for the specific pooch
Wrapped in gold ribbon, dispatched same day if you order before 1pm on a weekday
Rule I use: would I give this to my own dog? If yes it goes in. If no it doesn't. Simple filter, no exceptions.
Want the best of NZ in one parcel?
Every Pawsome Pooch Parcel is hand-curated with the products above and more. Made in Auckland. Wrapped in black and gold paw print ribbon. Addressed to your pooch by name. From $59, free shipping over $99.
FAQ (the actual questions people ask me)
What are the best NZ-made dog treat brands?
Naked Possum, Gourmate, Good Noze, Mutt Butter, Animals Like Us, Zeal and Tu Meke are the brands I keep coming back to. All Kiwi-made, all worth trying. Each has its own strength depending on what your pooch is into.
Are NZ-made treats more expensive than imported ones?
Usually yes, but not by heaps. A few dollars per bag versus the equivalent import. In my books it's worth it for the quality and freshness alone.
What's the best NZ-made dog wellness product?
Smith & Burton healing balm. Sorts out cracked paws, dry noses, crusty older-dog elbows. Every dog household should have one sitting in a drawer somewhere.
Are there decent NZ-made dog toys?
|Some but the range is smaller than treats and wellness. Most quality toys sold here are imported. Independent pet stores are your best hunting ground for local toys.
What makes Pawsome Pooch Parcels different from other NZ dog gift boxes?
Three things. We hand-curate every box in Auckland with a focus on NZ-made. Every box is personalised for the recipient dog by name with a hand-written card. And we dispatch same day for weekday orders placed before 1pm.
How do I know if something is truly NZ-made?
Look for the official "Made in New Zealand" kiwi bird certification mark. Anything else (NZ Owned, Packaged in NZ, etc.) can be misleading.