Waikato woman Alana Empson has won the 2015 Alto Young Butcher and Competenz Butcher Apprentice of the Year grand final after seeing off the winners from other regions in Auckland.
Alana was the only female in the competition, but said since the competition began in 1993 women had been pretty well respresented, with four female winners.
"More female butchers are coming through now - they generally do pretty well. They are a lot more particularabout the finer details," she said.
Alana could be said to be a natural, receiving the offer of an internship only six hours into her first day on the job.
"I had been working at the checkouts and the previous intern left, so I put my hand up.