Aotearoa Latte Art Championship 2025
Pathway to the World Latte Art Championship 2026
Who’s up & When
9:05 AM – Hitoshi Araya, Representing: Frank’s Coffee, Wellington
9:16 AM – Daniel Woodhouse, Representing: Grey Roasting Co., Hamilton
9:45 AM – Bill Zheng, Independent, Auckland
9:56 AM – Ryan Bird, Representing: Frank’s Coffee, Wellington
10:25 AM – Yu-Hsin (Dennis) Hsush, Representing: Demi Cafe Hamilton
10:36 AM – Olivia Lee, Independent, Hamilton
11:05 AM – John Huang, Representing: Demi Cafe Hamilton
Final 4 competitors from 12:30 PM
Prize Package
The winner will receive flights and accommodation to represent New Zealand at the World Latte Art Championship 2026, held at World of Coffee San Diego, USA. The event will take place from April 10–12, 2026, at the San Diego Convention Center, marking the 20th edition of the global competition. Come on, milk wizards, get in to WIN!
More about what it’s all about HERE>
Name: Daniel Woodhouse (Daniel)
Instagram: @dannbenjamin
Representing: Grey Roasting Co. @greyroastingco
What’s your go-to design when you’re in a rush? Has to be a winged rosetta!
What’s your latte art alter ego called? Dannimal
What would winning the Milk Wizard crown mean to you? I would be super proud to represent my country at the world stage. And to be able to tell my kids I was once the number one latte artist in New Zealand would be pretty cool
How many lattes do you pour before you nail it? I’m still counting
Bio: Tell us a little about yourself and why you choose to compete. I love latte art – i love seeing people face light up when I serve a coffee to them where it be a simple tulip or a unicorn. If I can make someone’s day a little brighter with my art – I won’t ever stop doing it. Competing is a way to force myself to get better at my craft as the journey of learning and preparing is priceless. You learn things you most likely will not any other way. Love this industry. Love my job. Love the people. Love you guys ♥️
Name: Hitoshi
Instagram: @hito4_nz @hito4_latteart
Representing: Frank’s coffee @franks_coffee
What’s your go-to design when you’re in a rush? Tulip and Swan
What’s your latte art alter ego called? Mr. Tiger king
What would winning the Milk Wizard crown mean to you? A glory I will never forget for the rest of my life.
How many lattes do you pour before you nail it? Maybe 5 times
Bio: Tell us a little about yourself and why you choose to compete. I started working as a barista in Melbourne two years ago. Ever since I became a barista, I’ve loved latte art, and it has been my goal to one day compete in a major competition.
Name: Olivia Lee
Instagram: @OOOOOlivia_Lee
Representing: Independent
What’s your go-to design when you’re in a rush? Bear and Swan
What’s your latte art alter ego called? Olivia
What would winning the Milk Wizard crown mean to you? To see another level of the world.
How many lattes do you pour before you nail it? Daily working life, I think that’s a lot.
Bio: Tell us a little about yourself and why you choose to compete. Nothing too special, just want to challenge myself.
Name: John Huang
Instagram: @jh0225
Representing: Demi Cafe
What’s your go-to design when you’re in a rush?Dragon
What’s your latte art alter ego called? King of dragging
What would winning the Milk Wizard crown mean to you? Go to USA
How many lattes do you pour before you nail it? 1200 cups
Bio: Tell us a little about yourself and why you choose to compete. I’m passionate about coffee, and becoming a latte art champion before 30 is one of my life goals. This competition is my way of proving to myself that I can do it.
Name: Dennis Hsueh
Instagram: @den_hsueh
Representing: Coffee supreme @coffee_supreme
What’s your go-to design when you’re in a rush? Rosetta & Heart
What’s your latte art alter ego called? Rosetta master
What would winning the Milk Wizard crown mean to you? To do better at world latte art championship.
How many lattes do you pour before you nail it? 500 cups ish
Bio: Tell us a little about yourself and why you choose to compete. I’m passionate about coffee and committed to creating a better environment for latte art to thrive. I chose to compete to challenge myself, connect with other artists, and help elevate the craft and community of latte art.
Name: Bill Zheng
Instagram: @55555bill
Representing: Crazybill
What’s your go-to design when you’re in a rush? I would pour a simple but not simple heart.
What’s your latte art alter ego called? I don’t know how to answer this question. But you can call me crazybill lol.
What would winning the Milk Wizard crown mean to you? Winning’s just part of the learning process—maybe we’ve picked up more along the way and now we’ve got a shot at learning on a bigger stage.
How many lattes do you pour before you nail it I can’t really tell but the number still going up.
Bio: Tell us a little about yourself and why you choose to compete. I’m a very quiet person while making coffee, same as I’m not making coffee. Competition for me is the way to learn, be better, and know more friends.
Name: Ryan Bird
Instagram Handle: @Barista.birdboy
Representing: Frank’s Coffee, @franks_coffee
What’s your go-to design when you’re in a rush? Definitely a 3-4 stack tulip
What’s your latte art alter ego called? Mr.Spillthecoffee
What would winning the Milk Wizard crown mean to you? It would mean so much as I’ve always wanted to pursue latte art and turn it into an opportunity for growth. It would also mean the sacrifices that others made, for me, would be rewarded.
How many lattes do you pour before you nail it? At least 4-5, depending on how much coffee I’ve consumed.
Bio: Tell us a little about yourself and why you choose to compete. Since beginning as a barista, I’ve always been attracted to the latte art side of coffee. Seeing other barista’s being passionate about their coffee has always inspired me to want to improve and I found that latte art was my niche. Adding a ‘wow’ factor to my coffee is a good way to showcase my passion and my personality. I want to compete so I can feel accomplished that I achieved something within the coffee industry and can feel proud that I challenged myself to improve.