The three waves of New Zealand coffee houses pivot around espresso coffee. Espresso machines first came to New Zealand in the 1950s but by the mid-1960s most had disappeared.
French Maid Coffee House
Arthur Dick Singleton was the first person to put a cup of coffee at the centre of the hospitality offering. He did this with his coffee stand, part of the hospitality hall, at the 1939–1940 Centennial Exhibition held in Wellington.