Whakatāne’s Local Wild Food Challenge is set to return this spring, encouraging locals to come together and celebrate the abundance of wild food from the Eastern Bay. 
COVID-19 delayed the food festival originally planned for July and it was re-scheduled to October. Despite the latest COVID-19 developments, event planning will continue and a final decision will be made closer to the event to comply with government guidelines and ensure public health and safety.
COVID-19 reminded us to slow down and reconnect with our surrounding natural environment, which is full of wild ingredients ready to find, pick, forage, hunt, fish or grow in our gardens.
“There will be a great, relaxed vibe this year with no entry fee for all festival attendees, making this iconic and well-loved food celebration and festival accessible for all. COVID-19 has and continues to challenge the events industry. We’ll celebrate the return of events by making the Local Wild Food Festival open to anyone as a way of bringing the community together to celebrate the wonderful abundance of our region,” explains Whakatāne District Council Events Coordinator Kim Fort.
“This year we are delighted to welcome our celebrity judge Tūī Keenan of ‘Hunting with Tūī’ from Māori TV. Tūī has always dreamed of being a food taster and is delighted to be our celebrity judge this year,” she says. We’re also pleased to announce that the kids’ cooking competition will be run by ‘Kiwi Kids Can Cook’ from the NZ Chefs Association, a nationwide programme that supports teaching kids about cooking and healthy food. We are absolutely thrilled with the support we have received so far from fantastic new sponsors, EastPack and Tūī Garden Products, who have sponsored the adult and children’s grand prizes, which will be announced soon,” says Mrs Fort.
Now in its fifth year, the challenge element of the food festival encourages locals to get out and hunt, fish, grow or forage for wild ingredients, then include them in a dish that they prepare on the day in the event kitchen or bring from home. Along with the challenge, there’s an exciting programme of food demonstrations and talks and a vibrant food market with a focus on local produce and boutique food producers.
Mrs Fort says 2020 is a year no one will forget and events offer a way of bringing people together again and moving forward.
“We‘ve missed out on some amazing events this year and it’s really highlighted the joy that events bring to people’s lives.
So, save the date, Saturday 31 October, plan your gardens, scope out your hunter-gatherer neighbour and pickle your winter bounty ready to join us at the beautiful Mahy Reserve for a celebration of all things local. We’ll have live music, tastings, demonstrations to enjoy while sampling wild food delights and watching budding chefs in action.”
The Local Wild Food Challenge will be held on Saturday 31 October from 1-6pm at Mahy Reserve, Ōhope. Anyone interested in entering the challenge can visit the Local Wild Food Challenge website or contact Kim Fort, Event Manager on 027 544 0867.