The annual celebration of the region’s wilderness bounty is calling for wild food enthusiasts as planning begins for the third Local Wild Food Challenge.

Usually held in December, the date of the festival has been moved to 3 February 2018 and will be held at Mahy Reserve in Ōhope. Whakatāne District Council Events and Tourism Advisor Nicola Burgess says the change in date and location aims to help grow the festival.

“It made sense to move the festival to Waitangi Weekend in the heart of summer, when we have more visitors to the region and people are keen to get out and about and enjoy the sunshine,” she says. “The festival has huge growth potential. We are blessed with plentiful wild and unique foods found in stunning parts of our region, and the festival provides an opportunity to showcase that abundance to visitors from around New Zealand and the world.”

The Local Wild Food Challenge invites competitors to prepare a dish from ingredients sourced from the bush, sea, lakes, rivers or even their back garden. Event founder Bill Manson says it’s about being creative and making use of what we have around us.

“We want people to celebrate the diverse natural resources in the region. A dish might be created using wild boar or kingfish, or ingredients foraged from a local bush walk.”

On the day, competitors will present their dishes for judging and spectators can enjoy tasting wild food, watch demonstrations and enjoy a range of entertainment. There are event categories for people of all ages and a range of great prizes up for grabs.

The Whakatāne District Council is calling for sponsors and food stall operators to register their interest now and would like to hear from anyone else interested in being involved in the event. Contact Julie Allerby (Julie.allerby@whakatane.govt.nz) or visit www.localwildfoodchallenge.com for more information.