Aotearoa’s boldest food competition is back, wilder and more daring than ever.
This May, the Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge returns after last year’s hugely successful revival, bringing together more than 60 restaurants, pubs and eateries nationwide to create daring dishes, featuring the country’s most adventurous ingredients, perfectly paired with Monteith’s brews.
From city favourites to small‐town heroes, venues across the country have spent months experimenting with wild, foraged and unconventional ingredients to craft one‐off creations that surprise diners and celebrate Kiwi creativity. The result is a nationwide showcase of culinary imagination, stretching from Riverton to Paihia
2026’s entries are already shaping up to be more inventive than ever. Diners can expect dishes like Tale of Two Tails – a pie featuring pulled wallaby and rabbit, paired with Monteith’s Original by Storyteller Eatery and Bar. Or there’s Aparima Restaurant and Bar’s Foveaux Strait Blackfoot Pāua Arancini: golden, crisp risotto spheres filled with wild-caught Blackfoot Pāua, perfectly matched with Monteith’s Ginger Beer. Whether it comes from the sea, the forest or somewhere completely unexpected, every plate promises a memorable flavour adventure.
Public voting will again shape the competition, with Kiwis across the country casting votes to determine a shortlist of five dishes, before the expert judging panel chooses the ultimate winner.
The 2026 Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge judging panel brings together three leading voices in wild ingredients and New Zealand cuisine. Marine biologist and spear fisherman Sam Wild returns to offer deep knowledge of Aotearoa’s seafood, as does Emily Lucas founder of West Coast Pie Co., adding in her award‐winning expertise in wild game. A new face also joins the group, renowned broadcaster and comedian Jeremy Wells. No stranger to a perfect beer and food pairing, he brings his passion for modern New Zealand cooking, local produce and his unmistakable wit to the table this year.
DB Breweries Marketing Director, Fraser Shrimpton, says the Challenge has grown to become an important calendar moment for Kiwi hospitality.
“The Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge is all about encouraging Kiwis to step out of their comfort zones, try something new, and support their local hospitality scene. It has become something that both venues, chefs and their customers look forward to every year.
Last year’s success, reception and quality of dishes following the eleven-year hiatus showed just how hungry Kiwis are for wild, inventive food that challenges the status quo. That same appetite is carrying through to 2026, with strong interest from diners eager to get out, try something unexpected and support the venues taking part,” he says.
Last year’s winner, The Smoking Barrel from Motueka with its exceptional dish, the ‘Wild Pitmasters Smoked Platter’, matched with Monteith’s Phoenix IPA saw the impact of the win firsthand.
“Winning the Monteith's Wild Food Challenge in 2025 was huge for us. Not only is it something we are incredibly proud of, but it also helped put The Smoking Barrel on the map in a new way. We have an amazing community that continues to support us, but we have also seen a raft of new faces coming through our door, many of them curious to try our dishes.
It’s been incredible for our team and for Motueka, and you can bet we’ll be entering the Challenge again this year, cooking up something wild to defend the crown,” says Josiah Smits, Head Chef.
New judge Jeremy Wells is eager to see what chefs and venues bring to the table this year.
“Being a part of the Monteith's Wild Food Challenge as a judge for the first time this year is very exciting. I’ve always loved tasting my way through New Zealand’s best and most inventive food, and this competition is the ultimate playground for that. I can’t wait to see what the chefs come up with,” he says.
For those ready to experience something new, head to wildfoodchallenge.monteiths.co.nz to find the venues taking part. New Zealand’s wildest food adventure starts again this May.
wildfoodchallenge.monteiths.co.nz
Pictured above: Josiah Smits
