Four generations of one family created a selection of wild surf and turf dishes for the Waimarino Wildfood Challenge held in Raetihi on Saturday.
Founder and organiser Bill Manson said the selection of dishes presented at this year's event blew him away.
One family used wild pork belly, venison, rabbit and smoked trout to create a stunning array of dishes to present to the judges.
"Our judges were overwhelmed with the quality and style of the locals efforts," said Mr Manson.
"The dishes that people come up with each year just keep getting better and better."
The judges this year were hunter and wild food officianado Banjo Patterson, South Island challenge winner Andrew Wilkins and Blind Finch chef Derek Allomes.
There were two new categories added to the Waimarino Wildfood Challenge this year - the Professional Challenge and the Marae Challenge.
Vivian Hoeta and Diana Cranston stepped in to judge the marae kai and Mr Manson said everyone did a sterling job.
"We were a bit worried about the weather and made sure the marquees were well tied down but we were very fortunate that the really bad weather held off until the evening," he said.
A full list of winners and photos from the Waimarino Wild Food challenge will be available this week.