Record 128 entries for awards

Hastings Girls' High School student Kate Rowland models her creation She Wolf.

The dust has settled on the sewing machines, the glue guns have gone cold and the spray cans have run dry.

The Hastings Pak'nSave Edible Fashion Awards boasted a record number of students who entered the 2016 event, which has given them "fantastic memories along with an invaluable learning experience".

This year, 128 students entered the awards from more than 13 schools. Sandra Hazlehurst, chairwoman of the Hastings Arts and Culture Trust, says the event is the only creative design show of its kind in Hawke's Bay and as such it's an important vehicle for nurturing creative talent.

Tayah-Daisy Coleman, a Year 12 student at Karamu High School, entered the 2016 awards for the second year running with her creation Saphira: Queen of Dragons. The design, which took around 15 hours to construct, was crafted from Rockit apple packaging, cereal boxes, fruit leather and chocolate egg fondant, with a crown made from goat's horns.

As a finalist in the 2015 awards, Tayah-Daisy had already enjoyed success both during and after the awards. Tayah-Daisy, who aspires to a career in the film industry, said the awards had given her a huge sense of achievement and she is hoping to use the experience to enter other awards.

Fifteen-year-old Hastings Girls' High School student Kate Rowland has also had her talent recognised by one of the packaging suppliers used in her design.

Her 2016 entry She Wolf, featuring Watties can lids, has come to the attention of lid manufacturer Jamestrong, who will be featuring Kate's design in an upcoming magazine article.

The design, which took around five weeks of hard work to construct, was placed second in the senior category. Kate has previously won the intermediate and senior categories and been named supreme runner-up.