Butcher Tony Gillies closed down Tuatapere Sausages a few years ago. He sold the celebrated trademark and the secret recipe to nearby Tui Traditional Butchery. But Tui recently shut its doors, and now the town is without a butchery.
"It's a bit of a blow," said local councillor George Harpur. "We still have the title but it's a bit fictitious at the moment."
The butchery's closure is representative of the struggles faced by many rural New Zealand towns, Mr Harpur believes.
Four Square Tuatapere owner Aaron Challis, himself a trained butcher, sells Hellers sausages and Leckies saveloys. But he's planning to make his own gourmet sausages.
"I think it's reasonably important to keep the tradition going," he said.
Hamish Preston, president of Retail Meat NZ which promotes independent butchers, hopes someone will take up the baton.
"It's a real blow for the town that there's no one producing sausages locally. Retail Meat NZ has over 180 members and I'm sure they'll all agree there is most definitely an opportunity in rural Southland."
The favourite pub and fish 'n' chip shop of Venture Southland's tourism team leader, Warrick Low, are still selling stocks of Tuatapere sausages. But they will soon run out.
"It's concerning to me as a sausage eater," said Mr Low. "Food is fundamental to any tourist's experience. Southland is well-placed to cater for the traveller's palate with Bluff oysters, Stewart Island crayfish, Orepuki pies and, until recently, Tuatapere sausages.
"That is now in jeopardy. It's upsetting, but we're hopeful someone will take it over and we'll look forward to the barbecue when they come back."
