Wild pork pies latest tasty food treat

Wild pork mini pies will be the latest tasty treat designed to entice visitors to the Northland Regional Council marquee at the upcoming Northland Field Days in Dargaville.

Natasha Stubbing, Events and Partnerships Coordinator for the Northland Regional Council, at the Whangarei bakery producing the mini wild pork pies designed to attract visitors to the council marquee at Dargaville's upcoming Northland Field Days.

In recent years the regional council has successfully used a variety of wild food treats – most made from pests – as a fun way of attracting visitors.

Council Chairman Bill Shepherd says previous wild food treats have included possum burgers, pies and pate, goat meat pies, wild rabbit sausages and even wasp larvae ice cream.

This year will again see a pest (wild pigs) turned into something edible; wild pork mini pies.

Thirty-five kilogrammes of wild pork meat has been sourced locally from an approved butcher and over the next few days will be baked into mini pies by Whangarei's Regency Pies.

Councillor Shepherd says they'll be served over the three days of the Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 February field days from the council's usual location – site 251 in the newly-renamed 'Fonterra Farm Source Road' (previously 'RD1 Road').

The pies are a light-hearted way to boost visitor numbers to the council marquee to view displays and speak with staff about the more serious side of the regional council's work.

"This year the marquee will have twin 'Working together' and 'Taking action' themes," Cr Shepherd says.

"We'll have activities for visitors to participate in and learn how to take action on a wide range of topics, including pest plants and animals, land and lake management and kauri dieback disease."

He says in a first for council, it also planned to sell a range of traps for pests including possums, rats and mustelids. A photo booth to reinforce people's commitment to action would also feature, as would screenings of a new council-produced video on Northland's internationally significant dune lakes.

"Finally, council specialists across a range of fields will be available to offer advice or chat about land-related issues people may have and a number of councillors also plan to attend."