Westland council orders own organisation to keep running 30-year Wildfoods festival
Hokitika's next Wildfoods festival will run as planned, with its organiser being told it must run the event.
The festival has been offering staples like huhu grubs, whitebait, snails and mountain oysters – also known as sheep's testicles – for 30 years.
There was uncertainty over its future after Destination Westland – a Westland District Council-controlled organisation – announced it was winding down its events department, having taken over the running of Wildfoods from the council in 2018.
Westland mayor Bruce Smith said councillors decided, during a public-excluded part of an extraordinary meeting, Destination Westland would continue to run the March event.
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