NEWS

Owen River Tavern - Finalists for South Island Pub of the Year 2025

South Island Country Pub of the Year – Final Voting Now Open!

After hundreds of nominations and an incredible show of community spirit, we’re down to the finalists for South Island Country Pub of the Year.

Click here to vote

You must also like the Rural Guardian Facebook page for your vote to count.

Winning pub: $500 Service Foods credit

Voters: $100 goodies hamper drawn at random (thanks, Service Foods!)

Voting closes: Monday 20 October at 5PM

To make your vote count, please head to the Rural Guardian Facebook post and hit on the Owen River image in the comments.

Let’s bring this win home for Owen River Tavern!

Owen River Pig Hunt 2025

What a weekend! Huge thanks to everyone who came out, competed, helped behind the scenes, and supported the event. We had an awesome turnout and some impressive catches!

Top Results:

• Average Boar Weight: 45.9 kg

• Heaviest Boar: 66.5 kg. Winner: Hamish Turnbull.

• Heaviest Deer: 122 kg. Winner: Astin Knowles.

• Heaviest Sow: 52 kg. Winner: Kent Strange.

• Longest Tusk: 2.43 in. Winner: Aaron Eaton.

Junior Highlights:

• Heaviest Junior Pig: 21 kg — Winner: Emma Hyatt

• Biggest Goat Horns: Winner: Jack Kelly

• Biggest Possum: 4.26 kg — Winner: Luke Adam

• Biggest Rabbit: 2.16 kg — Winner: Ollie Curnow

• Biggest Hare: 3.98 kg — Winner: Arlo Nicholls

Big thanks to all our awesome sponsors who helped make the Owen River Pig Hunt such a great weekend.

Special shoutout to Aryn Town AT Tree and Dean Kinzett Forestry for their major support — and to all the local legends who backed us:

Murchison Mechanical, Cory Jones Contracting, NBS, Murchison Vet, Murchison Electrical Ltd.

Kahurangi Angus, Murchison Four Square, Hamish McLeod, Murchison Tea Room, Beechwood Café,

River Café, Peter Badcock Contracting, Graham Ferguson Contracting, Dominion Brewery, Bidfood,

Murchison Helicopters, Farm Source, PGG Wrightson, Gun City, and Coast Outdoor.

We couldn’t do it without you. Thanks heaps for getting behind the event and supporting our community.