Flavoured sausages on NRC Field Days' menu

Breakfast sausages flavoured with the peppery natives kawakawa and horopito are the latest wild food treats the Northland Regional Council is hoping will lure visitors to its marquee at the upcoming Dargaville field days.


In recent years the Regional Council has successfully used a variety of food made from pests including possum and goat meat pies, wild rabbit sausages and even crackers topped with possum pate, as a fun way of attracting visitors.


Regional Council Events Co-ordinator Liz Woodward says this year the Council will move away from pests and instead offer two types of breakfast sausage incorporating native plants – one beef, horopito and chilli flavoured and the other made from lamb and kawakawa.


Ms Woodward says about 1500 of the locally made cocktail-sized sausages will be served free over the three days of the 4-6 March Northland Agricultural Field Days from the Council’s site – site 251, RD1 Road.


However, the Regional Council marquee will also have a serious role, covering a wide cross-section of Council business.


“Information will be available on a range of Council grants, wetland projects, on-line mapping, planning matters, weed and pest control, land management, flooding, erosion control and much more.”


Ms Woodward says visitors will be able to get up close and personal with a range of biological control agents – ‘good bugs’ used to control weeds and pest insects – as well as native fish and pest and weed control displays.


“There’s an arsenal of insects doing battle on major pest plants and insects throughout Northland and we’re taking the opportunity to show visitors some of them.”


Staff will also be on hand to chat to visitors about upcoming work on the Council’s next generation ‘Regional Policy Statement’, which will cover the use, development and protection of Northland’s natural and physical resources.


A bridge will link the Regional Council’s display with the Biodiversity Northland tent next door.