Kaitāia man Rory Collings - seen here celebrating with contest organisers Dave Collard and John Stewart - is $30,000 richer after winning the 2025 Ninety Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza. Photo: Supplied/Louise Strong
Kaitāia man Rory Collings is $30,000 richer after winning New Zealand's - and possibly the world's - biggest surfcasting contest.
A total of 1200 anglers from every corner of the motu took part in this year's Ninety Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza, in the hope of hooking the heaviest fish and a share of more than $200,000 in prizes.
Skarn Hokai, also of Kaitāia, took an early lead in the five-day contest after landing a fish weighing 6.62 kilograms on Wednesday.
After several sleepless nights Hokai was still in the lead when fishers returned to the beach for the last time on Saturday morning, but was pipped in the final hours by Collings with a snapper weighing 6.635kg - just 15 grams heavier.
The $10,000 prize for the fish closest to the average weight over the contest will be shared by Mafua Tongotea of Whanganui and Julian Barrett of Kaitāia, both of whom landed a fish weighing 3.24kg.
Co-organiser John Stewart said conditions at the start of the week were tough, with strong winds and big surges sweeping up the beach.
Just 50 snapper were weighed in on day one, well down on the usual 300 for the first day's fishing.
Snapper Bonanza co-organiser John Stewart with Kaitāia's Skarn Hokai and Wednesday's biggest fish, weighing in at 6.62kg. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
However by Friday, conditions had come right, as reflected in the 244 snapper landed during the last two days.
Stewart summed up this year's Bonanza as "amazing, no complaints whatsoever".
Despite being pipped for the top prize, Hokai did not go home empty-handed.
The 23-time contest veteran won $2500 for Wednesday's heaviest fish and $2000 for second-heaviest fish overall.
Many of the fish were auctioned at Kaitāia's Saturday market, raising $10,640 for Paparore School in Waipapakauri, a short distance from Bonanza headquarters.
In past years the proceeds have gone to Kaitāia Volunteer Fire Brigade.
The Snapper Bonanza started with a few hundred fishers in 2011, when it replaced the long-running Snapper Classic after it ran into financial difficulties.
These days the Bonanza is so popular all 1200 tickets sell out within three hours of their June release.
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