Winter tends to be a time of hibernation. None the more so than in New Zealand, where the country experiences a true winter that once saw the city fall into the depths of quiet during the length of the season. But that all changed with the birth of Visa Wellington On A Plate. A festival that takes the city hostage from August 11-27, with special events and performances in the realms of food and drink.

Says festival director Sarah Meikle, the festival brought a much needed burst of excitement and activity to Wellington in the cooler months. “Visa WOAP was created in 2009.  It was developed by myself and a colleague when we saw a need to bring some excitement into the city in August – we had a great hospitality industry and August was a tough time,” she says. And it’s not an event without its purpose, “We could also see what a huge opportunity it was to help better connect our regional producers and suppliers with those restaurants.”

As a foodie hub, it made sense to celebrate the community’s love affair with produce, and share it with the world around them. “There are so many things that we want the festival to achieve,” says Sarah. “To tell Wellington’s food story, to tell our culinary capital story, to give people a clear reason to visit Welly in August, and for me, one of the most important things, is to give our hospitality sector the opportunity to collaborate, innovate and try new things!”

But it’s Welly On The Plate’s collaborative aspect that is most impressive. “There are so many similarities between food events, they all have great event programmes, tasty food and awesome foodie experiences all round. But the one thing that sets Wellington apart is the way that the festival supports collaborations between local restaurants and suppliers and the whole value chain. We want our whole sector to benefit and it’s just so cool to see the way that people come together to work on projects around Visa WOAP that knits the whole Wellington food story together.”

2017’s event is a smorgasbord of restaurant, laneway and carpark takeovers with set menus, events and pop-ups. But this year the collaborations will be kicked up a notch with a new addition. “One of the newest initiatives that I am looking forward to this year is the Chef Collaboration Series which sees international and out of town chef and restaurant crews pair up with some of our best local talent,” says Sarah. “What makes me so excited about this is that it’s not just about the events themselves, but also that the restaurants here in Wellington have the chance to have world class talent in their kitchen so that it’s a fantastic learning experience for our restaurants too.”

It’s all a part of a wider plan that Sarah hopes will help to better the Wellington community. “I have a pretty ambitious dream,” she admits. “I want Wellington to be known as one of the most creative culinary destinations on the planet.  This is no mean feat but we are well on our way.  The great thing about being a small, open-minded and thriving city is the constant drive to innovate and change things up.  I feel very confident that this festival is helping Wellington to develop our foodie legacy and that we’ve only scratched the surface of possibility!”

As for what you can’t afford to miss at Welly On A Plate 2017:

Burger Wellington
Not an event as much as it is an initiative, Burger Wellington may be the most lauded, or at least most competitive event on the calendar. There are 123 burgers entered into this year’s project. Restaurants and food trucks alike battle it out with their take on the burger, with everything from the sweet, savoury and interesting catered to (including a beer battered oyster burger). The winner is eventually voted on and announced at the end of Welly On A Plate.

Attica At The Shack
Former Wellington-resident Ben Shewry returns to his land of birth and training for a special event that will see the lauded chef return to his original employer Ortega Fish Shack & Bar. A five-course long lunch with matching drinks will be created, inspired by produce available locally, by the chef whose Melbourne restaurant Attica was recently voted 32nd best restaurant in the world.

Beervana
This brew-favouring festival is for the beer aficionado. There are international breweries making an appearance, alongside local favourites Garage Projects and the rest of the burgeoning Wellington craft beer scene. Held over two days, there are multiple sessions to attend to taste your way around the world’s beers, as well as tuck into specialty dishes (matched appropriately to the drinks of course) and entertainment.

Rimutaka Prison Gate to Plate
For the fifth year in a row this sell-out event will return. The special culinary experience sees a handful of dinners held at the Rimutaka Prison, with all food prepared and served by prisoners. Renowned chef Martin Bosley is mentor to the inmates, who work alongside two guest chefs on capanes and a three-course menu. Not only is it a chance to see what life is like behind bars, but support and arm men with skills who want to make a positive change to their lives.

ConversatioNZ Symposium 2017
This TEDx-style event is an industry-focused forum that explores the future of the food world. It’s a full day exploration that will be relevant to foodies, as well as members of the hospitality, producer and supplier industries. Among the chef, and foodie speakers at this year’s event will be chef Ben Shewry of Melbourne’s Attica, and Jonathan Gold who is the much esteemed food editor of the LA Times.