Moana Harvest Festival

06/03/2026

02/03/2026

Our Harvest Festival is rolling around quickly! We would love you to join us for any part of the weekend that you can. It will be time to start making scarecrows for our scarecrow competition, start thinking about what great pumpkin or potato recipe you might bring along or even if you just want to come along and buy a Stuff Spud or Kumara from The Spud Guy who will be joining us on the Friday night.

07/01/2026

🍀 Moana Harvest Festival 2026 🍀
📍 Moana · Lake Brunner
📅 10–12 April

Irish music 🎶
Harvest competitions 🎃🥔
Great food 🍺
Community & culture 🌾

From pumpkin weigh-ins to the Irish Hooley — there’s something for everyone.
👉 Follow for tickets & updates!

01/01/2026

27/12/2025

🍀✨ Lake Brunner’s Shamrock & Sip Showdown — Entries Now Open! ✨🍀

Craft brewers, kitchen creators, backyard alchemists, and beverage dreamers… this one’s for you! As part of the Moana Harvest Festival 2026, we’re proud to host the Shamrock & Sip Showdown — a fun, friendly competition celebrating the very best in home-crafted and locally produced drinks.

Whether you specialise in:
🍺 Smooth stouts
🍏 Non-alcoholic brews
🍋 Small-batch gins
🎨 Beautifully designed bottle labels
…or anything in between, we want to see your creativity shine!

📅 Saturday 11th April 2026

📍 Moana Community Hall, 27 Ahau Street, Moana
🕒 Email for Entry Form: [email protected]
Entries Close April 1st 2026

Bring your imagination, your craftsmanship, and a touch of Irish luck — and share your creations with our festival whānau. 🌿✨

Let the sipping, tasting, and celebrating begin!

21/12/2025

🥔🎃 It’s nearly Spud & Pumpkin Time at Lake Brunner School! 🎃🥔

Get ready for one of the funnest parts of the Moana Harvest Festival — our Spud in a Bucket Competition AND the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-In happening on Friday 10th April from 4pm at Lake Brunner School!

Bring your buckets, your biggest spuds, and your most massive pumpkins…
💪 Can YOU beat last year’s record?

✨ Buckets & seed packets available from Lake Brunner School
✨ Amazing prizes up for grabs
✨ A great fundraiser for the school
✨ Fun for the whole whānau

PLUS… stay tuned!
We’ll be announcing the Best Potato Dish Competition AND a special VIP cooking session with Jax Hamilton very soon! 👩‍🍳🔥

Let’s kick off the festival weekend with laughs, friendly rivalry, and some seriously impressive veggies!

19/12/2025

🌿✨ Moana Harvest Festival Programme Reveal! ✨🌿

Our full Moana Harvest Festival 2026 weekend programme is here — and it’s shaping up to be one of the most joyful community celebrations Moana has ever hosted! 🇮🇪🌽🎻

From 10–12 April 2026, we’re bringing together gardens, kai, heritage, music, dance, and the stories that connect us. Here’s a taste of what’s coming:

🌱 Friday – Pumpkin, Potatoes & a ceilidh!

At Lake Brunner School we kick off with pumpkin + potato competitions, games, prizes, and plenty of laughs.
Then join us for a community dinner followed by a lively Cèilì (Irish barn dance) with the internationally acclaimed Fiddlesticks Band. Bring your dancing shoes — and your friends!

🍀 Saturday – A Full Irish Celebration Day!

Workshops, Irish cooking demos, live music, dance, food stalls, heritage slide show, tug-of-war, and the big judging of the Lake Brunner Shamrock & Sip Showdown.
In the evening, enjoy a special Irish menu at Hotel Lake Brunner before heading to our Hooley cabaret — two dance bands, West Coast style, and a full night of fun.

⛪ Sunday – Irish Harvest Service

Join us at Moana Church for a beautiful Irish Harvest Service, harvest sales table, country-style afternoon tea, and a rolling slide show honouring the region’s early Irish families.

💚 Save the dates, gather your crew, and get ready for an unforgettable Easter school-holiday weekend in Moana.

More updates coming soon — workshops, ticket info, performers, and more!

11/12/2025

🌾 Introducing our brand-new Moana Harvest Festival logo! 🌿
We’re so excited to share the official artwork for MHF 2026, celebrating our community, the beauty of Lake Brunner, our rich Irish heritage, and the autumn harvest.

Mark your calendars: 10–12 April 2026 — a long weekend of food, music, stories, gardens, laughter, and community pride.

This logo captures everything we love about Moana: our history, our mountains, our gardens, our growers, and the vibrant spirit of our people.

More announcements coming soon… stay tuned! 💚🍀

04/12/2025

☘️ Lake Brunner’s Shamrock & Sip Showdown ☘️
Moana Harvest Festival 2026

Raise a glass to creativity, craftsmanship, and a touch of Irish luck!
The Brunner’s Shamrock & Sip Showdown is the Moana Harvest Festival’s spirited brewing competition — celebrating the best in home-crafted and locally produced beverages. From smooth stouts to small-batch gins, refreshing non-alcoholic brews to beautifully designed bottle labels, this friendly contest invites makers of all levels to showcase their talent and imagination.

📅 Saturday 11th April 2026
📍 Moana Community Hall, 27 Ahau Street, Moana

🕒 Entries Close: April 1st 2026
📦 Entries Delivery: 8-9am, Saturday April 11th

🍀 Categories & Awards
🍺 A. Beer – ales, lagers, stouts, experimental brews
🥃 B. Liquor – liqueurs or infused creations
🍸 C. Spirits – gin, vodka, whiskey, rum
🍋 D. Non-Alcoholic – mocktails, tonics, sodas
🏷️ E. Best Label Design – creativity in branding & presentation

Entries will be judged on flavour, innovation, presentation, and connection to the Irish harvest theme. 🏆 Join the fun, share your best brew, and see who will claim the Golden Shamrock Prize Ribbon!
Email for entry form: [email protected] or [email protected]

27/11/2025

☘️ Irish Saying of the Week ☘️
"Hunger is the best sauce." 🍲

Simple, practical, and perfectly Irish! This proverb means that any meal tastes better when you’ve worked hard or waited long for it.

You’ll still hear it said at kitchen tables after a long day — a cheerful reminder to appreciate life’s simple pleasures.

💚 Here’s to good food, good company, and a good appetite!
📖 Find more Irish sayings at The Temple Bar Pub Dublin:

👉 https://thetemplebarpub.com/latest-news/11-popular-irish-proverbs/

20/11/2025

☘️ Irish Saying of the Week ☘️
"Many a good tree grew on shallow ground.” 🌳
A beautiful Irish reminder that greatness often springs from the most unlikely places.

Even in tough conditions — rocky soil, strong winds, or life’s challenges — resilience can take root. It’s a message of hope that still resonates on the West Coast today: potential and strength can grow anywhere.

🌿 The Irish settlers brought this wisdom with them — and it still rings true 150 years later.

📖 Learn more from The Temple Bar Pub Dublin:
👉 https://thetemplebarpub.com/latest-news/11-popular-irish-proverbs/