{"id":410408,"date":"2026-05-03T22:56:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T22:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/410408\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T22:56:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T22:56:09","slug":"hawkes-bay-last-cast-winter-kahawai-competition-returns-with-25k-prize-pool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/410408\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawke\u2019s Bay Last Cast Winter Kahawai Competition returns with $25k prize pool"},"content":{"rendered":"

For some, that seasonal lull can feel long and isolating.<\/p>\n

\u201cFishing is more than just a hobby for a lot of people. It\u2019s a way to unwind, connect, and reset,\u201d Jono said.<\/p>\n

For Clive fisherman James McCabe, the event has become a way to make the most of the colder months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like it because it gets you out over the winter months and you still get to spend beautiful days on the beach with friends and family,\u201d he told Hawke\u2019s Bay Today.<\/p>\n

McCabe has been part of the competition since its early days, placing second in the inaugural event and picking up several weekly spot prizes along the way.<\/p>\n

Fisherman Ahmed Abdula took out first place in last year\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n

He walked away with an Aeroo Pro fishing drone, a prize he now uses for leisure when on holiday.<\/p>\n

He said the winter competition was a good excuse to stay active during the colder months.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t want to sit on the couch with the heater. You just go out and enjoy the time with friends,\u201d Abdula said.<\/p>\n

\"EventEvent organiser Jonathan van Vuuren, better known as Jono (left), presents the first prize to fisherman Ahmed Abdula at last year\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n

This year, the competition is expected to grow even further, with organisers expecting more than 500 entrants, making it the largest land-based fishing competition in the region.<\/p>\n

The winner will take home an Aeroo Pro fishing drone worth $3000, the second placegetter gets an AEE Condor A22S drone valued at $1600, and the third placegetter scores a Mojo Helium rod and reel combo worth $1000.<\/p>\n

Alongside the main prizes, there are 13 \u201caverage fish of the week\u201d prizes and 10 opening-day spot prizes. Each week, anglers who land a kahawai have a chance to win, with prizes valued at about $1000.<\/p>\n

The growth has been steady. In its inaugural year, just over 100 anglers entered, competing for a prize pool of about $5000. By 2025, the event had expanded to nearly 400 participants and more than $17,000 in prizes.<\/p>\n

Jono said the first year came with its challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cRunning a competition required funding that a small, winter-quiet tackle shop simply didn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned to the local business community for support, and the response was \u201coverwhelming\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery business I approached said yes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"AtAt its fourth edition, Last Cast Winter Kahawai Competition is set to draw hundreds of anglers once again from across the Bay and beyond to the coastline from P\u014drangahau to M\u0101hia.<\/p>\n

The land-based fishing event was designed to be inclusive and accessible.<\/p>\n

As long as hooks were set from land, the competition welcomes a wide range of fishing styles, including surfcasters, rock fishers, drone users, and kontiki operators.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest satisfaction is seeing the happiness it brings to people,\u201d Jono said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis community supports me and my family, and this is a way to return that support.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For some, that seasonal lull can feel long and isolating. \u201cFishing is more than just a hobby for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":410409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[75082,1561,18920,4596,1976,118774,685,111,43,139,69,5198,10512,6443,23644,102],"class_list":["post-410408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-25k","tag-bay","tag-cast","tag-competition","tag-hawkes","tag-kahawai","tag-last","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-pool","tag-prize","tag-returns","tag-winter","tag-with"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/410409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}