Rural Guardian, in association with Service Foods is proud to launch the search for the best country pub in the South Island – and we need your help to crown the winner.

Out here in the country, pubs are more than just a place to grab a drink — they’re the heart of the community. They’re where we catch up after a long day on the land, share a meal with neighbours, celebrate milestones, and swap stories over a cold one. We all have a local we love, and now’s the time to give them the recognition they deserve.

This is Stage One: Nominations, and here’s how it works:

✅ Nominate your favourite pub by commenting its name below on this original post. Nominations must be made here — comments on shared posts won’t count.

📍 Stage One – Nominations: Opens Friday 26 September and runs for one week. Every nomination counts, so make sure your local is in the running.

📍 Stage Two – Voting: The top 20 pubs with the most nominations will go through to the final voting round. Voting will open after nominations close and will run until 20 October, when we’ll announce the winner.

🎉 Prizes: The winning pub will receive a $500 Service Foods credit, and one lucky voter will be drawn at random to win a $100 food hamper – thanks to our sponsor, Service Foods, a proudly locally owned food distribution company supporting New Zealand hospitality.

It’s time to show your local some love . Follow the link here to nominate: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Gy1ohUeBC/

Terms and conditions apply. See our website for more details.

Terms and Conditions – South Island Country Pub of the Year Competition

Organiser
The South Island Country Pub of the Year competition is organised by Rural Guardian, with support from Service Foods as the competition sponsor.

Eligibility

The competition is open to country pubs and hotels located in the South Island of New Zealand.

Anyone may nominate a pub, but nominations and votes must be made by individuals aged 18 years or over.

Employees of Rural Guardian and Service Foods, and their immediate families, are not eligible to win prizes.

How to Enter

Stage One – Nominations: Opens 26 September 2025 and runs for one week. Nominations must be submitted as a comment on the original nomination post on the Rural Guardian Facebook page. Nominations on shared posts will not be counted.

Stage Two – Voting: The top 20 pubs with the most nominations will progress to the final voting round. Voting opens following the close of nominations and closes on 20 October 2025.

Votes must be made as comments on the original voting post on the Rural Guardian Facebook page.

Prizes

The winning pub will receive a $500 Service Foods credit.

One voter will be randomly selected to win a $100 food hamper provided by Service Foods.

Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable for cash. Rural Guardian and Service Foods are not responsible for any additional costs incurred by prize recipients.

Winner Notification

The winning pub and the randomly selected voter will be announced on the Rural Guardian Facebook page after the competition closes.

Winners will be contacted via Facebook or other reasonable means. If a winner cannot be contacted within 7 days, Rural Guardian reserves the right to select another winner.

Publication and Promotion

By participating, entrants agree that the winning pub’s name and location may be published in the November 2025 issue of Rural Guardian and on associated digital platforms.

Photos and stories relating to the winning pub may also be used for promotional purposes.

General

Rural Guardian reserves the right to verify the validity of nominations and votes and to disqualify any entrant tampering with the entry process or acting in breach of these terms.

Rural Guardian reserves the right to amend, suspend or cancel the competition if necessary.

• This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook.