There were no tweed jackets, no jodhpurs, and not a shiny Range Rover in sight.

Instead: mullets, Red Bands, Double Brown, sausies on the barbie, and a proud line-up of dead animals had Rotherham keeping it real this Matariki weekend.

It’s hunting, Kiwi-style — and North Canterbury didn’t hold back.

Now in its fourth year, the annual North Canterbury Hunting Competition shows no signs of slowing down.

Organiser Mat Bailey says the event drew a whopping 1642 entries this year.

“We have been surprised by the number of entries we’ve had,” Bailey said.

The total number of animals weighed in this year was 1472 — including 326 feral cats.

A big part of the attention (and controversy) has come from the feral cat category — a lightning rod for protest from horrified cat lovers that has  even garnered international media attention.

“We like to stir the pot,” Bailey jokes.

And stir it they did, with a viral social media campaign featuring Bailey patting a very not-feral cat named Sprinkles — played by Bailey’s mates cat Kevin — while encouraging hunters to target ferals.

Bailey doesn’t mince words about his feline feelings: “they bring nothing to the table.”

It’s tongue-in-cheek, a bit of bait for the protesters — who, this year, were noticeably absent, save for one lone soul quietly filming.

While Bailey admits to being slightly disappointed the protesters stayed home, he sees their absence as a sign public awareness is shifting.

“Killing feral cats is normalised now, and no one really cares they are being killed.”

But it’s not all about poking the animal rights bear.

The event has become a major fundraiser for the local school and community, and a large number of deer is donated to Hunters 4 Hope, a charity that feeds those in need.

Even Dame Lynda Topp, patron of Fish and Game and trustee of Hunters for Conservation, made an appearance.

This year’s event also threw support behind the Canterbury West Coast Westpac Air Rescue Trust, with hopes of helping fund a new heli-pad in Rotherham.

"They are quite active in our region, and they are looking at putting another heli-pad in," Bailey says.

Rescue helicopters in New Zealand utilise specific lighting systems on helipads to ensure safe nighttime landings – including some more complex pads with pilot-activated lighting.

“Every medical chopper pad needs to be able to be lit from the chopper – there’s quite a bit involved. It’s not just a bit of concrete.”

For Rotherham, it’s just another Matariki weekend done the North Canterbury way — practical, proud, and unapologetically local.

By Claire Inkson