Local Focus: Battle of the BBQs judges looking for 'good clean bite' 4 Feb, 2021 09:00 PM 2 minutes to read It was a far cry from your average Kiwi barbecue when over 20 teams from around New Zealand went head-to-head at the Battle of the BBQs competition in Mount Maunganui. "It was an amazing community event to bring to Tauranga," organiser Natasha Thomas said. "You've got teams from Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Hamilton, obviously Auckland and there's even teams travelling from Whangaparaoa." Teams competed in a two-day cook-off, smoking everything from ribs to brisket – with a $10,000 prize pool at stake. Smoking meat at this level is so competitive there's a sanctioning body, the NZ Barbecue Alliance.