Just shy of her 40th birthday, Haylee-Chanel Simeon – ‘Hayz’, as she’s known in Bluff – has poured more time into voluntary community service than most manage in a lifetime, all while raising four children and building a thriving restaurant.

Her selfless mahi and generous heart have earned her a spot as one of three finalists in the Southland Business Chamber’s inaugural Reece McDonald Local Legend Award – recognising extraordinary community spirit and contribution to the South.

Hayz touches hearts as much as she does tastebuds.

Hayz's creation, a sharing platter titled 'Taste of Murihiku', which featured in the May 2025 edition of the inflight magazine KiaOra. Photo: Supplied

Known for her bold flavours and fierce dedication to local ingredients, she celebrates Southland’s bounty – from seafood to venison – all cooked from scratch, the way her traditional Ngāti Kauwhata grandfather and Ngāi Tahu grandmother mother taught her.

Nothing goes to waste in the Hayz kitchen, a value rooted in Māori tradition.

One of very few restaurants in Aotearoa offering muttonbird (tītī), Hayz at the Anchorage showcases this delicacy six different ways.

Even the heart is honoured – transformed into a rich pâté and paired with handmade pōhutukawa flower jelly, available for just four weeks a year.

The foraging doesn’t stop there - seasonal seaweed, watercress, and cockles are also harvested by her and her tamariki, who have grown up polishing cutlery from highchairs, drying dishes, and helping deliver meals. It’s a true whānau affair.

There are plenty of laughs, too – like the day her twin girls were caught making ‘snow angels’ in the bar with polystyrene bean bag fill. “We were still finding those months later,” Hayz laughs.

Hayz, staff and St. John’s cadets and leaders, after serving hundreds of meals and hampers to Bluff pensioners - 21 December, 2023. Photo: Supplied

From the very beginning, wider whānau have supported the kaupapa – aunties running meals, Mum on the till, cousins plating up. It’s always been a collective effort.

And still, she gives back.

For 14 years, Hayz has led countless community initiatives – from delivering hot meals to Bluff’s elderly, to running hamper drives, Christmas lunch for the local pensioners, cutting toenails, and foot massages for those who can’t manage on their own. Her heavily subsidised Pensioner’s Lunch Special started with 20 diners post-lockdown and now feeds 120 every fortnight across two sittings.

“Everyone was so scared after Covid – this gave them a safe place to reconnect and enjoy good kai,” she says.

Though it came at a personal and financial cost, Hayz refused to let it go – instead, she rallied support and sponsorship.

With help from her kids and volunteers, hundreds of meals are prepared and delivered to kaumātua and the vulnerable in Bluff.

Annette from GreenYard Veges, left, and Haylee supporting local growers at the Sunday Farmers Markerts in Invercargill. Photo: Supplied

“Many of our elderly can’t cook anymore due to illness or injury. I just want to make sure they’re eating well.”

Winter sees the team making stock pots of hot soup for churches and community groups, with hot soup dropped to market stallholders to keep spirits high.

“If I see a gap, I’ll fill it, and if I need help, the community shows up."

"I asked some local engineers to help move a freezer a few weeks back. ‘Good as, Hayz,’ they said, and sorted it straight away.”

She’s grateful for local backing too – Fresh is Best, Talleys, Harbour Fish, KiwiHarvest, which rescues who rescue food from landfill), and Southland’s Deer to Care hunters who keep her stocked with fresh venison.

Hayz at the Anchorage has also supported Bluff School lunches and breakfasts, and has regularly contributed extra treats like waffles and bacon for tamariki.

Izaya Simeon and Mum Haylee Simeon at The Eagle Hotel in December 2016, delivering Community Christmas Hampers. Photo: Supplied

Her connection to kai runs deep. Both sides of her whānau are culinary leaders – her Grandad Simeon, of Ngāti Kauwhata, and Nana Simeon, of Ngāi Tahu, passed down generations of knowledge around mahinga kai.

From whitebaiting with cousins off Aparima to learning to use every part of the harvest, Hayz was taught early to respect the land and sea, and to act as a kaitiaki – a guardian, of natural resources.

Some of her happiest memories are rooted in this.

“We grew up with cousins as best mates, building tree swings over cliffs and eating what we caught."

"The wāhine were always in the kitchen – that’s where we shine."

"That’s where Mum passed on Grandad’s recipes and whakaaro.”

Aunty Terina Simeon (Volunteer/ and St John’s Leader) Rangatahi member, Haylee Simeon for the annual Rangatahi Zone in Bluff September 2023. Photo: Supplied

That knowledge continues to shape her work. Everything on the menu is made from scratch – if it wouldn’t pass the standards of her whānau, it doesn’t go out.

“If I’d served a chowder with a marina mix, they would’ve thrown it at me,” she jokes.

Since launching Hayz at the Anchorage, Haylee has built an award-winning business that’s gained national and international attention.

She’s served celebrities and media, sponsored local sports teams, and supported the Southland Exchange.

She is also a supporter of the annual Rangatahi Zone event, honouring four Bluff rangatahi who tragically lost their lives in 2021, where she teaches young people the power of kai through cooking.

Through every challenge, Hayz continues to lead with love, resilience, and the spirit of manaakitanga.

Stuart, left from Deer to Care/ charitable organisation based in Gore, Hayz (Hayz At The Anchorage) and Hank (The Golden Age Tavern), receiving donated venison meat for community meals. Photo: Supplied

“I’ve taken every obstacle and tried to flip my perspective – to look for the silver lining.”

Sue Fea is a senior journalist with more than 40-years experience covering police, social and general news in the southern regions.