St Peter's College's 'The Lost Larder' - a venture that turns overlooked and under-used ingredients into premium products - has been named the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) Southland Company of the Year 2025, at the competition's regional finals held at SIT Centrestage Theatre on Wednesday (29 Oct).

The event required Southland’s top student business ventures to pitch before an industry judging panel - “Dragons’ Den” style.

CEO of McIntyre Dick, Rachel Lock said the calibre of ideas and execution from this year's student companies had been exceptional and Southland should be proud of these emerging entrepreneurs.

The Lost Larder stood out for a well validated service, sharp execution, and a compelling growth story,” she said.

The venture's launch product is a refined Waituna New Zealand eel pâté, co-developed with Southland chef Ethan Flack, backed by lab testing and packaging/compliance work to meet retail and restaurant standards.

The Lost Larder's mission is to celebrate Aotearoa’s wild and foraged bounty at home first, then scale nationally.

Near-term goals include retail placement (e.g., specialty seafood outlets and premium grocers), Air NZ contract and strong restaurant distribution across Southland and Otago - supported by creative partnerships and early pre-orders.

The Lost Larder will represent Southland at the YES National Awards in Wellington this December.

2025 Southland YES Award Winners

• McIntyre Dick – Southland Company of the Year: The Lost Larder (St Peter’s College)
• SBS Bank – Financial Excellence Award: La Lueur (Verdon College)
• South Port NZ – Resilience Award: Ako Kiwi (James Hargest College)
• Vet South – Primary Industry Award: The Lost Larder (St Peter’s College)
• Rio Tinto | NZAS – Sales & Marketing Award: The Lost Larder (St Peter’s College)
• ILT – Murihiku Mover & Shaker Award: Aroha (Aparima College)
• Community Trust South – Southland Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Millie McFadzien (St Peter’s College)

Special recognition - Lynne Grove (Aparima College) was presented with the YES National Teacher of the Year award, acknowledging her many years of dedication and impact supporting student entrepreneurs. Lynne will also travel to Wellington to be recognised at the YES National Awards.

Nikita Rohloff, YES Southland Regional Coordinator said “Our YES teams have put in countless hours this year - customer interviews, late-night prototyping, market days and real-world problem solving and tonight was about recognising that mahi. It was very special to see them celebrated on stage in front of their families, friends, teachers and sponsors. We’re incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved and excited to see where they take these ventures next.”

The evening featured pitches from five finalist companies - Glamour Glasses (James Hargest College), La Lueur (Verdon College), Sticky Steps (Southland Boys’ High School), Tiki-ni-Moana (Aparima College) and The Lost Larder (St Peter’s College) with supporters filling the theatre to cheer them on.

Principal event support came from the Southland Business Chamber, with additional sponsorship from McIntyre Dick, SIT, Community Trust South, ILT, SBS Bank, Rio Tinto | NZAS, Elm Marketing, Vet South, South Port, and COIN South, alongside support from the Southern Farmers Market.