VOTE TO WIN - Show some love and support your local café

Forget local body elections; for food fans the big call this year is on which is New Zealand’s best café.

But with voting now underway in the 2013 NZ Café of the Year, café lovers need to ensure their local favourite has entered.

Then, when you vote you can go in the draw to win a regional prize of $1,000 (six regions countrywide) to spend in the café of your choice. Plus, there’s a grand prize of $5,000 for one lucky café-goer to spend at his or her favourite café.

Us Kiwis love our cafés and everyone has a favourite. If you want to ensure the world knows what makes your local café so special, you need to ensure it has registered.

Look for your favourite café online or via the smartphone app and if it’s not there tell the owners that if they enter the awards, you’ll vote for them. The winning café is announced at the beginning of December and its owners not only take home the top title but also drive home a brand new Fiat 500S.

Public voting is open until 24 October when the votes are counted and the 18 regional finalists announced. They’re chosen on the basis of the most votes gained in each of the six regions with the finalists judged by an expert panel to find the NZ Café of the Year.

The judges are from The Restaurant Association of New Zealand and event supporters are Heinz Wattie’s and Goodman Fielder.

·         Voting for your favourite café is simple and this year your vote can be made one of four quick and easy ways. Visit www.nzcafeoftheyear.co.nz/café-lovers/ select your region and search for your favourite café's name and click vote now. You can also vote via Facebook at www.facebook.com/nzcafeoftheyear or text using the café's unique code. New for 2013 is the café of the Year smartphone app for both android and iOS.