Two Kerikeri High School students have won a spot among eight regional secondary schools which will battle it out in the kitchen during this year’s National Secondary Schools Culinary Challenge.

Kiera Matich and Savanna Munro won the Auckland North and Northland regional final of the competition recently.

They will now compete in the grand final at Manukau Institute of Technology in Auckland on September 7, going head-to-head against their peers in a live kitchen environment.

Judges include esteemed culinary professional Mark Wylie as chief judge, New Zealand chef and restaurateur Ben Bayly and Pacific Rim Continental director for WorldChefs Peter Wright.

Kiera and Savanna earned a gold award with their entrée, beetroot curry and beetroot pear chutney wrapped in pickled beetroot, golden beetroot and miso purée, beetroot cured kingfish, horseradish and basil.

Their dish is a “revised classic Sri Lankan curry”.

Savanna, 16, said she was “nervous but excited for the opportunity to cook with the other teams and schools”.

Kiera, 16, said she was also grateful for the experience and thanked her teachers for their help and support.

Over $12,000 in prizes is up for grabs at the grand final.

Wylie said judges were “extremely impressed with the dishes entered and the noticeable teamwork involved”.

He wished the regional finalists all the best.

“Right now more than ever, the principle of this challenge couldn’t be more relevant with the tight labour market and the number of hospitality businesses eager to recruit staff that show ability,” he said.