Georgina Galloway, ''born and bred'' in Wanaka but living in Southland, spent two days competing against 14 other young women for the title, and decided the cash would be more useful.
Ms Galloway, who is just a few weeks away from qualifying as a veterinary nurse technician, told the Otago Daily Times she was a keen shooter, so skinning a rabbit was not a problem.
She ''smoked'' the other contestants by 10sec in the jet-boat driving and the only events she was not so familiar with were knife-throwing and archery.
The contestants spent two days completing tasks such as backing quad-bike trailers, assembling sawhorses, firing paint-ball guns and taking off bottle caps with chainsaws.
Ms Galloway, the daughter of Wanaka Volunteer Fire Brigade Chief Fire Officer Bruno Galloway and wife Marg, said she was talked into competing but found it ''so much fun''.
Shelley Brown, of Omakau, was second and third place was shared by Kajahna Smith-McNoe, of Gore, and Michelle McPherson, of West Otago.
