Life-changing visit for those at Fieldays
Attending Fieldays at Mystery Creek turned out to be a life saving experience for some visitors this year.
Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation said the new Health Hub, which aimed to put rural health in the spotlight, ‘‘became a game changer for 10 families’’.
The hub discovered 10 cases of skin cancers during checks of as many people.
‘‘The fact, 10 skin cancers were picked up, along with several other significant health issues was astounding,’’ he said.
‘‘The health of those working on the land is important and sometimes ignored.
‘‘By having the health hub on site it provided an opportunity to have issues like melanoma to their attention.
‘‘We’re proud to have been able to provide such a positive platform to raise awareness of the importance of rural health and possibly save a life.’’
Adding onto other positives of the Fieldays event, it was able to recycle or reuse 47 per cent of the event’s waste, preventing it from going into landfill.
A record 10,680 visitors travelled to Fieldays by public transport resulting in a noticeable reduction in road traffic.
‘‘We estimate the public transport provided took about 5000 cars off the road. People were constantly telling us how much easier the traffic was this year,’’ said Nation.
Nation said the theme for Fieldays 50th anniversary next year will be the ‘‘Future of Farming’’.
The 2018 event is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet, and will also celebrate the wideranging contributions Fieldays made to the agriculture industry since its inception in 1968.
‘‘We have a really proud history as a world-class agricultural showcase and it has come a long way from an event aimed at getting farmers together and bridging the rural and urban gap,’’ Nation said.
The 50th New Zealand Agricultural Fieldays will be held form June 13-16, 2018 at Mystery Creek Events Centre near Cambridge.
‘‘The health of those working on the land is important and sometimes ignored.’’