NZ Agricultural Show scrapped for 2024
The New Zealand Agricultural Show – an annual fixture on the Christchurch event calendar – has been cancelled for this year, but more changes may be on the horizon.
The Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association has few staff remaining and association board chairperson Stewart Mitchell could not guarantee their job security to Stuff yesterday.
Mitchell has often said the Show is the association’s three days of revenue gathering, to offset 12 months of costs. Although the 2023 Show made a loss, he said there will be sufficient funding for the foreseeable future.
He did not say where the money would come from, but it is likely connected to the $4 million investment fund - funded by ratepayers –- which is just days away from being announced, according to the Christchurch City Council.
Stuff understands that members of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association presented a business case to save the 2024 Show but it was rejected by the board.
Mitchell said in a message to stakeholders on Tuesday the association needed to review its business model, repeating a line he has said for several years, which is that the A&P Show model was not a good model. He said the cancellation was after a review of the association’s latest financial position and projections. However, the livestock judging and competition arm of the Show will still go ahead
Stuff has for several weeks been reporting on the future of the show being unclear, amid the departure of a number of staff - including its general manager - and financial uncertainty.
Financial difficulties have plagued the association for years, including before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to publicly available annual reports.
At least seven employees have left in the last 12 months, including the entire former events team, accounts manager and operations staff. General manager Tracy Ahern resigned in December and was due to finish on April 5. It’s understood she was originally due to finish in February, but was asked to delay her exit.
Show vendors were advised by email on Tuesday evening that they could either receive a full refund for payments made to operate stall sites this year, or payments could be carried over to the 2025 show with a 10% discount.
In his message to stakeholders, Mitchell said financial reserves were limited after two Covid disrupted years in 2020 and 2021 and a financial loss in 2023, and it was “unable to sustain the risk” of another deficit this year.
Rising wage and compliance costs also affected the bottom line.
Income for the show mainly comes from sponsorship, exhibitors and gate revenue, and Mitchell said prevailing economic conditions were likely to adversely affect those. “The risk of proceeding and incurring potential losses, without any significant reserves, was too great.”
Bryce Murray, president of the association’s general committee, said it was sad news for the more than 100,000 people who normally attend the show and its exhibitors.
The 110,000 attendees last year was up 40% from 2022.
“The show has been running in Christchurch since 1863 and, while this is frustrating, we promise to be back stronger and better than ever next year,” Murray said.
Stock judging and competition events are still planned to go ahead, as they did during the “no-show Covid years”.
Mitchell said the board signalled its wish for a review of the governance model in the show’s constitution, started in 2023, to continue to completion.
The board was also close to concluding a commercial transaction with Christchurch City Council, which would see land the association hold a 100-year lease on, be transferred to the council for public use, he said.