Off with the boots and on with jandals
CONNECT: It’s time to change your footwear and enjoy the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event
Fieldays is entering its 54th year as the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event. For the first time in the event’s history, it will be held at the start of summer — November 30 to December 3, in stark contrast to its traditional month of June.
However, that doesn’t worry New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation. “As with many organisations across the country, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit us hard, which has meant that we’ve needed to adapt — the biggest thing being the timing of this year’s event. The fact that we’ve changed the timing also provides us with a lot of opportunities. We have the added benefits of longer daylight hours, warmer days, and best of all, increased interest from international visitors,” says Nation.
This year’s theme, “same, same but different”, celebrates the event’s significance to the rural sector while acknowledging that it is being held at a different time of the year. As always, the premier agri-event promises to provie a platform to showcase our agricultural and primary industries.
Visitors will be able to see many of their favourite exhibitors and bag a bargain on the latest farming equipment, power tools, tractors, machinery and rural living products.
The prestigious Innovation Hub returns, playing host to the annual Innovation Awards. This year 65 finalists have been selected to showcase their innovations: 21 in the Prototype category, 31 in Early Stage, and 13 in Growth & Scale. The innovations include a mix of technological solutions like data recording, sensors and automation and everyday products that could revolutionise the primary industries.
There are plenty of new developments this year too. The Fieldays Forestry Hub, a large-scale exhibit of the entire forestry industry, will allow visitors to explore the forestry and wood processing sector and its role in climate change, biosecurity and biodiversity. The Fieldays Opportunity Grows Here Careers Hub is a new development between Fieldays and the Ministry of Primary Industries and is aimed specifically at people keen to learn about career pathways in the primary sector.
This year, Fieldays will continue to focus on rural wellness. The Hauora Taiwhenua Health and Wellbeing Hub has increased in size, and visitors will have a chance to get health advice and connect with health support groups, all under one roof.
The hub is a one-stop shop for everything related to physical and mental health and well-being. “The Health and Wellbeing Hub has a wealth of knowledge that many of our primary industry workers probably aren’t able to access very often. We’ve had some great feedback that tells us Fieldays has become an integral checkpoint on our visitors’ todo lists,” says Nation.
“This has been great to hear, as we believe that the most important asset in any primary industry is people, and we’re proud to help the health of people in the primary industries in any way we can.”
Fieldays has always been the home of fiercely fought and unique agriculture competitions and demonstrations; 2022 will be no exception. The classic excavator and fencing competitions are back, allowing competitors to win prizes and bragging rights until June 2023, when the next Fieldays event is planned.
The crowd favourite tractor competitions are also back, this year reimagined as same, same but different, which will see a first-ever at Fieldays, allowing visitors to participate in the Fieldays Ag Drive Tractor Racing Experience. Sitting alongside an Ag Drive instructor, visitors will be put through their paces participating in modified tractor races, trying to beat the clock.
Alongside the visitor rivalry, there is also a corporate competition, with all proceeds from the entry fee going to the Rural Support Trust.
Get ready for tan lines and good times at Mystery Creek. ■