Sheepish youngsters fill void at show
A bumper crowd of about 6000 people turned out to Northland’s first country show of the season despite the absence of the popular calf club and cattle events.
All bovine events were cancelled at Saturday’s Bay of Islands Pastoral and Industrial Show at Waimate North because of fears of spreading the cattle disease M. bovis.
Instead, children were encouraged to bring their pet lambs, and the area usually reserved for cattle competitions hosted a series of popular AgriKids and Young Farmers challenges.
P&I Association president Graham Moor said he was ”very happy” with the turnout. The weather had played a part, with overnight rain giving way to bright sunshine around 10am.
The crowd was smaller than last year but the numbers weren’t comparable because the 2017 event was a royal show marking the 175th anniversary.
Moor was particularly pleased by the numbers of young families and teenagers this year.
”There seemed to be a lot more young people than usual, which is encouraging. You don’t come here to hop on your screen, you come to interact.”
A police demonstration in which dogs brought down an offender armed with a gun drew a huge crowd, and the small animals tent — where town kids had a chance to cuddle all sorts of baby animals — was packed all day. The absence of calf club events had given pet lambs a chance to fill the gap.
Other new attractions this year included a classic car and hot rod display.
Ayrshire cattle breeder Malcolm Hutchings, who won last year’s supreme champion animal title, said the show felt “a little empty” without cattle — but for the sake of the breeders it was the right thing to do.
Hutchings said he had been to every show but one since 1960.
”It’s still the best show in Northland. It’s the atmosphere, the grounds, everything. It’s had its ups and downs over the years, but it’s survived. There’s a good group of people keeping it going,” he said.
The show also featured two days of equestrian events, a Northland food and wine festival and the annual Kids Can Cook competition.
The Bay of Islands P&I Show was founded in 1842, making it the oldest country show in New Zealand.