Agricultural show scrapped for 2024
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The New Zealand Agricultural Show – an annual fixture on the Christchurch event calendar – has been cancelled for this year, organisers have announced.
Livestock judging and competitions will still be held in 2024.
In a message to stakeholders, the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association board cited “several challenging years” and said it would review its business model.
“Twelve months of costs and three days of revenue is not a great business model by anyone’s analysis,” board chairperson Stewart Mitchell said. “After reviewing the latest financial position and projections ... the board concluded it would be unwise to proceed with a full-scale show for 2024.”
Stuff has for a number of 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 close to concluding a commercial transaction with Christchurch City Council which would see land the association holds a 100-year lease on be transferred to the council for public use, he said.
Stuff revealed on April 2 that the council was negotiating a multimillion-dollar investment into the Canterbury A&P Association, through an investment trust.
The council is considering breaking the association’s 100-year lease over land at 141 Wigram Rd, and is willing to pay large sums to make it happen.
As much as $5 million could be on the line, with association members being told the council may invest $4m in the association – through a future trust – and forgive an existing $1m loan.
There have been warnings about the show’s financial position for years.
In his 2020 report former association president Chris Herbert said costs were rising but income was limited. The association was sitting “on the edge of a financial cliff,” he said.