By Peter Nation, CEO of the NZ National Fieldays Society
Fieldays is entering its 54th year as the southern hemisphere’s largest agricultural event and we’re expecting a stellar event. Like so many other organisations, we’ve had a bit of a bumpy ride in the past couple of years due to covid. Our event was threatened by restrictions on mass gatherings earlier this year, which forced us to change the date from June to November, but we are adamant that our event will still be a huge success.
This year, we have the added benefits of longer daylight hours, warmer days and best of all, increased interest from international visitors from the northern hemisphere. It’ll still be the same event, at the same location but just at a different time – same same, but different.
Having said this, visitors to Fieldays in November can expect to see some new and improved aspects of our event. This year, we will be debuting a new and enhanced careers Hub. Sponsored by the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Fieldays Opportunity Grows Here Careers Hub is aimed at people of any age who are keen to have a career in the primary sector. They’ll be able to talk to people working in primary industries such as farming, apiculture and aquaculture and get further information from the experts.
The Hauora Taiwhenua Health & Wellbeing Hub will also be much bigger, and our visitors and exhibitors will have a chance to get health advice and connect with health support groups, all under one roof. The Innovation Hub, which is always a crowd pleaser, is well supported again this year with many keen innovators entering their innovations in the annual Fieldays Innovation Awards.
We are also delighted to be opening the brand new Fieldays Forestry Hub. This will be a large-scale exhibit of the entire forestry industry, including science, careers and the value of wood. Traditionally, sales have been strong, and buyers come from all around New Zealand. We are expecting strong numbers from the lower South Island as it has been more than three years since an agricultural event was held in that region.
This year we will be running Fieldays Online again, where we will continue to celebrate NZ food, education in the kitchen and discuss many topics that are on the minds of those in the agricultural community. So, even if you can’t physically be here, there will be on-demand footage to keep you informed.
Visitors can still expect to see their favourite exhibitors, bag a bargain, or buy equipment at our event this year but, unfortunately, some exhibitors have chosen not to attend – either because of supply chain issues, staffing shortages or the time of the year. While we appreciate that June is the preferred time for most of the agricultural community, this was not a viable solution for Fieldays this year.
We know that 2022 Fieldays will still be full of information and new technology and will allow for time away with family, friends, and trusted advisors. Covid-19 has seen people locked up for almost two years, and due to the regulations mass gatherings have not been impossible. Events like Fieldays allow people to come together to meet, talk and learn. We’ve had some great feedback, especially on our Hauora Taiwhenua Health & Wellbeing hub, which tells us that Fieldays has become an integral checkpoint on our visitors’ to-do lists. 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.
We’re preparing for a huge turnout at Fieldays this year so don’t miss out on tickets to the largest agricultural event in the southern hemisphere. It’s a one-off opportunity to have some fun in the sun while also enjoying the classic Fieldays atmosphere. We look forward to welcoming visitors.
Fieldays will run from November 30-December 3 at Mystery Creek, Ōhaupō.