Fieldays: From crash to smash hit

It all started at the Te Rapa Racecourse 50 years ago and the highlight was the innovation around fixed wing planes used for crop dusting - until one crashed.

On that first two-day event the organisers expected around 3000 people. They got 10,000.

After the plane crash, organisers decided they needed a bigger piece of land and acquired what is now known as Mystery Creek.

They wanted somewhere big enough for the event, as well as somewhere that would help agriculture advance over time. A society was formed and the New Zealand National Fieldays was born. 

Taryn Storey, Fieldays marketing and communications manager, said since that first event Fieldays had grown year on year with a whole lot of additions, areas and interests.

While agriculture remains, and always will remain the overarching theme, there are many other facets to the yearly ritual.

“Last year was the first year that we had a health hub and it was wildly popular.”

Taryn said the measures of success were not just financial.

“There were 10 cases of skin cancer that were diagnosed via an exhibitor in the Health Hub. 

“That’s a really good story in the fact that you can’t put a price on a person’s life, and these are people who may not have otherwise seen a doctor.”

Taryn said it was as much a business to business event as it was a business to consumer event.

“A lot of business is done between exhibitors over the four days and its evolved in a lot of different ways over the years, it is exciting to see the stand out areas change year on year, Innovations however is one that is consistently rated highly in Visitor surveys.”  

Taryn said last year was the highest recorded turn out with 133,588 people through the gates.

“Traditionally, in past anniversary years the number has spiked quite considerably. So, things going to plan, we will exceed that number. However, the site can only hold so many people, from a health a safety perspective and car parking.

“Our busiest day would probably be about 45,000 people and that’s quarter of Hamilton on site at once.

“We introduced a Park’n’Ride service from the Base in 2017 which moved nearly 11,000 people by bus. This will operate again this year alongside another Park’n’Ride service from Cambridge and increased ferry services by the Waikato Explorer. All of these are designed to reduce congestion on the roads around the event and help improve the visitor experience.” 

Celebrating 50 years of the event this year, She said it was a great opportunity to evolve other areas of the event. The biggest of which would be the evolution of Rural Bachelor into Rural Catch, what was once a competition for Bachelors, has now moved with the times and will include female contestants for the first time – four girls, four guys, same competition and one winner. 

She said they’d also made some changes on site. 

“We’ve got more of a focus around food production, providence of food and what that means to the primary industry, so we have redeveloped our kitchen theatre, and will feature an exciting line up of celebrity chefs and demonstrations.” 

Along with the new, Taryn said all the usual favourites would still be there, like the No.8 Wire Art Awards on May 10, and as part of the anniversary they would have an exhibition at the Waikato Museum opening the same day.

“We have a new app that will be available in the next couple of weeks which includes the ability to route from A to B, which on a site of this size is quite important.” 

Taryn said the app included advanced exhibition listings and a few funky features, including one that shows you where all the coffee carts and bathrooms are. After feedback from last year, these two items were the most regularly searched! 

She said as part of the anniversary the society had done a series of parallel activity to celebrate.

“We had a cocktail function in February at the Te Rapa race course, which was acknowledging where we first started out, then we had our launch at Parliament at the Grand Hall in March and then we’re doing the exhibition opening in a couple of weeks time.”

Taryn said they also had an event a few weeks back where the society celebrated exhibitors, companies and brands and organisations that had supported the event for the last 50 years.

“They’ve been there from year dot, so we’ve presented them with a special numbered medallion and plaque and they’ll all be recognised down on site as people that have been here from the get go.

“It’s all go!”

Fieldays 13-16 June. Get your Tickets now Fieldays.co.nz.