Fieldays
2019
The Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event
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by Peter Parker, Milling and Grain
ieldays 2019 ran from the 12-15th June 2019 at the Mystery Creek Event Centre near Hamilton in the central North Island of New Zealand. The vitally important event was officially opened by New Zealand’s Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Jacinda Ardern and New Zealand National Fieldays Society President Peter Carr. Fieldays is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event and the ultimate launch platform for cutting edge technology and innovation, this year the show attracted 128,747 visitors throughout the four days. The show functions as a Business-to-Business platform but also as a fun day out for the general public with plenty to do and see for all. Such activities include watching Fieldays staples like the Fencing, Tractor Pull, Agricultural Heritage, Excavators, and STIHL Timbersports®, all of which are thrilling competitions to watch throughout the four days. Eight of New Zealand’s best chefs including Peter Gordon, Claire Turnbull, Ray McVinnie and Brett McGregor shared their vast knowledge and experience with visitors to the Fieldays Kitchen Theatre inspiring meal ideas and inciting a passion for using the local produce New Zealand’s primary industry creates.
104 | August 2019 - Milling and Grain
The Mystery Creek event centre is a 114 hectare site just 10 minutes out of Hamilton. While the majority of visitors arrived by car and parked in a field nearby dedicated to parking, many took to alternative modes of transport. 13,917 visitors travelled to Fieldays by bus, 856 by the Waikato River Explorer, 422 by Camjet, and 143 by helicopter. The agricultural show offers plenty of opportunities, this year there was a Fieldays Careers and Education programme which was attended by 866 school leaver aged students from 41 schools. 54 innovations were introduced into the market or developed further as part of the Fieldays Innovation Awards which saw some creative ideas focussed on strengthening the future of New Zealand’s primary industry. Winners included a platform that finds a solution to finding seasonal workers, a packing and delivery system for intramammary treatments and sealants, a fencepost made from 100 percent recycled plastics and a water flow indicator. Fieldays is run by New Zealand National Fieldays Society, a charitable organisation founded in 1968 for the purpose of advancing our primary industry. The dates for next year’s event, Fieldays 2020, are set for 10-13th June, once again at the Mystery Creek event centre.