What’s making News NZ National Fieldays at Mystery Creek The 45th New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays had 125,127 visitors to the 40 hectares of event space. “The positivity evident across our exhibitors and visitors sends a strong signal that there is confidence and a buoyant mood across our agricultural and primary sector,” said NZ National Fieldays CEO Jon Calder. Fieldays brings the New Zealand Agricultural and Primary sector together for four days at Mystery Creek, Hamilton. The presentation for the winner of the Fieldays Rural Bachelor of the Year Competition was held at the Village Green. A strong advocate of living the rural lifestyle and hoping to spread the word to young people, Lloyd Downing, president of the Fieldays Society, presented the awards. The ‘Peoples Choice Award’ went to Simon Washer from Taranaki, with a huge round of applause from the crowd. The major award is the ‘Golden Gumboot Trophy’. Points were tallied from the 14 heats the Rural Bachelors have competed in throughout the Fieldays competition as well as points accumulated from judges regarding how the rural blokes exemplified Fieldays’ values of; honesty, enthusiasm, a sense of humour and being all round good blokes.
New trade envoy
Federated Farmers welcomed Beef+Lamb NZ chairman, Mike Petersen, to the position of New Zealand Special Agriculture Trade Envoy. Petersen succeeds past Federated Farmers president, Alistair Polson, in that particular role. “Mike brings to the role a lot of experience in market access, being chair of the New Zealand Meat Board, which 6
The prize was awarded to Simon Washer once again. Simon Washer received a spectacular prize package: • S uzuki Quad bike • S wanndri Prize Package •G un City Prize Package • S tihl Prize Package • S kellerup Prize Other awards at Fieldays included: • Tractor Pull Awards 2013 •B rent Garrett Award (Medal) – Matthew Gaze •B est First Year Award – Simon McNiece Weight Transfer Awards • 0 .5–5.5T – Bill Reymer • 5 .5–7T – Nick McFarlan • 7 -9T – Mark Jackson • 9 -11T – Gary Gallagher • 1 1-15T – Cameron Lea Weight Adjusted Awards • 1 st place – Mark Jackson • 2 nd place – Shawn Luxton • 3rd place – Simon McNiece Corporate Challenge • S teel & Tube •H usquvarna •G oughs The next New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays will be held June 11 to 14, 2014 at the Mystery Creek Events Centre.
This year the event attracted more than 125,000 people.
The event centred on getting down to business.
An aerial view of the Mystery Creek site.
legally holds quota into the European Union as well as Beef+Lamb NZ,” said Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers President. “Mike is also a hugely experienced farmer. Like his predecessor, Alistair Polson, Mike can look trade negotiators in the eye while explaining how Kiwi farming has become the most open on earth. He can also speak farmer-tofarmer and I feel that is important.
“I know Mike, like Federated Farmers, sees a huge future in Asia and New Zealand can play a huge role in helping to fuel their economic growth. “As Federated Farmers holds the Oceania Board position on the World Farmers Organisation, we look forward to continuing our positive and close association with New Zealand’s Special Agriculture Trade Envoy,” Wills concluded.
AUSTRALASIAN FARMERS’ & DEALERS’ JOURNAL - AUGUST 2013