Show will go on: January 19-20 fair to be held in Wairoa’s town centre

Wairoa’s annual A&P Show will not be held at the showgrounds despite the efforts of many to have it ready after the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle. A town fair is to be held instead. Wairoa Star picture

by Doug Laing, Hawke’s Bay Today

The Wairoa A&P Society is taking its January show to town after deciding it cannot hold the annual event at its showgrounds because of damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle and other climatic events of 2023.

The society has announced that despite hundreds of volunteers working on repairing and clearing the site where the show has been held annually for more than a century, it will not be ready to “safely” hold the show on January 19-20.

The decision has been made to stage a Friday night and Saturday fair in the town centre on the same dates.

In the circumstances, Wairoa Mayor Craig Little is excited about having the fair in town.

The society, of which he was president about 20 to 25 years ago, has established “a good young crew” to take the show forward, he says.

The damage caused by Gabrielle was “heartbreaking” and the committee deserved all the support it could get to make the fair a success as it responded to the devastation of 2023 then worked towards the return of the show in 2025.

A&P society event manager Alice Wilson said that since the cyclone, the society and volunteers had been working hard to try to get the showgrounds ready.

“But it’s been a big job and we’ve still got lots to do”.

Several “working bees” had received large turnouts of volunteers to clear tonnes of silt and debris and mend what they could, but some building repairs were delayed pending the outcome of the land classification and flood protection issues.

Further rain caused the cancellation of a working bee last month.

The fair will not feature the usual horse and pony section, which dominates show entries each year, nor a rodeo or sheep dog trials,

But the shearing competition, one of the biggest A&P show shearing events nationwide, is expected to go ahead at a woolshed venue to be confirmed.

The fair itself will have food stalls and other attractions are being planned.

Inquiries are welcome from anyone who wants to help boost the event.

The show, first held in 1899, is known for its weather extremes —  from temperatures over 30 degrees to heavy rain that in 2010 and 2020 resulted in the shearing being transferred to woolsheds outside the town and all but caused the abandonment of the show.

It was cancelled in 2021 because of Covid-19.

Wairoa has also had to endure the loss of its other big family day out, the annual races, which fell victim to rationalisation in the racing industry.

The races were last held at Te Kupenga Racecourse near Frasertown in 2019. Since then, a Wairoa race day, including the Wairoa Cup, has been held in Hastings each year.

The annual East Coast Farming Expo, first held at the showgrounds in April 2016, has also been hit by weather issues including cancellation this year after the cyclone struck  a few days before the expo’s scheduled date.

It is to be held at the racecourse on February 21-22 of next year.

Mayor Little said Wairoa had been “robbed” of a summer by the weather, and “robbed” of its races by the Government.

“We need good days. Give us some fine weather . . . and bring our races back.”