“We are sacrificing this summer’s show so we can do it right in 2025. It is unsafe to hold anything at the moment.
“There is a hell of a lot of work to do,” he said. To begin with, rails and posts by the horse yards will have to be removed, allowing access for a digger to clear away the silt and level out the ground.
Mr Thomas pointed to the equestrian shed, where the telltale mark of the water line at 1.5m from the cyclone shows the extent of the flooding.
“You cannot even imagine the force of that water that would have hit the bend in the river and carried on and rushed up in here.
“We will have more working bees to get the grounds in a good state for 2025.
“We have a good active committee that has the common goal to see the Show back.”
Event manager Alice Wilson said being able to host a smaller event over the summer was the catalyst for the working bees to continue.
“After the year we’ve had here in Wairoa, I’m thrilled that we are still going to be able to hold an event for our community.
“The 2024 community event will be more of a fair-type event, with some stalls, food and entertainment.
“The shearing event will be similar to what we usually run, just not at the woolshed in the Showgrounds.”
In the lead-up to Christmas, Ms Wilson said they would adopt a wait-and-see approach but they were optimistic about what lies ahead.
“As we get closer to Christmas and everyone starts to get busy on the farm, working bees may slow down but we will wait to see how the place looks once it is sprayed out, and go from there.
“This year’s show was a really fun couple of days, and I’m looking forward to running a smaller version of this.
“It is a big decision not to hold a Show at the showgrounds and one that was not taken lightly but we plan to use the next year to recover and rebuild, and return with a strong Wairoa A&P Show in January 2025.”
The shearing competition will go ahead on the weekend of January 20, 2024, with other details still to be finalised.
