My worst fear with this large newspaper was the wrapper breaking when it hit the driveway and then a gust of wind disseminating the pages across the neighbourhood.
In the decades to follow, this special show edition of the newspaper would decline.
Tomoana Showgrounds' initial area of 20.6ha was purchased by the Society from William Nelson in 1912.
A past president, J.H. Coleman, who had been involved in the first show in 1863 at Danvers' paddock, Havelock (North 1910), said the property's purchase price of £5319 (2021 equivalent: $972,000) should not be paid out of the society's funds. He then kicked off an appeal to raise the funds and six years later, in 1918, the property was freeholded.
The new showgrounds would take the name of the area – Tomoana – with the Nelson Brothers Tomoana freezing works neighbouring the property. Heretaunga Ngati Kahungunu chief Henare Tomoana was once a prominent landowner in that area and had family ties to nearby Waipatu marae.
A search for another property to hold the annual show was partly because the livestock for the show was unloaded from the railway station's goods yards near the centre of town, then driven to the racecourse. Livestock was then driven through the centre of town from about where the Kmart carpark is now to the Hastings racecourse, where the show was held.
Interestingly, in the year of the Tomoana property purchase in 1912, an article promoting the show appeared in the Hastings Standard stating the show for country settlers "... comes as an oasis in the monotony of life ..." (Which I am not sure the farmers would appreciate as a description of their lives then!)
It would take until 1925 for the Tomoana Showgrounds to host its first show, which was opened by Governor-General Sir Charles Fergusson on October 21. (It is thought the word Tomoana had disappeared in the name of the showgrounds in the 1990s, but restored in 2017.)
In 1927, more land was purchased - 2.3ha of Nelson Brothers Tomoana freezing works land, which included their offices and cottages. This was followed in 1934 with the acquisition of William Nelson's Waikoko property of 17ha – including his historic homestead and garden.
The success of the society, as illustrated by J.H. Coleman's 1912 assistance to buy the first Tomoana Showgrounds land, was largely due to the assistance of private benefactors. Mr J.E. Lane's loan of £5000 ($680,000) to the society towards the £5500 ($748,000) purchase price of William Nelson's Waikoko grounds made the transaction possible. The debt was repaid in 1943.
These purchases completed the showgrounds as we know them, which extended towards the railway line towards Tomoana freezing works, which was bounded by Elwood, Karamu and Kenilworth Rds.
Expansion over Elwood Rd occurred in 1947, when 8ha was purchased and added to 1.6ha in 1953. This now forms part of the polo club, and the land was sold to it in 1990, but with rights for the society to use in perpetuity for show purposes.
The same year as I struggled under the weight of the show edition of the Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, outgoing society president Eric White, in 1976, stated the Tomoana Showgrounds should be utilised for more than just a three-day show. He had concern for the show's revenue to maintain the financial fortunes of the society.
One of the extra ways of generating revenue was to hire out William Nelson's former historic Waikoko homestead – but this was destroyed in 1976 by a fire.
Another revenue earner was a nine-hole public golf course that had been established at the Tomoana Showgrounds in June 1971 (ceased around the late 1980s).
President Robin Bell – a non-golfer - was tasked with hitting a ball over the Waikoko lake to the ninth hole at the opening ceremony. Before teeing off, Robin – a little nervous at the task ahead of him - referred to United States Vice-President Spiro Andrew's golf exploits.
The Vice-President's first tee shot at the 1971 Bob Hope Desert Classic went into the gallery and struck a 66-year-old man and his wife. After returning to the tee from apologising to the couple, he again struck a spectator – a woman – sending her to hospital for an X-ray on her leg.
Robin didn't hit any spectators, but after a number of balls were consumed by the lake, a ball hit with a seven iron sailed over the water, left of the green, declaring the course opened.
Since the 1980s, more revenue-generating ideas occurred – and some still exist today, such as leasing land to the golf pro shop and driving range, farmers' market, Horse of the Year, Hawke's Bay Wine Awards, various field days, and the Festival of Lights.
However, recently the society acknowledged it was struggling to maintain and upgrade its showground assets and while it was asset rich, was "cash poor".
An ageing infrastructure and two years of interruptions due to Covid-19 were taking its toll. To provide a cash injection to the society, a proposal was made in late 2021 by a company to develop housing on showgrounds land ‒ which met with some strong opposition from the community, which wanted to preserve this green space. The developer then withdrew.
A new scheme – this time from Hastings District Council - was recently announced in the form of a conditional agreement to purchase the 41ha Tomoana Showgrounds that would preserve the area and existing-use activities – including the show.
The proposal by Hastings District Council is not without precedent.
Over the history of Hastings, its green spaces for parks and reserves have been a mixture of purchases by the Hastings Borough Council (and its descendant entities) and gifts. The most notable purchase was Windsor Park in 1912, and gifts by the J.N. Williams family of Cornwall, then Frimley Parks.
Opportunity will be given to the public to respond to the Hasting District council's purchase proposal of the showgrounds when more details are given, as part of its annual plan process, which begins in April .
• Michael Fowler (mfhistory@gmail.com) is a contract researcher and commercial business writer of Hawke's Bay history. Follow him on facebook.com/michaelfowlerhistory
