Jayden Jones, 8, and Maddox Ginders, 8, from Whangarei enjoy the line-up of vintage tractors at the A&P Show. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Jayden Jones, 8, and Maddox Ginders, 8, from Whangarei enjoy the line-up of vintage tractors at the A&P Show. Photo / Michael Cunningham
People turned out in droves for the 141st Whangārei A&P Show at Barge Park, the first in two years.
After last year’s cancellation due to Covid, the crowds came or a variety of events and attractions at the one-day show on Saturday.
Whangārei A&P Society president Evan Smeath said it was one of the best-attended shows they have had in a long time.
“The weather was right, the people came through the gate and we had some really good attractions at the show. Everybody was happy to come along. We had an awesome time.”
Luckily, it was one of the first fine, warm days of summer, Smeath added.
Image 1 of 7: Rhylan Bradley, 4, from Whangarei watching the rides. Photo / Michael Cunningham
There were a number of popular attractions, including sheep shearing and a stunt bike rider, Smeath said, but one of the most popular was the Suzie Moo show, which teaches children about where milk comes from.
“It’s been 10 years we’ve been running Suzie Moo. We ran five shows and we had an incredible amount of people. We had a whole lot of tiered seating - that was full, and we had a whole lot of people around the sides trying to watch the Suzie Moo show.”
A petting arena was packed all day, Smeath said, and crowds turned out to meet Northland’s police dogs. People were also interested to see exotic breeds of sheep and cattle.
There have been a number of changes to the show over the years, Smeath said, including condensing the show down from a two-day event to a one-day event, which he believed was working “extremely well”.
There had also been a move to more interactive, hands-on activities.
“A lot of the trade sites now have interaction, with the public making things, doing things. All those sites were extremely popular.”
The A&P Show is also now focused on encouraging sustainability. EcoSolutions, which focuses on positive climate action and education throughout Northland, hosted a ‘sustainability hub’ at the show.
A new designated water refill station, sponsored by Water Flow NZ Ltd, was also available on the day, with show-goers encouraged to bring their own reusable bottles to top up.
