Levin cock-a-hoop about birds with New Zealand show in the wings

Central Districts Poultry and Pidgeon Club president Aaron La Roche with a Black Orpington rooster at the Levin AP&I Show at the weekend. .

Levin has been announced as host for a prestigious New Zealand bird show later this year.

The show is expected to attract more than 2000 birds, with varieties of poultry, ducks and pigeons on display.

For Central Districts Poultry and Pidgeon Club president Aaron La Roche, who was at the Levin AP&I Show at the weekend with a host of other breeders, shows are an important aspect of breeding.

Breeders strive to create a better specimen of each specific breed, and shows created a healthy rivalry.

No one was getting rich from breeding birds though, and it was purely enjoyment and satisfaction for those that participated.

"There's no money in it," he said.

"But why do people watch sport? Why do people smoke cigarettes? It's for the enjoyment."

The New Zealand national show would be held in Levin on June 12, 13 and 14. The weekend would ensure a full house sign outside many of the region's motels. Some birds would spend the night in the motel rooms with their breeders.

The show season ran from May to July each year, with shows on most weekends. Organisers tried to alternate the national show between the North and South Islands each year.