A rodeo which has become the biggest attraction at the Wairoa Show has attracted record entries despite animal rights group attempts to get rodeos banned in New Zealand.
This week's rodeo - incorporating a local event on Friday night and a national circuit event on Saturday - has attracted 207 entries from 187 competitors, almost double usual numbers and an encouraging promotional sign ahead of the national circuit finals on March 24-25, also in Wairoa.
It's also expected to be a boon for the Upper Mohaka Rodeo on Sunday, just north of the State Highway 5 bridge over the Mohaka River, near Te Haroto.
It will make them among the bigger North Island rodeos among a circuit of about 35 nationwide, with significant numbers coming from the hub of the sport in the deep south where some rodeos can attract up to 400 entries, said New Zealand Rodeo Cowboys Association president Marty Deans, of Outram, near Dunedin.
Wairoa Rodeo Club secretary Harmony Wallace was overwhelmed by the numbers, saying she expected "a few" more than usual for the annual show, but the numbers that eventuated.