This year, about 75,000 people visited Summer Fieldays. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
This year, about 75,000 people visited Summer Fieldays. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
Fieldays truly lived up to this year’s theme Same Same but different - not only because of the different season but also because of a slight shift of focus for the 2022 event.
Fieldays visitors delivered an impressive $675 million in sales revenue for New Zealand firms in 2021, but this year’s event was more about interacting and connecting with the visitors - which can sometimes fall short at the traditional large-scale event.
Te Kowhai-based landscape tool business Hansa Products has been exhibiting at the event for a number of years. Its managing director Martin Vogel said for them, Fieldays was about connecting.
“While we thought sales would be down and they were, it was still a great opportunity to engage with existing customers who took the time to visit. For our team, it provided the opportunity for more engagement with other exhibitors as well as a lot of learning team and bonding,” Vogel said.
“The event has become much more than just a sales event for us ... Fieldays is ... also about showing support for our rural communities and networking with other businesses and people from the sector.”
After Covid-19 traffic light restrictions canned the annual agricultural event in June, organisers the New Zealand National Fieldays Society made the bold decision to hold the event in summer - when farmers are usually busy on their farms with things like silage and cropping.
New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation said the visitor numbers were - as expected - “a bit softer than previous years”. This year, a total of about 75,000 visitors came to Fieldays across the four days with just under 17,000 visitors coming through the gates on the first day.
Instead of the annual tractor pull competition, the Fieldays organisers have put on a tractor race where visitors could get on the racing seat themselves. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
Last year was the second largest in the show’s 53-year history, as 132,776 people attended the event over four days, with more than 29,000 people entering through the gates on the first day alone.
Nation says: “We expected a reduced attendance, due to the timing, lower confidence levels in the economy and supply chain issues still evident for many. These impacts are amplified by lower staffing levels, and ever-present Covid, which unfortunately despite the postponement decision to ease this concern hasn’t gone away.
“We are living in very challenging times, and I think our event may have reflected these challenges.”
However, Nation says the reduced visitor numbers provided an opportunity, that the traditional larger-scale event may not have been able to offer. This, and the financial impact were the reasons why the Fieldays Society decided to give Summer Fieldays a go instead of cancelling the event.
Hansen Products won the Supreme Site Award and the Best 200 to 400sq m Site Award. Photo / Stephen Barker, Barker Photography
Talking to The Country’s Jamie Mackay after the decision in March this year, Nation said: “Two years ago when we didn’t run in 2020 we posted a loss of nearly $4m - so we know how catastrophic that can be.”
This year’s event still had over 1000 stalls on the 114-hectare site at Mystery Creek, but five of them particularly stood out and were recognised with a Fieldays Site Award.
Hansen Products from Whangārei, which produces valves, fittings, nozzles and irrigation systems, experienced double delight as the company was crowned Supreme Site and Best 200 to 400sq m Site.
Their staff were eye-catching in their beige safari-like uniform, which not only radiated summer vibes but was also sustainable: the whole uniform, including the shoes, was made from recycled cardboard and bamboo.
Same, same but different was this year's theme. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
The site itself featured working demonstrations of Hansen Products’ valves, fittings and irrigation systems in action, and keen punters were able to test their skills on a rock-climbing wall for a donation to the company’s chosen charity Cure Kids.
Meanwhile, food truck Deejays Gourmet Griller from Te Awamutu took out the Commitment to Sustainability Award for their consistent use of alternatives to plastic cups and utensils.
The award for Best Agribusiness Outdoor Site went to finance and investment company Jarden from Wellington whose site featured a wine bar, indoor and out seating and a schedule of industry professionals speaking about primary sector issues.
Feed manufacturer SealesWinslow Limited from Morrinsville won the Best Agribusiness Indoors Site for its visually appealing layout and use of modular features on site.
The Forestry Hub was a new addition to Fieldays this year. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
Fieldays first-timer food stall Benito’s Pleasures from Auckland was recognised as Best Small Site. Their beret-wearing staff were praised for entertaining visitors and serving up delicious authentic French crepes.
A new addition to Fieldays was the new Forestry Hub, which allowed visitors to explore the many facets of the forestry and wood processing sector, the Education Hub had undergone a refresh and the Health and Wellbeing hub tripled in size.
Meanwhile, the much-loved tractor competition offered a great opportunity for hardcore fans: instead of only watching the annual pull competition, Fieldays visitors were able to be in the tractor seat themselves this year.
Alongside an Ag Drive instructor, visitors had the chance to participate in a tractor race, trying to beat the clock. With their entry fee, the amateur tractor racers were also doing some good since all proceeds went to the Rural Support Trust.
As usual, tractors and heavy machinery fascinated little Fieldays visitors. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
