Summer Concert Tour, Fieldays and Michael Wood: the big stories of June 2023

As the year draws to a close, Waikato Herald is taking stock of 2023. What moved readers most? As part of a 12-day series, Waikato Herald reporter Danielle Zollickhofer looks at the top stories each month. Welcome to day six: June.

June 2023 was the month that Michael Wood resigned as Transport Minister, and the Cabinet Secretary’s report into Stuart Nash’s ministerial communications with donors was released.

Then-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins met with Chinese President Xi and the Government provided up to $5 million to ensure the Ruapehu ski season can go ahead.

Meanwhile in the Waikato, the Super Rugby Pacific showdown was a sell-out but ended in an upset loss for the local Chiefs.

Founders Theatre supporters were given a final chance to review its proposal for repurposing the theatre as a community hub, and Special Olympics athletes have brought home a record number of medals.

Other big stories in the region were:

Hamilton Gardens to charge entry fee

Hamilton City Council announced it would introduce a $20 entry fee for the Enclosed Gardens at the Hamilton Gardens.

The controversial fee would apply for out of town visitors aged 16 and over, and come into place in line with the opening of the new visitor entry precinct in February.

The entry fee will not only help maintain the gardens but also help to address the council’s budget shortfall.

The Indian Char Bagh Garden is one of the Enclosed Gardens at the Hamilton Gardens.

Hamilton to host Summer Concert Tour

As the Coromandel worked hard to fix its infrastructure after the severe weather, Cyclone Gabrielle blew a big event opportunity Hamilton’s way.

Event organisers Greenstone Entertainment announced that the city will host the annual Summer Concert Tour in January, instead of Whitianga, because of uncertainty over the Coromandel road network.

The Summer Concert Tour is traditionally held in Queenstown, Taupō and Whitianga around Auckland Anniversary Weekend.

The move from Whitianga to Hamilton would be for one year only.

Jordan Luck and his band performed as part of the great Kiwi line-up at Summer Tour 2021 in Whitianga.

Fieldays back to beanies and boots

Fieldays visitors went back to beanies and boots this year as the event returned to the traditional winter dates and celebrated its 55th anniversary.

More than 105,000 people attended the event - this number is down from 132,776 visitors in 2021, the last time Fieldays was held in winter, but the organisers were still happy with engagement from visitors.

Punters from far and wide flocked to Mystery Creek to get great bargains, keep up with the latest and greatest from the food and fibre sector, and enjoy a day out watching the fencing and tractor pull competitions and catching up with friends and family.

The latter drew in a big crowd of little soon-to-be Fieldays fans who were introduced to the event by parents.

Greg Nicholson (right) came to Fieldays to introduce his son Jethro to the event. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

Danielle Zollickhofer is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined NZME in 2021 and is writing for the Waikato Herald.

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