Whanganui A&P Show organisers hunting new location for equestrian events

The Whanganui A&P Show's equestrian events take up "every single centimetre" of the Whanganui Racecourse. Photo / Lewis Gardner

Whanganui’s A&P equestrian show needs a new home - a very big one.

Show organiser Debbie Hirini said the construction of a straight greyhound track at the Whanganui Racecourse means the show, set to run in November, does not have enough space to be held safely.

She estimated an area of about 20 hectares was required.

“Before the track got put in, we used every single centimetre, plus all the stables and parking.

“We’ve got four big showing rings, five showjumping rings, and a supported riders ring. To make it safe, you have to spread things out.”

The sheds A&P Show organisers used for offices had been demolished, Hirini said.

There would now only be room at the racecourse for showing or jumping, but not both.

“We don’t really want to split. It doubles the cost for medics, bin hires, toilet hires, and everything else.

“A lot of competitors do both [jumping and showing], so we’d lose out on entries as well.”

The show celebrated its 150th anniversary last year, and Hirini said it regularly drew hundreds, “if not a thousand” people.

She said finding a new home for the equestrian events could prove tricky because sports fields and schools weren’t going to want horses running around on them.

If they couldn’t find “a farmer with a big, flat paddock”, the ideal solution would be to build permanent showgrounds.

“It wouldn’t just be for the A&P Show - there are a lot of equestrian, dog and even motorbike events,” Hirini said.

“If we could get a 10-year lease from someone like the [Whanganui District] council, we could get sponsorship and build horse yards and sheds with power.”

The new straight greyhound track should be ready to go by the end of May. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said he had attended last year’s show and had an initial discussion with organisers about having to find a new home for the show.

He said while it tended to fly under the radar, a lot of people from out of town attended and it was a great way to integrate urban and rural people.

“I was gobsmacked by how many people turned up, and by how big that community is.

“It might not be on the main street, but it’s still significant as a drawcard to grow and maintain economic development.

“We don’t want it to move out of town. Whanganui is a provincial city and we need to be able to offer these types of events.”

He said with a bit of creativity, the show might still be able to run at the racecourse, even with the greyhound track now in place.

“The horse floats were scattered across the main ground, so if they were parked elsewhere, a bit more space might be opened up.

“From my perspective, I’m absolutely committed to seeing this large event be maintained. If we have to be creative in how we do it, then so be it.”

Separate parts of the A&P Show, like sideshows and fair rides, are held at the front of the racecourse.

It was important to keep the equestrian event in November, Hirini said.

“We run in a circuit, in conjunction with all the other A&P Shows up the country.

“If we took it to another showground, it wouldn’t be Whanganui anymore. All the support and sponsorship from local businesses would be gone, too.”

Greyhound New Zealand chief executive Edward Rennell said he hoped the new track at the racecourse, used predominantly for sprint racing, would be ready by late May.

“We are trying to minimise the collisions that occur. We think a straight track will help reduce injuries within our racing.

“Combined with having the dogs running from their preferred boxes, the whole aim is to try to reduce the amount of contact between dogs and have cleaner racing.”