The ‘green field’ site needs infrastructure and facilities for 25,000 and more visitors.
The 40ha property was bought as the organisers foresaw a move from the site leased near Lincoln University since 1951. The 2015 event will be on March 25-27.
Agricultural engineer David James, executive committee chair, says there is a “big push” to have the new site ready for the first field days; volunteers are hard at work.
“We had outgrown the Lincoln site, and we examined six or seven venues before deciding on the Kirwee property.
It is a large rectangle and provides us a better layout.
“We financed the purchase by combining revenue from previous field days and a bank loan. The site gives us greater certainty for the future because it is half of an 82ha property, and we have the option to buy the other half.”
The executive has turned the property over to the SIAFD organising committee, who will develop it from scratch.
Rangiora dairy farmer Alastair Robinson, the organising committee chair, manages an 800-cow dairy operation.
Many tasks remain to be done before next March, he says.
“Machinery demonstrations and other agricultural technology have always been the primary focus of South Island Field Days. We will maintain this and will not expand to include crafts or lifestyle displays.
“To ensure we have a good crop for harvest equipment demonstrations we have organised a half-circle centre pivot irrigator.
“We still need to organise power and water supplies, laneways, fences, culverts, storage sheds and a sound system.”
Work will go on all year and early next, with working bees every week to get things finished.
Organising committee member Daniel Schat, a 50/50 sharemilker on a family farm at Te Pirita, looks after communication and publicity for SIAFD. He’s looking for sponsors and partners.
“Volunteers do most of the work but we pay for services such as catering and traffic management.
“We are now looking for partners to help us develop our new site’s infrastructure. In particular we need to put in laneways, remove trees and add fences.”
