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A big crowd of 28,058 turned up to the first day of the NZ National Agricultural Fieldays' 48th year yesterday.
Fieldays was officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Bill English, along with Te Radar and New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive, Peter Nation.
"Fieldays aims to bring town and country together, and this is the real foundation for growth in the industry. When you provide a platform for so many different perspectives to come together to achieve a common goal, that's the true meaning of collaboration, and we're proud to facilitate this over these four days." says Nation.
Visitors also had the chance to get to know the Rural Bachelors and saw them complete the first two on-site challenges, including a quiz, and the much anticipated blind dates.
Although most of the Bachelors didn't score very well in the Blind Date Challenge, it looks like love could be on the horizon for a few of them.
The audience's favourite answer in the quiz came from Tasmanian Peter Damen, who when asked what the biggest pest-protected mountain in New Zealand was, answered "Mount Teriyaki".
The two Australian Bachelors, Peter and Rob Ewing, then treated the audience to an impromptu musical performance of Waltzing Matilda.
Cambridge foodies Belinda MacDonald and Neena Truscott joined us in the Kiwi's Best Kitchen Theatre. They delighted visitors with their innovative, healthy recipes and talked about their new book, (which is yet to be named) is set to be released in October.
The pair want to teach everyone to look at food in a different way. "It's not like we're being wacky or radical, this stuff used to be done."
The Careers and Education Hub was opened by Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Steven Joyce, alongside Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy. They both emphasised the importance of educating students on the different career opportunities within the agriculture industry.
Innovation and education are two founding pillars of Fieldays, and the Careers and Education Hub gives young people a chance to talk to leading agribusinesses.
"If you take the opportunity to get involved with the Careers and Education Hub today, you will learn many things that we hope will encourage you to think strategically about a career in the primary sector," says Guy.
OPINION: The Rural Support Trust ran a dinner and debate at the National Fieldays last month. In tables of 10, over 540 people were wined and dined, including the Prime Minister, supported by ministers from around the country.
OPINION: Good times are coming back for the primary industries. From sentiment expressed at Fieldays to the latest rural confidence survey results, all indicate farmer confidence at a near-record high.
OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.
Out of more than 80,000 entries, Daniel Neil from Piopio has been announced as the lucky winner of the Isuzu D-MAX LX Double Cab 4WD Ute in this year’s Fieldays Ute giveaway.
OPINION: The inquiry into rural banking practice was welcomed at Fieldays, but Groundswell NZ added a proviso that this must include banks' treatment of agricultural emissions.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.
A tiny organism from the arid mountains of mainland Greece is facilitating a new way of growing healthier animals on farms across New Zealand.
