Filling the job deficit
The Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers Association (HBFA) is making a big pitch to attract more people to take up careers in the horticulture sector.
This year’s event was the 159th time the show has been staged and comes after last year’s had to be cancelled because of Covid-19.
Hawke’s Bay A&P Society, general manager Elisha Milmine says this year’s show truly brought town and country together. It was packed with all the attractions and entertainment for which it is renowned.
“We had a wide variety of competitions including Virtual Beef Cattle, Carriage Driving, Dairy Goats, Dog Trials, Donkeys, Dressage, Fencing, Pigs, Poultry, Sheep & Fleece, Shearing, Equestrian Showing, Show Hunter, Show Jumping, World Cup Equestrian Class, Best of the Bay Beef and Export Lamb,” she told Rural News
“After two years, it was fabulous to see everyone enjoying themselves. Society members were sharing memories about the days gone by and past show experiences.”
Wool on Show
One of the features at the show was Wools of NZ (WNZ) stand, which featured a display of local fleeces and also had samples of wool carpets on display.
The company’s aim is to raise the profile of wool carpets and increase demand for a product, which – over several years – has played second fiddle to synthetic carpets. Scott Small, WNZ’s North Island logistics manager, says they also ran a competition for top fleeces and the response was excellent.
“We had a mixture of fleeces from around the Hawkes Bay region including a Perendale, Romney, Merino and cross bred sheep. In the main these were hogget fleeces and they were all very good,” he told Rural News.
Both Small and national wool manager, Simon Averill, say one objective of being at the show was to educate people about the amazing properties of wool. They ran special days for both primary and secondary school students.
