Potential of trees, wood on display
The Forestry Hub returns to Fieldays for its third consecutive year, showcasing how trees and wood are transforming New Zealand.
With two months until National Fieldays at Mystery Creek, organisers say 90% of sites have been booked by exhibitors.
A diverse range of exhibitors, from large corporates to local agribusinesses, have bought sites, says New Zealand National Fieldays Society acting chief executive Taryn Storey.
Following a board directive, 2025 exhibitor rates have been only "CPI adjusted" while entry prices remain the same, says Storey.
Fieldays favourites like the Rural Advocacy Hub, the Forestry Hub, the Careers & Education Hub and the Health & Wellbeing Hub will return. Competitions and demonstrations include the 50th anniversary of the farmous tractor pull, fencing and excavators.
A new feature is the drone zone featuring latest agricultural drone technology, career opportunities and live demonstrations of on-farm drone applications. At the media briefing Storey also put out a call for volunteers to help run the four-day event.
Organsers are currently 48 people short of the 150 required every year to run Fieldays. The minimum age to volunteer for Fieldays is 16.
Storey says like other organisations, they have also struggled to attract volunteers this year.
"We do need the help of volunteers to run the event safely," she says.
Asked about the number of visitors expected at this year's event, Storey says she won't be making predictions.
She pointed to the 2024 Fieldays survey, University of Waikato Economic Impact Report, which shows 106,000 people passed through the gates last year - 45% female and 52% male.
Of the total visitors, 52% were between 30 and 59 years old. The top three reasons for attending Fieldays were: good deals, purchasing products or services, and researching information on products and services.
Quotas and free trade deals are saving the beef sector over $1 billion in tariffs each year, says Beef+Lamb NZ chief executive Alan Thomson.
There's general farmer backing for the government's latest reforms of the Resource Management Act (RMA) but some are seeking clarity.
The Commerce Commission is weighing up whether or not it should deregulate the copper network, still used for internet and landline in 80,000 rural premises.
With two months until National Fieldays at Mystery Creek, organisers say 90% of sites have been booked by exhibitors.
Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says access to reliable irrigation water is essential for a thriving horticultural sector.
The drought in western parts of the North Island is reaching crisis point with many farmers from Northland to Taranaki having to truck in water and feed for their stock at great expense.
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