Innovation takes centre stage at Fieldays 2025 awards event
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
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.
Newly elected Federated Farmers meat and wool group chair Richard Dawkins says he will continue the great work done his predecessor Toby Williams.
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
According to DairyNZ's latest Econ Tracker update, there has been a rise in the forecast breakeven milk price for the 2025/26 season.
Despite the rain and a liberal coating of mud, engines roared, and the 50th Fieldays Tractor Pull Competition drew crowds of spectators across the four days of the annual event.
Nationwide rural wellbeing programme, Farmstrong recently celebrated its tenth birthday at Fieldays with an event attended by ambassador Sam Whitelock, Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), Farmstrong partners, and government Ministers.
Six industry organisations, including DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ) have signed an agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to prepare the country for a potential foot and mouth outbreak.
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