Fieldays hold out the begging bowl
OPINION: When someone says “we don’t want a handout, we need a hand up” it usually means they have both palms out and they want your money.
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.
