Farmer resilience will be tested
OPINION: Perhaps Captain Bligh’s infamous line, “the beatings will continue until morale improves”, best summed up the mood of New Zealand’s weary agribusiness sector at Fieldays last year.
With the Covid-induced move from the event’s typical June date comes a change in the weather to sunnier conditions.
The event will officially open at 6am with a pōwhiri and the rising of the New Zealand National Fieldays Society and the New Zealand flags.
The rising of the flags will be followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony led by the Society’s president James Allen and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor.
It marks the return of the National Fieldays after a 17-month hiatus caused by the decision to postpone the June event.
New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation says the change of date was a difficult decision to make.
“We’re still expecting big numbers this year as people look for ways in which they can get off the farm or have a family day out,” Nation says.
The event's return sees all the crowd favourites along with some innovative changes. One of the big new drawcards is the Fieldays Forestry Hub. The dedicated hub will allow visitors to explore the many facets of the forestry and wood processing sector and how the industry has a vital role in mitigating climate change.
Joining the Fieldays Forestry Hub is the refreshed Education Hub dubbed the new Opportunity Grows Here. The joint initiative between Fieldays and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) showcases the depth of New Zealand's thriving food and fibre sector.
"As the Southern Hemisphere's largest agricultural event, we have a duty to help futureproof the sector through educating people on where the opportunities lie in food and fibre,” says Nation.
“We’ve created another Fieldays first – a tractor racing experience that puts our visitors into the driver’s seat,” he says.
Sitting alongside an Ag Drive instructor, visitors will be put through their paces participating in modified tractor races, trying to beat the clock with all proceeds from the entry fee going to the Rural Support Trust.
“The work that Rural Support Trust does is invaluable. They’re saving lives and we’re so proud of the work they do for agricultural communities across New Zealand. We’re excited to see how much we can raise for their work while also giving people the opportunity to put their own tractor driving skills to the test,” says Nation.
Fieldays 2022 takes place in Mystery Creek, Hamilton from November 30 to December 3.
