Wednesday, 18 March 2020 10:07

Mackenzie Highland A&P Show cancelled

Written by  Jessica Wilson
This year's Mackenzie Highland A&P Show has been cancelled. This year's Mackenzie Highland A&P Show has been cancelled.

New Zealand’s largest one-day show has been cancelled due to Covid-19.

Last year, the Mackenzie Highland A&P Show saw between 12,000 to 15,000 people.

The decision to cancel the event on Easter Monday in Fairlie was made in response to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s request for all gatherings of over 500 attendees to be cancelled or postponed to reduce the spread of Covid-19. 

“In light of the health risk to the Mackenzie District at this time, we see this as the most socially responsible path to take,” said president Bryan McNab.

“The committee recognises the devastating impact this decision will have for many in the community with planning and organisation for this year’s show being so close to being completed and certainly regret having had to take this action so close to our show day.

“As this is a committee that doesn’t usually give in at the first hurdle, we are now investigating the possibility of running a community event later in the year.”

This is the fifth time in the show’s 122 years that it hasn’t been held. Previous cancellations were twice due to war and twice due to a pandemic. 

“With an association with the Show Committee that goes back to the late 70s, having to convey this decision is certainly the low point for me,” said McNab.

More like this

M.I.A.

OPINION: The previous government spent too much during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite warnings from officials, according to a briefing released by the Treasury.

Gaslight much?

OPINION: Labour leader Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins is carrying on the world-class gaslighting of the nation that he and his cohorts started after their disastrous Covid response; now trying to undermine the Covid inquiry to protect his own backside.

Sorry, not sorry

OPINION: Did former PM Jacinda Ardern get fawning reviews for her book?

Featured

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter