Monday, 24 January 2022 10:45

Plans in place for safe expo

Written by  Staff Reporters
East Coast Farming Expo event manager Sue Wilson. Photo supplied. East Coast Farming Expo event manager Sue Wilson. Photo supplied.

Organisers of the East Coast Farming Expo are confident the annual event will be able to happen despite stricter Covid restrictions now in place.

Event manager Sue Wilson says they are well prepared to cope and have a robust plan in place.

"The Expo is all about quality rather than quantity, so our numbers are very containable," says Wilson. "We are determined to make this work."

Extra staff will be brought on to help manage the additional work for the event, which is backed by the Wairoa Community Development Trust. There will be a one way system in place around the expo. The six defined zones of the Expo will be limited to a maximum of 100 people at any one time.

"It is disappointing that an event of our size is excluded from the Government's Events Transition Support Payment Scheme where arts and culture events with attendee capacity of 100-5000 ticketed or un-ticketed are covered," she says.

Wilson has written to both the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) as well as the Minister for Small Business Stuart Nash but has had little joy.

"The outlay of costs are relevant to the size of our event and will affect small local businesses who have already been affected with the cancellations of A&P Shows, and charity fetes and markets," she says.

"Given how important the agricultural sector is to New Zealand, something that was particularly highlighted during Covid times, I would have expected a little more thought to be put into this. Some certainty for our events in provincial New Zealand would be appreciated so we too can continue to plan and roll out gatherings that are critical to the tapestry of our regions."

The Expo is set to run February 23-24 at the Wairoa A&P Showgrounds and has attracted a stellar line-up of exhibitors and key note speakers include some of New Zealand's brightest lights, like Sir Ian Taylor, serial entrepreneur Logan Williams and the inspiring Shaz Dagg, alongside seminars on stock handling tools, dog training, animal health and more.

Where & When

What: East Coast Farming Expo

When: February 23-24, 2022

Where: Wairoa A&P Showgrounds

More Info: www.eastcoastexpo.co.nz 

More like this

Covid's urban/rural divide

According to a new study from the University of Otago, there was a visible rural/urban divide in Covid-19 vaccination rates.

Covid inquiry to visit Northland

Better understanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the people of Northland, and the role communities played in the pandemic response, will be the focus of a visit from the Covid-19 Inquiry, says inquiry chair Professor Tony Blakely.

Featured

Sheep drench resistance costly

Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

National

Knowing bugs means fewer drugs

A mastitis management company claims to deliver the fastest and most accurate mastitis testing available at scale for New Zealand…

Machinery & Products

AGTEK and ARGO part ways

After 12 years of representing the Landini and McCormick brands in New Zealand, Bay of Plenty-based AGTEK and the brands’…

100 years of Farmall Tractors

Returning after an enforced break, the Wheat and Wheels Rally will take place on the Lauriston -Barhill Road, North-East of…

JD unveils its latest beast

John Deere has unveiled its most powerful tractor ever, with the launch of the all new 9RX Series Tractor line-up…

Biggest Quadtrac coming to NZ!

In the biggest announcement that Case IH Australia/New Zealand has made around its tractor range, its biggest tractor is about…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Why?

OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…

Fat to cut

OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter