The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest agricultural event is just days away and visitors eager to get their Fieldays fix will be delighted to see what is on offer at this year’s event.

The first ever summer Fieldays will be a platform to see a wide variety of products and services on show covering all facets of a rural lifestyle that will cater to everyone – from townies to farmers. Fieldays is known for bringing some of the biggest names in the primary sector together, with some exhibitors having attended for more than 50 years. Over 1,000 exhibitors will be ready to show off their products and services with the usual Fieldays deals being available just in time for the Christmas season. The change from the event’s traditional time June to November was a difficult decision to make for Peter Nation, the CEO of the National New Zealand Fieldays Society but he says that visitors are in for a treat this year as all of the Christmas shopping can be done in one place at Fieldays 2022.

‘We know that some people will be unable to attend this year’s event due to its new timing but we’re excited to welcome all of our exhibitors and visitors that will be walking through those gates on Wednesday. We know that it’s going to be the one-stop shop for everyone’s Christmas shopping needs and there’s something for everyone.’

Every year, exhibitors are categorised into the Agribusiness area and related precincts – Motor Vehicle, Dairy, Agri-Machinery, Rural Living, and Heavy Equipment. There are also several mouthwatering food vendors and food courts located across the site and the ever-popular Fieldays Bar and Eatery. The Fieldays app is also back for 2022. With the app, you can find a list of exhibitors, use the interactive map, pin your car so you don’t forget where you parked it and pin other useful things like your favourite exhibitors, water stations and food courts.

The annual Fieldays competitions are back in business this year with a number of talented people entering both the excavator and fencing competitions in the hopes of taking out the reigning titles for 2022. One of the biggest differences this year will be the tractor pull competition. Due to the postponement of Fieldays, the usual sponsors of the competition were unable to assist with the traditional tractor pull event leading to some creative thinking from the Fieldays team.

‘We know how integral the tractor pull competition is to the culture of our event but this year, we just couldn’t pull it together. So, we thought about how we could weave aspects of the competition into another type of contest and that’s how we came to create another Fieldays first – a tractor racing experience that puts our visitors into the driver’s seat!’ Peter says.

The Fieldays Ag Drive Tractor Racing Experience sponsored by Corson and Fieldays premier partner Case IH will be a competition of speed as each race will comprise of two identical tractors, racing against the clock in a straight-line time trial. Entry is just $40 per individual racer and all proceeds will be going to rural mental health organisation Rural Support Trust.

Peter Nation says ‘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!

Visitors that have attended previous Fieldays events will notice the footprint of the Fieldays Hauora Taiwhenua Health and Wellbeing hub has tripled in size. This hub will contain many medical experts and give visitors and exhibitors alike the chance to get a full check up on everything from prostates to diabetes, dental care to sepsis and mental health to melanoma. Many people take the opportunity of a trip to Fieldays to utilize this hub and while it’s great to see that this hub has tripled in size since 2021, Peter Nation says that this is a testament to the sad state of the rural health sector.

‘Our Fieldays Hauora Taiwhenua Health and Wellbeing hub has tripled in size due to demand which tells us that many of our visitors are unable to access these services in their parts of the country which is not good. We’re pleased to be able to hopefully fill that gap for those in need and encourage anyone who needs to use these services to visit this hub whenever they can – whether they’re a visitor or an exhibitor.’

Other hubs on offer also include the Fieldays Innovation Hub and its Innovation Awards, the Fieldays Forestry Hub and the Fieldays Opportunity Grows Here Careers hub which encourages people of all ages to look into and seriously consider a career in the primary industries. This hub which was created in collaboration with Ministry for Primary Industries, will show visitors what a job in the primary industries can look like, how to begin a career in the primary industries and give visitors the opportunity to speak with experts that work within careers in agriculture, apiculture, farming, and aquaculture.

Fieldays 2022 is not to be missed. Don’t be the only one who’s not there – get your tickets now at fieldays.co.nz.

ABOUT FIELDAYS

Fieldays is based on a 114-hectare site at Mystery Creek 10 minutes from Hamilton and is the largest agricultural event in the Southern Hemisphere. Fieldays draws people from around the globe – both as exhibitors and visitors. Fieldays 2021 saw 132,776 people visit the event, generating $675M in sales revenue for New Zealand businesses.

 Fieldays is run by New Zealand National Fieldays Society, a charitable organisation founded in 1968 for the purpose of advancing the primary industries.

The New Zealand National Fieldays Society thanks their premier and key partners Case IH, Hyundai, Ministry of Primary Industries, and Vodafone for their continued support.

For more information head to www.fieldays.co.nz.