From 60 exhibitors 35 years ago to 800 in 2018, the Southern Field Days is the biggest agricultural event in the South Island. We have provided over $200,000 towards building up the land and infrastructure that exists today.
“A lot of groups use it [the Field Days] as their major fundraiser. Lions and Rotary - they do all the car parking for us, there’s school groups have barbecues and that there, every night we pay another school group to come through and pick up all the litter, all these sorts of things, and manning gates and, you know, taking money from people coming in. And then there’s rugby teams that go there and put up the marquees under contract to the tent hire outfits, there’s all these other sort of things going on that people don’t realize, and all the money is going round in the community.
It’s so good to be part of such a forward-thinking, progressive event. You wouldn’t believe at times the hassles we go through sorting everything out, getting it together, but that first morning when you see the public streaming through the gate the satisfaction is unreal. Yep, we’ve got it right again.”
Grant Dickson
Committee Member and Former Chairman
