More punters visited Fieldays last year and spent more money on products and services, according to the University of Waikato economic impact report.
Giltrap AgriZone, founded as Giltrap Engineering in Ōtorohanga in 1959 and now based in Cambridge, was at Fieldays again with staff from its Ōtorohanga, Cambridge, Rotorua and Taupō branches in attendance. Chatting to Ōtorohanga agricultural contractor Malcolm Boggiss, second left, were Lindsay Ferguson (Cambridge), Graham Anderson (Ōtorohanga) and managing director Andrew Giltrap. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
The four-day National Agricultural Fieldays attracted 106,000 people through the gates at Mystery Creek in 2024, creating $528 million worth of value to the New Zealand economy. That was 1000 people more than 2023 and a nearly 10 per cent increase in economic value from $482.
Last year’s visitors were more purposeful and focussed on good deals, purchasing products or services, or research, head of customer and strategic engagement Taryn Storey said at a media briefing.
“That’s a really exciting thing,” Storey said.
The same survey in 2023 showed more people were coming for a day out.
Punters in 2024 came to buy the latest and greatest, connect on a family day out, watch competitions, learn from speaking events, and network.
Fieldays 2024
Exhibitors attended Fieldays to sell products and services, connect with existing and new customers, collect customer insights, build brand awareness, educate the industry and showcase new product development.
The event attracted 49 international visitors from nine countries and 17 embassies were represented.
Storey said Fieldays had adopted a “mullet strategy” for 2025, balancing mainstream appeal with niche offerings.
“Business at the front, partying at the back,” she said.
“On Friday and Saturday, what can we put in place that supports that?”
Storey said Fieldays was experiencing a volunteer drought in 2025, having recruited only two thirds of the 150 volunteers needed to run the event from June 11 to 14.
Fieldays has officially closed the gates on its 56th event. Photo: Stephen Barker
The charitable organisation was still seeking 48 volunteers to help support the event.
Volunteers are needed for every job from directing car parking and entry ticket scanning, to hosting guests and collecting rubbish.
“It’s difficult to get people to take three days off work if they are working,” Storey said.
Asked whether a volunteer shortage had been a problem before, Storey said it was not unusual.
“We do struggle every year,” she said.
But she had not spoken publicly of the struggle.
The logistics of matching volunteers to jobs was also a challenge, she said.
Storey said volunteering had been part of the fibre of the event since it started.
in 1968.
Fieldays plans to introduce a series of 20 or 40-minutes tent talks focussed on educating and informing visitors.
Richard Lindroos
“It’s not a sales spiel,” said event producer Karina Missen. “They can’t talk about their product.”
Meanwhile, Richard Lindroos has begun his first week as Fieldays chief executive, after taking the mantle from Peter Nation who stepped down in December.
Lindroos has extensive event management experience with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Supercars NZ.
