Fieldays drew 132,000 visitors this year, up from 110,000 in 2025. New Zealand National Fieldays Society general manager of commercial and marketing Brett Beagley says more than half travelled from outside the Waikato, and dozens of international delegates came from countries including India, China and the European Union.

“Four days of sunshine’s always great as well,” he says.

A first-time visitor from the Bay of Plenty won the event’s JAC ute, along with $10,000 of Stoney Creek gear.

He says that with education as one of its three pillars alongside innovation and globalisation, bringing town and country together remains a focus for the event.

Planning for 2027 is under way and he says pre-release sales have gone well.

CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.