Fieldays Preview: A slice of NZ
Fieldays Preview: A slice of NZ
Fieldays opens at Mystery Creek next Wednesday with more than 1,100 exhibitors, international trade delegations from several countries and favourable weather forecasts expected across all four days.
Richard Lindroos, chief executive of the National Fieldays Society, says the site is packed and ready to go.
“Agribusiness is going strong, but in terms of a showcase of New Zealand, this is the week to do it,” he says.
The event occupies 40 hectares of activity across a 125ha site and runs Wednesday the 10th through to Saturday June 13. Lindroos says the scale consistently catches first-time visitors off guard, and the international engagement surrounding the event has grown considerably.
“Only in the last few days, we received confirmation from the Polish delegation, the Italian delegation, on the back of the Indian, the Chinese, and the UK’s bringing down members of Parliament.
“This is significant for New Zealand.”
The international presence has prompted a broader conversation about whether Fieldays should grow beyond its current four-day format. Lindroos says the society is working with government on the issue.
“We have issues with growth, and when we’ve sold the site out, we also have issues with demand from particularly international people coming down here.
“When international visitors come to New Zealand, it’s a long way to travel; we need to make sure they get bang for buck, and they do because they keep coming back,” he says.
This year’s theme is Your Place.
“It’s your place to be here; it doesn’t matter what background you come from.
“Agribusiness touches every corner of New Zealand.”
Alongside the trade exhibition, the event includes fencing and tractor pull competitions, an excavator contest and Red Bull lawnmower racing on Super Saturday. Student day runs on Friday.
The event relies heavily on volunteers, and two have attended every Fieldays across 58 years.
“You can’t do this without volunteers.”
Attendees can download the Fieldays app and plan their day before arriving. Tickets to Fieldays at Mystery Creek 2026 are still available online here.
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.




