Northland Field Days Best Ever Says President

Northland Field Days Best Ever Says President

Greatly improved visitor numbers, a thrilling entertainment line-up and a completely full event helped make this year’s Northland Field Days the best ever in his time as president says Northland Field Days president Lew Duggan.

While presale tickets have not yet been counted well over 25,000 people attended the event according to Duggan, who says while attendance was higher on Saturday there were still plenty of people walking through the gate on Thursday and Friday.

“This has been the busiest event we’ve had in quite a while.”

Many exhibitors and food vendors reported an increased level of both interest and foot traffic this year says Lew.

“Several new exhibitors left the event with leads they wouldn’t have been able to get any other way.”

High visitor numbers flowed through to high spectator number at events and Duggan says sheep dog trials enjoyed the highest spectator numbers it has ever seen, especially on the Saturday of the event.

Northland Sheep Dog Association president Chris Robertson says the trial was very successful with 55 dogs being entered over the two days.

Dargaville based competitor Ian McKinnon took out the competition with Tess , a dog that helped him reach second in last year’s national champs last year, while Scott McCrae from Tomatara came in second with Sceata last year’s champion Murray Child coming in third with his dog, Dice.

Crowds were also entertained with a dog agility display by Maungaturoto resident Erin Ball and a human sheepdog trial, which pit exhibitors against sheep.

A team from Farmlands won the competition this year with teams from Ballance and the Northland Field Days struggling to keep a handle on their sheep.

“We got good crowds watching the event, especially during the final.”

With eight teams competing and a competitor list which included international-level woodcutters including Martin Komarek from the Czech Republic and New Zealander Jason Wynyard.

Northland team, Paniora One, took out the overall competition while Dargaville logger and event organiser Karl Bowman took out the prize for best individual logger.

Jason Osborne from the Dargaville Douglas Logging team took out the increasingly popular log-loading competition.

Bowman says the event proved to be popular with spectators on Saturday with many turning up to watch the event.

“The Crowds were pretty good, we had the bikes across the road so it was full on action all day,” says Bowman. “Everything ticked over nice and smooth.”

Dargaville driver Michael Frood took out the tractor pull for the third time in a row this year according to organiser John Phillips who says the business house event was won by Diesel Performance Systems.

Dargaville Gas And Tyre took out the best outdoor site award for the second year in a row while High IQ Liqour merchants won the prize for best indoor site. Premier Cattle Company won the prize for best new entrant.

Held in Dargaville, two and a half hours Northwest of Auckland, 40 minutes west of Whangarei and one hour South of Kaikohe the Northland Field Days is Northland’s biggest outdoor event.

ENDS

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