Fieldays sales up 9% - report

Sales at Fieldays were up 9 per cent compared with 2015's, according to a new report.

The Fieldays agricultural show at Mystery Creek in June generated $430 million in sales revenue for New Zealand firms, up nine per cent from 2015, according to a study commissioned to evaluate the economic impact of the event.

An economic report prepared by consulting economist Warren Hughes and the University of Waikato Management School's Institute of Business Research said that of the total, $124.5 million in revenue was generated for firms in the Waikato region.

The impact on gross domestic product was calculated at $58m for the Waikato and $191m for all of New Zealand.

"One of the highlights of the report is that, despite the downturn in dairying, the results were better than expected," Hughes said in a statement.

The number of exhibitor sites went up four per cent to 1507, and the number of gate entries also increased to 130,684, about four per cent higher than 2015.

Although overall revenue for all New Zealand firms increased from $396m in 2015 to $430m in 2016, the Waikato region was slightly down, likely due to the then subdued dairy prices.

Overall revenue for the Waikato region decreased by 13 per cent from $143m in 2015 to $124.5m in 2016 and equipment sales for Waikato firms at Fieldays dropped nine per cent from $75 million in 2015 to $68m this year.

Fieldays organised by the New Zealand National Fieldays Society - a charitable organisation founded in 1968 for the purpose of advancing primary industry.

The event at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton, is billed as the largest agricultural event in the Southern Hemisphere.