Covid 19 coronavirus: Hawke's Bay Show hoping for back to 'normal' this year

Hawke's Bay A&P Society general manager Sally Jackson and A&P Society committee member for 44 years Dave Nelson with a cattle cup. Photo / Warren Buckland

Organisers of the Hawke's Bay A&P Show, which was first held 158 years ago, are hopeful it will be back to "normal" this year despite the now 18 months of events management uncertainty created by the Covid-19 crisis.

It still won't have the Royal Show status, which had been in place since 2015 and which was put on hold last year during a mainly competitors-only show.

But A&P Society general manager Sally Jackson has confirmed the show, first held in 1863, will return to being a three-day Wednesday-to-Friday show from October 20 to 22 at Showgrounds Hawke's Bay Tomoana, Hastings.

While the Hawke's Bay Show went ahead in its limited form last year, several others, including former Royal Show host shows Manawatū, in Palmerston North, and the New Zealand Agricultural Show (formerly the Canterbury Show), in Christchurch, were cancelled.

Both are scheduled to go ahead this year: the Manawatū show on November 6 and 7, and the Christchurch show from November 10 to 12.

The Hawke's Bay Show is the first A&P show in the season in Hawke's Bay, followed by the Central Hawke's Bay A&P Show in Waipukurau (November 11-13), the Wairoa show (January 13-15) and Dannevirke (February 3-5).

Jackson said this week that as one of the largest A&P Shows in the country, the plans highlight "the eagerness of rural and urban communities coming together to recognise this extraordinary period of time and celebrate the primary sector."

"The event focus will absolutely be on animals, the competitions, the prestige associated with winning the top agricultural prizes, and displaying the best of the best livestock to the thousands who attend each day of the event," she said.

Crowd favourites in the rural sector focus will remain with the equestrian events, the Great Raihania Shears, the sheep dog trials, alpacas, goats, cattle, sheep, poultry and home industries and the Farm Yard Petting Zoo, where children can get up-close and personal with some of the animals common on New Zealand farms.

The popular Mahon Amusements and sideshow carnival will again run on the Thursday, the Hawke's Bay Anniversary public-holiday Friday and into Labour Weekend on the block facing the intersection of Kennilworth and Karamu roads, as was trialled last year when ultimately there were no Covid-19 restrictions in place by the time the show was held.

Jackson said one of the fastest-growing competitions across the three days is the AFFCO Best of the Bay Beef Competition, now in its fifth year.

AFFCO regional livestock manager Wayne File said finding the region's most tender and tasty steak was a tough job, but one he was "willing to take on".

"The Supreme Winner of the Best of the Bay competition is a prestigious and highly sought-after title amongst Hawke's Bay's farmers and with a region blessed with a stunning climate," he said. "It is a perfect location for producing world-class steak."

"The quality of beef coming out of Hawke's Bay is absolutely fantastic" and he was "incredibly proud to spearhead a competition that highlights this excellence to the rest of the country".

Entries are now open. The competition has a three-part judging process, starting with assessment on-hoof by a livestock buyer, and next at the processing plant where factors such as weight, fat, meat colour and size of rib eye are considered.

The top 10 after those two stages then go to the taste test at the show, where the steaks will be cooked in front of an audience of showgoers and presented to a panel of judges who will consider aroma, juiciness, tenderness and texture.

The Supreme Winner will be announced on the day, with a first prize of $1000, and prizes also to winners from the judging stages.

Jackson said the competition was an important flagship event for the show and provided a "brilliant opportunity" to tell the pasture-to-plate story.

"The A&P Show is a great platform for education along with championing the primary sector and recognising farming excellence," she said. "This competition certainly ticks all those boxes and provides the urban community with a greater understanding of what it takes to get the best tasting steak onto the supermarket shelf."