It was sparked by the determination to ensure it would remain a venue for the show, the national Horse of the Year Show and other public events, and deflect the attention of property developers.
There has also been the turmoil of the Covid era, including A&P show cancellations throughout the country, and the direct hit on Hawke’s Bay and its agricultural and pastoral sector from Cyclone Gabrielle.
With stakeholders consulted over the last year, including the Poverty Bay show organisers and the need for sign-off from the Royal Agricultural Society, she hopes a decision can come before this year’s show.
A date change would move the Hawke’s Bay show from a week after the Poverty Bay show in Gisborne, as with this year, to a week beforehand in 2026.
It is prompted by the changing times – including for trade exhibitors, for whom the show had formerly functioned as the major annual exhibition of their tractors, harvesters, cars and other farm equipment, and similarly for farmers to show their stock.
In recent years, interest in showing for 3-4 days declined, and for trade exhibitors it had become harder to have staff working on the public holiday, which, with the amusement rides being a big attraction, at peak attracted over 20,000 people.
Morrah, describing herself as an optimistic and “glass half-full person”, said she’s heard many of the stories of family days at the show and the significance of it to the region, and realises the potential for it to “evolve to be relevant to the future”.
“I’ve really enjoyed talking with the groups that are part of the show,” she said. “It is built on a lot of passion.”
Morrah is steeped in Hawke’s Bay’s rural scene through fourth-generation sheep and beef farming on Ohineumeri, which she farms with husband Sam and the family between Waipukurau and Porangahau.
She says following the efforts of Isabelle Crawshaw, a vice-president who had stepped into the role and who is now general manager at Centralines, she had been able to bring her own rural connections into play.
As she drives to and from home in Central Hawke’s Bay, She often muses on how things can work in a role where the show, headed by event manager Kahlia Fryer, is just one part.
The society is also heavily involved with staging or helping host such events as the Bayleys Hawke’s Bay Wine Awards (October 22), the Horse of the Year Show each February and the Napier Port Primary Sector Awards (April 2, 2026).
She said that as well as the reduced gate charges, the public should also look out for “plenty” of free tickets being offered in competitions and promotions over the next few weeks.
Doug Laing has been a reporter for more 52 years, more than 40 of them in Hawke’s Bay, at the Central Hawke’s Bay Press, the Napier Daily Telegraph and, Hawke’s Bay Today, since its establishment in 1999. He has covered most aspects of general news and sport.
