Muscle Car Madness at Rangiora A&P Showgrounds. Photo / Facebook
The organiser of one of New Zealand’s biggest car shows says he hopes to keep the troublemakers away from future shows following a chaotic event in Rangiora over the weekend.
Muscle Car Madness celebrated its 36th year at the Rangiora Showgrounds last weekend, the wettest event in its history.
“Considering the weather bomb that we got, it went fairly well,” said Craig Stare, founder of Muscle Car Madness.
The “weather bomb” left the A&P Showgrounds saturated.
“The A&P re-seeded a huge amount of the ground in late November. When it came time for the show, all of that area only had the grass popping through, you know? If it rained at all, it was gonna be muddy,” said Stare.
That mud was exacerbated by vehicles driving through it and, in some cases, deliberately spinning their wheels.
“I don’t feel as though anyone’s totally to blame, but I’m very upset at the behaviour of a handful of people,” said Stare.
Police said they were disappointed with the behaviour of some people camping at the site, describing their behaviour as falling “well below what is acceptable”.
“Police have raised concerns about the suitability of the camping ground and whether it should continue there in future years,” said Inspector Peter Cooper, Area Commander Canterbury Rural.
But Stare says it’s unfair to tar all campers with the same brush.
“I don’t really think the camping is the problem because I’ve been there for 35 years with only minor discrepancies.
“We bring all the facilities, showers and toilets and everything. It’s just totally down to the disgusting weather and a handful of idiots that just wouldn’t put their cars away, you know?”
Stare says they tried to keep order at the campsite, but the conditions made it difficult.
“The problem was it was so muddy that we couldn’t get across to the other half of the A&P Showgrounds. The golf carts were bogged down, even walking was extremely hard. You hear someone playing up and by the time you got over there you couldn’t even find them.
“We even had police go over to the campsites as well and help us out,” said Stare.
Inspector Cooper said the police remained highly visible throughout the event.
“Over the course of the event, police and court bailiffs seized and/or impounded 11 vehicles, and completed enforcement action including four excess breath alcohol detections and one related arrest,” said Cooper.
He also acknowledged the difficulty that the weather caused.
“The challenging weather over the weekend created further pressure for organisers, however there did not appear to be an adequate contingency or wet‑weather plan in place, which contributed to the issues encountered,” said Cooper.
Stare says the amount of rain was well beyond what they had expected or dealt with before.
“They said, ‘Do we have a rain plan’ or something? But I mean you need more than a rain plan. It’s rained there before and it’s been no problem. Rangiora, I think they got about 37 or 38 millimetres of rain in one day.”
The 2026 event was Stare’s last in charge. The founder of the show recently sold it to former All Black Brodie Retallick. The North Canterbury local, who is still playing rugby professionally in Japan, will take control from March 31.
“He’s [Retallick] also rung up from Japan to contact the A&P Association and the mayor and everybody to see if there’s something he can do to help,” said Stare.
The showgrounds are owned by the Northern A&P Association.
“Hopefully, they don’t hold a grudge. The initial feedback was they’re extremely disappointed - I don’t think that they’re angry. It’s a disappointing thing to happen, isn’t it?” said Stare.
A Givealittle page has been created by event organisers to repair the damage done to the showgrounds turf.
“We know the weather was out of everyone’s control, but some of the driving was not,” reads the page.
The page is attempting to raise $30,000 – it’s at almost $5000.
“Everything that comes in, the amount that we get will be presented to them, just in good faith really,” said Stare.
Waimakariri District Mayor Dan Gordon acknowledged the importance of the event to the local economy and says he “always enjoys attending”. He echoed Stare’s thoughts on a few ruining it for the rest.
“Driving around the perimeter of the camp has long been part of the culture of the event and in normal, dry conditions it does not cause significant damage. This year, with heavily saturated ground, that same behaviour by a few caused unfortunate damage,” said Gordon.
Those responsible will be identified by event organisers.
“I’m working with the new owners to make sure that those people don’t come again. We know one of the main culprits, so that one will be straightforward,” says Stare.
Both the Waimakariri District Council and police will review the event – a process that occurs with “every major event”. Gordon says the council will work with the new owners to ensure “lessons are learned”.