New Zealand Agricultural Show: Deal reached with Christchurch Council

This year's NZ Agricultural Show was cancelled. Photo / RNZ

RNZ

The future of the New Zealand Agricultural Show appears to have been saved after a deal between the trust that runs it and the Christchurch City Council.

Earlier this month financial constraints were blamed for the cancellation of this year’s agriculture show in Christchurch.

On Wednesday, Christchurch City Council general manager citizens and community, Andrew Rutledge, said the council would pay $5 million to purchase the remaining 95 years of the lease for Canterbury Agricultural Park, 5ha of council land on Wigram Rd.

The agreement requires the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association (CAPA) to use $1m to repay an existing loan with the council.

The remaining $4m would go into a new charitable investment trust with the revenue from the trust being used to help cover the costs of running the show each year.

Rutledge said it would mean the park could be used for recreational purposes throughout the rest of the year.

“There’s an increasing demand for recreational spaces in this part of the city due to the amount of residential development taking place.”

And it benefited CAPA as well, he said.

“The A&P Show is such an important event for both the rural and local community, bringing people from around the country to our city.”

Christchurch councillor Sam MacDonald said it remained to be seen whether this year’s show would go ahead.

“I would have thought that they could get on and do it, I mean what we’ve been saying to them for a couple of years though is that the model isn’t necessarily right.”

MacDonald said negotiations for the agreement were made before the cancellation was announced.

“What we want them to do is get set up so that long term that funding comes in in perpetuity.

“The last thing we want, because they’ve been back to the council a couple of times, to be really blunt, for bailouts, is to get off on that wrong footing this year.”

The council would rezone some of the parkland and sell it off to recoup costs, MacDonald said.

- RNZ