Hawke Bay's Royal NZ Show ready to rock

Hawke's Bay A&P Show sheep committee members Harriet Partridge and Charles Yule at the showgrounds yesterday. PHOTO/DUNCAN BROWN

A resurgence in entries across most classes of the Royal New Zealand Show which starts in Hastings on Wednesday is a sign the turnstiles will return to the days of attendance figures topping 30,000 people, says new show boss Sally Jackson.

The growth is led by a 20 per cent increase in horse and pony entries, to more than 3000, many of which will be targeting points for Horse of the Year Show events in March, she said the Hawke's Bay A&P Society's general manager yesterday at Showgrounds Hawke's Bay Tomoana, venue for both of the major events.

There are expected to be over 1000 entries in other animal and other classes, including the cattle section which goes ahead by special arrangement amid the M.bovis scare.

The increase is timely with Royal Agricultural Society president Geoff Smith due to make an announcement on Wednesday on the future rights to the staging of the Royal Show — now in its fourth consecutive year based with the Hawke's Bay Show.

At the Poverty Bay A&P Show in Gisborne Smith confirmed on Saturday the RAS, the umbrella of 97 A&P shows throughout the country, has made a decision on what has been a troublesome issue over the last decade, since the end of a an annual rotation of the title among five shows, including Hawke's Bay.

But he was tight-lipped, saying: "Many of our members want a Royal Show in both the North Island and the South Island, but for now Hawke's Bay is THE Royal Show."

Jackson said that an increase in entries, particularly equestrian classes which drew 2571 entries last year, automatically means more people, as families follow those who are competing.

There are some "interesting" movement in smaller classes, such as the pigs section, increasing from 17 entries in 2017 to 45 this year, and a timely increase from three to 12 in a flock ewe hogget, celebrated with the weekend's surprise unearthing of its honours board, which was last added to in 1997.

A lowering of gate admission costs, and a forecast of dine weather on the opening day and the last day on Friday, add to the picture of hope for Jackson, a former manager of Napier's Art Deco celebrations who is in charge of the show for the first time since taking-up her appointment with the A&P Society in March.

Other special features of show week — part of Hawke's Bay culture for 155 years — include the arrival tomorrow of possibly the biggest show-gathering of clydesdales in New Zealand, tomorrow night's Hawke's Bay A&P Bayleys Wine Awards, possibly the show's biggest ever munch-up, with about 2000 children along for a shared lunch on Wednesday, Thursday's presentation of supreme animal classes silverware the Meat and Wool Cup, and the Hawke's Bay Today Grand Parade on Friday, the public holiday Hawke's Bay Anniversary Show Day.

Yesterday the show was fast taking shape with the arrival of sideshow features from Gisborne, and the development of the site, including more than 200 trade sites, 2000 square metres of marquees, and 25km of picket fencing.