Official launch of Royal Horowhenua AP&I Show to be held in RAS centenary year

Royal Agricultural Society executive member Ben Burgess, Horowhenua AP&I Show president Kyle Blenkhorn, Royal Agricultural Society president Rachel Walker, Horowhenua District Mayor Bernie Wanden, and Horowhenua AP&I Show secretary-manager Jill Timms.

It is official: Horowhenua has scored royal status for its AP&I Show in the same year the national Royal Agricultural Society, which represents over 70 shows, is celebrating its centenary.

This will attract a lot of people — including competitors who breed sheep, cattle, do dog trials, shearing and wood chopping or are into horse jumping — to the show in the hope of winning a much-desired royal show medal.

Horowhenua’s council chambers were the venue for the official launch of the first Royal Horowhenua AP&I Show. Scoring the entire show as a royal show is a major coup for Horowhenua. “Normally, this honour goes to the bigger shows, but our representatives have been so impressed with the Horowhenua show in recent years that we decided to award it royal status in its entirety for 2024,” said Royal Agricultural Society president Rachel Walker, who attended the launch.

Horowhenua District Council has thrown its weight behind the effort to produce the best show ever as part of its plans to promote tourism in the area, and offered to host an official launch for volunteers and sponsors of the show.

At the royal show, special medals will be up for grabs, coveted by competitors in the various sections represented at the show.

But wait, there’s more — this time there will also be centenary medals, celebrating the fact the RAS is 100 years old, bringing another honour to Horowhenua.

Sue Mansell received the RAS Medal of Excellence for her many decades spent providing services to the Horowhenua AP&I Show.

Walker and RAS executive member Ben Burgess were present at the official launch and took the opportunity to hand a medal to one of the show’s much-admired volunteers, Sue Mansell.

“Sue has helped in the horse section in the caravan, writing up jump sheets prior to the show, providing food during showtime, and kept a book of where the horse trophies were allocated and always got them back prior to the next show”, said Mary Davis on behalf of the Horowhenua AP&I Show committee. “She only recently retired from this section, where she worked quietly behind the scenes for as many as 50 years, but no one is really sure for how long she has been a part of the show.

“She has done the magnificent flower arrangements for the president’s room and main foyer at showtime. Her expertise in this field is amazing, and we receive many comments on them — Sue is a perfectionist and this shows.”

Walker presented the RAS Medal of Excellence to Sue for her many years of supporting the Horowhenua AP&I Show.

The show, which was first held in 1906, will be at the showgrounds at the end of Victoria St in Levin on January 20 and 21, with horse trials starting on the January 18. Daily entry fees are: $15 for adults, $5 for kids under 15, and a family pass (two adults and three children) is $40. Annual membership is $50 and entitles you to free entry on both days for three adults and two children.