Watch NZH Local Focus: Waikato Home and Garden Show gets a makeover

Hunter Calder

The Waikato Home and Garden Show is under new leadership for the first time since it was founded by the late Graham Hannah who passed earlier this year.

Leading the event is North Port Events CEO Dona White. She says it's an event that has a lot of "mana and respect" nationwide and she wants to keep it that way - "so we are charged with the great task and that is keeping up his legacy and making sure we honour this event as he built it."

More than 30-thousand people are expected to attend the four day event which features 450 exhibitors.

Mrs White says the event has something for everyone wanting to renovate, build or "titify" their home or garden.

The show is also a breeding ground for a new generation of designers. Chanel Bowring is a design student, and an entrant in the New Zealand interior design competition.

She says having the opportunity to show her creative skills is really important as she enters the workforce.

"It means so much, I mean there's going to be thousands of people coming in to view what we've done and hopefully it will give us an opportunity to put our name out there in the industry."

Her classmate Jordyn Baldwin says younger designers are giving the industry a fresh pair of eyes.

"So for us going into industry we can show everyone that there are new products out there that we know about and have a new take out on what the newer generation may like."

The winners of interior and landscape design competitions will be decided by judges and public vote.

The Waikato Home and Garden Show is on 10-6 every day until Sunday.