Ian Mckelvie: Positive vibe felt at Fieldays

Champion: Sue McKelvie with Aaron Akkerman's prize-winning pumpkin.

The 25th annual Central Districts Fieldays were held at Manfield in Feilding last week. More than 26,000 people passed through the gates and I really enjoyed being there over the course of the three-day event.

It was great to hear from exhibitors and company reps that this year in particular, farmers and visitors were positive and seemed keen to put their hands in their pockets! Organisers reported an increase of more than 14 per cent in spending compared to last year.

National was well represented with seven MPs making the trip to Feilding, including National Party leader Simon Bridges, Nathan Guy, Nicky Willis, Tim Macindoe and Matt Doocey. We all enjoyed catching up with a wide range of people and hearing their many and varied views about the agri- sector.

I also took the opportunity while I was there to launch a petition concerning the Manawatu Gorge Road. It reads: "That the House of Representatives ensures the New Zealand Transport Agency makes every effort to reopen the Manawatu Gorge during the reconstruction of a new route between the Manawatu and Hawke's Bay/Wairarapa regions."

We all enjoyed catching up with a wide range of people and hearing their many and varied views about the agri-sector.

I collected more than 500 signatures over the course of a few days and that number is continuing to grow. A few people weren't keen to sign, invariably out of concern about the cost of reopening the Gorge route — and I get that. Of course, the best thing about organising a petition and presenting it to Parliament is it means the petition must be put before the relevant Select Committee for consideration — in this case the Transport Select Committee.

Healthy debate is important to effect progress and good decisions. I will keep you up to date with how this matter proceeds. I believe this is a very important issue for our region, particularly considering the newly proposed alternative route is at least six years away from being completed.

Last weekend's Marton Harvest Festival was a huge success and another fine example of the community spirit that's alive and well in this town. The Harvest Festival certainly reflects this diverse and vibrant community, and over the years it has grown to become a very popular event — one which celebrates Marton's history, heritage, culture and identity as a thriving rural New Zealand town.

The winner of the famous pumpkin growing competition was Aaron Akkerman with his 471kg monster specimen. Aaron also won in 2016 but took a year off in 2017.

There was an array of food from around the globe on offer along with a variety of musical entertainment. The guest chef and judge was Jax Hamilton of Masterchef fame.

This year's Harvest Festival was the best yet and Sue and I had a great time.

Congratulations to Cath Ash from Project Marton and her team for putting it all together.