48 FISHING IN GODZONE MAGAZINE New Zealand National Fieldays News New Zealand National Fieldays Over 132,000 Through the Gates H eld at Mystery Creek, Fieldays is the largest agricultural event in the Southern Hemisphere, drawing people from around the world both as exhibitors and visitors. Fieldays is run by the New Zealand National Fieldays Society, a charitable organisation founded in 1968 to advance agriculture and the primary industries. We visited on the Friday, and it was remarkably busy, with the society reporting that more than 132,000 visitors went through the gates over the four days of the 58th Fieldays, with the Wednesday gate numbers recorded as the largest opening day attendance in the event's recent history. With sunny days and no rain or muddy conditions helping such a strong visitor turnout for the event, we caught up with many exhibitors who reported excellent sales and a positive atmosphere, and it was pleasing to see several marine companies also present at the show flying the flag for the boating industry. It marks the first time in five years that gate numbers surpassed 130,000, with this year approaching record-breaking attendance. Four days of top weather and a buoyant rural sector helped bring record crowds to Fieldays. It was good to see Honda Marine and Kingfisher flying the flag for the marine industry at the show on the Honda stand.
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