A and P Shows

Agricultural and Pastoral Associations were founded from the 1840s to improve farming through competition, and their annual shows became the fixed point of the rural year - the day when the district came to town. Most are still running. The core is judging: cattle, sheep, horses, dogs, alpacas, poultry, and the home industries section where jam, scones, knitting, flowers and children's vegetable animals are laid out on trestle tables and awarded cards. Around that sit the events people come to watch - wood chopping, shearing, show jumping, dog trials - and a commercial ring, a sideshow alley and a great deal of fried food. The Canterbury show in November is the largest and comes with a public holiday and Cup week; New Plymouth, Hawke's Bay, Warkworth and dozens of smaller districts hold their own. For a visitor it is the least staged way to see rural New Zealand, because it is not put on for visitors at all.

What you actually see

• The livestock judging - cattle, sheep, horses and dogs in the rings.
• The home industries - baking, preserves, knitting and flowers, judged.
• Wood chopping and shearing - the competitive events people watch.
• The sideshows - the commercial and funfair end of the ground.

When to go

October to March depending on the district; the Canterbury show is in November. Dates are fixed locally - check the district's association rather than a national calendar.

Honest expectations

It is a farming event, not a tourist attraction - little is explained for outsiders. Grounds are dusty or muddy depending on the week. Livestock areas are working spaces; keep clear of animals and gates.

Nearby

Held at showgrounds in most rural districts, from Warkworth to Gore.