Media Release

For Immediate Release

Thursday 10 November

Canterbury gearing up for Show Day

Canterbury A&P Show organisers are expecting another busy day at ASB Agricultural Park on Friday 11 November. Over 55,000 people are expected to attend The Show as the region celebrates Canterbury Anniversary Day. The official holiday for the anniversary day of the province was shifted from 16 December(the date of the arrival of the First Four Ships back in the 1950s. The change meant a holiday for banks and businesses giving people from both town and country the opportunity to attend the Canterbury A&P Show.

Show organisers are urging members of the public to plan their journey to the Show and advise that there is no public parking available from Curletts Road entrance. Public should use the McMahon Drive, Augustine Drive or Wigram Road entrances.

Judging Highlights

8.30-11.25am – Showjumping – ASB Arena

9.00am on – Stock and Station and Western Riding classes - Isaac Arenas

9.00am on – Junior Beef and Dairy Classes – ANZ Cattle Lawn

9.30am on – Children’s Calf Classes – ANZ Cattle Lawn

9.30-9.45am – Supreme Champion Pony – Isaac Arenas

11am – Supreme Champion Horse – ASB Arena

11am – NZ Young Judges Championship – Alliance NZ Sheep Arena

12.30pm – Heartland Bank Young Auctioneers Competition – the ANZ Cattle Lawn

Mid-afternoon – New Zealand Shearing Team Selection – Shearing Pavillion

Entertainment Highlights

All Day – Endurocross – Endurocross Arena

10am, 12.15pm, 2.30pm – Sports Suzie’s Super Circus Show (The Court Theatre) – Tip Top Family Lawn

11am, 1pm, 3pm – Jax Hamilton – The Food & Wine Village

12pm, 2pm – Yeah Nah Nahs – The Village Green

12.30 – Duck Herding – Eukanuba Dog Trial Arena

3.15pm – Shetland Grand National

3.25pm – Supreme Champion Animal of Show

3.40pm – Ballantynes Grand Parade

Jax Hamilton Cooking Demonstrations

Slightly cheeky and always entertaining - A fab, all-round modern pioneer: Jax Hamilton provides all the ‘Wow’ - without all the work! Jax will be cooking up a storm in the Westinghouse Demonstration Kitchen, Food & Wine Village.

Yeah Nah Nahs
The Feelers are one of Canterbury’s most famous exports and this year they’re playing live on the Village Green on Show Day. Like a kiwi summer around the campfire, or the great New Zealand song book, the Yeah Nah Nahs is a new collective of musicians who play all the hits! From songs handcrafted by members of the band, classic hits, retro tunes, and new pop bangers. This act is sure to impress with some of New Zealand’s biggest names in music. This kiwi supergroup includes Jason Kerrison (OpShop), Rodney Fisher (Goodshirt), James Reid (The Feelers), Dean Lawton (Tadpole), and Julia Deans (Fur Patrol).

Heartland Bank Young Auctioneers Competition
The Heartland Bank Young Auctioneers Competition has become one of the most popular competitions to watch at The Show. The competition aims to showcase and develop young auctioneers and improve the standard of auctioneering across the board. During the judging, which includes a test of auction rules and a mock auction, each entrant will be required to sell two lots of heifers/bulls. Entrants will be judged on overall performance including voice, diction, manner and values. Contestants come from all over the country to compete in the competition.

Town & Country Bar
You can’t beat an afternoon in the Town & Country Bar by the lake - catch popular local bands SansTribe and Assembly Required all afternoon.

Showjumping
This year’s showjumping programme includes some highlight events on Friday morning. The Horse Speed Championship (approx. 9.30am) is a great showjumping event that is easy for the general public to follow. Riders and their horses tackle the course, racing against the clock with time penalties incurred for knocking over rails. With most riders expected to clear the course in 60 seconds, spectators will be on the edge of their seats as they follow the time clock. The ESNZ/West Acre Farm Ltd Point Series and the Ballantynes ESNZ National Point Series follows the Speed Champs event (approx. 10.30am) and includes top placed New Zealand riders and horses.

New Zealand Shearing Team Selection
The Shearing Pavillion will be whirring with the buzz of machines as the shearing heats and finals take place today. For something a little different check out the skill of the blade shearers as they use traditional non-mechanical blades to shear the sheep. The New Zealand team for the 2017 World Shearing Championships will be selected in the afternoon.

Woodchopping
Make sure you check out the woodchopping – this is one of the most popular competitions at the Show. Highlights include the STILH Team Race (NSW vs South Island vs North Island) at approximately 12.30pm.

Shetland Grand National
A highlight of the racing calendar, this long standing event sees eight ponies and jockeys taking to the field, steeplechase style. The event has built a strong following in Canterbury and has grown to be one of the main attractions at the Show. Stormy, winner of four Shetland Grand Nationals, is tipped as race favourite.

Supreme Champion Animal of Show
The Award is the culmination of three days of judging with the best of the best Supreme Champion entrants from horse, sheep, cattle, alpaca, llama, donkey/mule and goat battling it out for the top title.

Ballantynes Grand Parade
The Ballantynes Grand Parade is a showcase of the best of the best with prize winners across most livestock and equestrian sections parading their ribbons in the Main Arena, led by the Canterbury Caledonian Royal Stewart and Balmoral Pipe Bands.

-ENDS-

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