Small town wins big hosting bid
Thousands of people are expected to descend on the small rural town of Riversdale for the 74th world event in autumn 2029.
New Zealand Ploughing Association chairman Scott McKenzie, of Clinton, said other parts of the country bid to host the event, but Riversdale won because it could guarantee land, owned by association member Mark Dillon, and that was a huge advantage.
The competition would run over two days in either March or April, when the weather was usually more settled.
A date would be selected which did not clash with any other major rural events.
Competitors would compete in either the conventional or reversible classes, working grass one day and stubble the next.
The committee would offer competitors and their supporters a package of up to 10 days.
"It's pretty exciting and it's good to showcase our own bit of homeland," Mr McKenzie said.
Some teams would arrive up to a month before the competition.
"You get to know what it [the soil] does in your home patch — it's quite different and it is an advantage," Mr McKenzie said.
He was calling for expressions of interest from individuals or groups keen to help organise.
"It will be a fairly substantial event and there could be up to 30-odd countries [represented], so there'll be a bit of logistics involved and quite a lot of accommodation."
Up to 400 officials would take part, and he estimated the event would require about 8000 bed nights.
New Zealand had hosted the event four times before; Lincoln in 1967 and 1980, Outram in 1994 and Methven in 2010.
Mr McKenzie represented New Zealand in Slovenia in 2009 and Sweden in 2011, and was booked to compete in Russia in 2020 before the event was cancelled due to Covid-19.
Competitors wanting to qualify for the New Zealand team in 2029 would need to win either reversible or conventional class at the 2028 national competition.
At this stage, Mr McKenzie doubted he would try for the 2029 New Zealand team.
"Probably not. That'll be a job for Mark."
Mr Dillon was confident Southland could pull off the event.
"I was a bit excited but also like holy s..., we've got it. There's a bit of work to do."
"The most important thing, we've got the ground secured."
He was not being paid for the use of his land.
"We do it for love — a passion for the sport."
He hoped between 20,000 and 30,000 people would attend.
He was now making cropping decisions so his grounds would be ready for the competition. Grass would be planted from January next year.
Mr Dillon represented New Zealand in France in 2014 and Estonia last year, and was booked to compete in the conventional class in Prague in September this year and Croatia next year.
He hoped to qualify for the team to compete at the world championships in Riversdale.
No prize money was on offer at a world championship — just the chance to get your name engraved on the Golden Plough trophy, Mr Dillon said.
"It's just for the prestige, so you can say you're the best in the world."
shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Stampede aim to maintain grip
The Stampede are not about to let their Dunedin rivals sweep in and knock them out of contention on their home ice. The Queenstown-based team have dominated the New Zealand Ice Hockey League for the past decade. They won back-to-back-to-back titles between 2015 and 2017. The West Auckland Admirals claimed the crown in 2018, but the Stampede were back on top the following season. Covid wiped out the 2020 and 2021 season. Since then, they have won another three titles. They host the Dunedin Thunder in playoff games tonight and tomorrow, and they will start as favourites. But this year's league has been closer than ever. Just four points separate the top four teams, and the Thunder and Stampede split their series 1-1 in Queenstown earlier this month. That fact is not lost on Stampede coach Cam Frear. "This is the tightest the competition's ever been," he said. "Four teams out of the five had the potential to come first or second with one game to go. "It's exciting for fans. It's not great for the heart when you're a coach." The Thunder beat the Stampede 7-5 in Queenstown on July 18, but lost 6-3 the following night. Frear said his side had learned a lot from that encounter. "That first game was one of those games where you let it slip through your fingers. "We had the lead going into the last period. "But the Phoenix Thunder's a dangerous team. If you give them an opportunity to be in the offensive zone, they'll capitalise. "With goal-scorers like Chris Eaden, Cole Beckstead and Ian Audas, they are offensively a very dangerous team if you're not focused in on them." Collectively, that trio have slotted 37 goals for the Thunder. Beckstead has also registered 29 assists — the most this season — and is the competition's leading scorer with 41 points. His nearest rival is Stampede star Colin McIntosh. He is sitting on 40 points. Fans may be denied seeing the pair go head-to-head as McIntosh recently returned to Canada for personal reasons, and it is unclear whether he will be back in time to participate in the semifinals. The Stampede will lean more heavily on Nolan Ross if McIntosh does not make it back. He is the competition's leading goal-scorer, with 20. The Stampede have significantly more playoff experience and the home ice advantage. "The ice surface in Queenstown's a lot smaller, which kind of suits more of our physical style where, you know, there's not a lot of room to move. "So you've got to make decisions quite quickly. "We also have probably the loudest fans in the country. So having them there and being that sixth and seventh man is huge for us." The West Auckland Admirals and the Botany Swarm will meet in the other semifinal series.
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Groundbreaking Report Reveals The State Of Community Sport In New Zealand
A landmark new report titled 'Stronger Communities Through Sport' has just been released. It's the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken of the role that sport clubs play in New Zealand's community life. The result of seven years of research, the pioneering report draws on findings from the National Sport Club Survey (NSCS), a joint initiative of the New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. (NZASA) and Auckland University of Technology (AUT). The report provides a totally unprecedented insight into the challenges, opportunities, and shifting landscape of grassroots sport in New Zealand from 2018 to 2024. From declining volunteer numbers to evolving partnerships and the impact of legislative reform, the findings presented in the report are both sobering and inspiring. Important statistics from the report include: • Sport club membership has rebounded by 12% since its pandemic low in 2021. • Volunteer numbers have dropped by 28% since 2018—placing increasing pressure on club and coaches. • Only 36% of clubs report gender-balanced governance, highlighting ongoing equity challenges. • 56% of clubs now have formal partnerships with schools, signalling closer alignment between education and community sport. • 72% of clubs are concerned about long-term financial sustainability, with many relying on just one or two core funders. • Climate resilience is emerging as a key theme, with nearly one in five clubs reporting disruption from extreme weather events in the past two years. 'This is the first time we've had such an accurate, long-term dataset covering the actual experience of New Zealand's sport clubs,' said NZASA Chair Gordon Noble-Campbell. 'These sport clubs are the beating heart of our communities providing important social benefits, not only to sport. This significant report provides important, data-driven insights that will inform future policy, funding, and support across the entire sector. This is a game-changer for community sport.' The report also addresses underrepresentation in club leadership, emerging sponsorship strategies, and the need for inclusive access across all demographics. It also reflects the sector's remarkable resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic and shows clear areas for innovation, investment, and reform. Already being shared and read nationally and internationally, Stronger Communities Through Sport is certain to inspire, inform and shape discussion across community sport, education, health, and local government. The NZASA encourages anyone involved in sport, including volunteers, players, administrators, and supporters, to download the report and reflect on how its insights can help build a stronger, more inclusive sporting future for all New Zealanders, and in communities across the world.
NZ Herald
23-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Swann reflects on Gisborne's Rugby Park redevelopment, surge in player numbers
Swann said the success of locally born-and-bred Black Ferns and Black Ferns Sevens players such as Renee Holmes, Charmaine McMenamin, Kaipo Olsen-Baker and Kelsey Teneti also promoted women's rugby and showed there was a pathway for talented players. He said Horowhenua-Kāpiti was the only one of the other 25 unions to match Poverty Bay's increased player numbers, which came at a time of economic challenges and growing competition from other codes. The Covid-19 era was another testing time, Swann said. 'We were still having matches. Rugby was operating in a bubble. We worked so hard. It was really, really hard to keep going, but we did. 'We were wiping down posts and pads. We were wiping everything. We were breaking people down into groups, but we got there.' Gisborne's Kelsey Teneti in action for New Zealand against France at the Singapore 7s earlier this year. The success of Teneti and other Gisborne-connected female players is a factor in the increase in female player numbers in Tairāwhiti, says Hayden Swann in reflecting on his tenure as Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union chairman. Photo / Jayne Russell, Photosport The annual report said the Rugby Park redevelopment had been impacted significantly by the Covid-19 pandemic, Cyclone Gabrielle and inflation. But the union decided to develop 'our ageing asset' and the $12.5 million grandstand redevelopment, originally costed at $8m, had been fully funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment/ Kanoa Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit and Trust Tairāwhiti. Swann told the Herald the union was showing huge profits for the past two years of around $2.5 million, 'which of course' related to capital project funding for the grandstand redevelopment which had not yet been spent. 'It is not a real profit.' But the union had made an operating profit in 2024 of $45,000. Swann attributed that to an increase in commercial revenue and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) funding being boosted because of increased player registrations. The union retained strong relationships with local sponsors and funders and took a conservative approach to spending, resulting in more revenue and less spending in 2024, he said. The union was now endeavouring to 'put money away'. Swann said interest earned from the union's $500,000 share of the Silverlake equity payout to NZR would be ring-fenced for maintaining assets and would not be spent on staffing or operations. The union wanted to avoid the example of other sporting infrastructure in the district ageing to a point where it was not fit-for-purpose. The grandstand was due for completion next June and would result in a significant uplift in the equity of the union. Swann said the union had assets of only $321,000 back in 2018 and recorded a deficit of $129,000. Swann, who has stepped aside after serving as an independent member of the PBRFU board for the maximum period of three three-year terms (seven years as chairman), said his nine years had been the most rewarding and enjoyable time of any organisation he had served on. 'Being chairman is a privileged position because you are working for New Zealand Rugby,' the Makaraka School principal said. 'There are 25 other provincial union chairmen [and] you learn from their knowledge, experience and capabilities. 'Rugby is such a neat network and such a giving network.' The new union chairman is Trust Tairāwhiti general manager economic development Hayden Green.
