Countdown begins for big show | Rural

The Central Districts Field Days is just weeks away, and the official countdown to opening day, Thursday March 15, has begun.

Event organiser Cheryl Riddell said during a recent visit to Manfeild Park in Feilding the grounds were looking fantastic.

"It was nice and green and with the rain we have received, that is good for Central Districts Field Days."

Ms Riddell said she is pleased Massey University has come on board this year, as in two previous years, as a major sponsor.

"Massey University will be showcasing some work in precision agriculture and in food technology.

"We are very excited to be working closely with Massey University again this year in the agriculture sector."

As with any event of this magnitude, the show is not just all about the sponsors but also the many businesses which use the opportunity to introduce new products to the thousands of people who attend each year.

"We have some new-to-us businesses coming to Central Districts Field Days this year who have either not been here before or were some years ago and have returned," she said.

Companies such as Australian-owned scooter company Vmoto, Eastern Great Wall and Eastern Chery and SsangYong NZ will be ready to receive visitors at their sites.

Vmoto will be showing off the new Scartt. Vmoto's Scartt II had its beginnings as the brainchild of Carlos Stolelo, a Spanish champion off-road racer and founder of CSR Motorcycles. Recently, Vmoto merged with CSR and developed Scartt for a global market.

New Zealand operator Marc Campbell said the Scartt has been warmly received by farmers throughout the country.

Eastern Motor Holdings, based in Pahiatua, sells vehicles manufactured in China. Sales manager Trevor Weir said he and his staff will be taking a selection of light commercial utes and small economical cars to the Central Districts Field Days.

"Ateco is the New Zealand and Australian distributor for Chery and Great Wall vehicles," Mr Weir said. "They launched Great Wall and Chery in New Zealand two years ago.

"Mid last year, Eastern Motor Holdings was awarded the franchise to distribute Great Wall and Chery vehicles in the Wairarapa and Manawatu areas. We trade as Eastern Great Wall and Chery.

"These are brand new vehicles at used vehicle prices," Mr Weir said.

Other vehicles coming to the Central Districts Field Days are sold by SsangYong NZ.

Since its inception in January 1954, SsangYong, which began as Ha Dong-hwan Motor Workshop in Korea, was by 1967 Korea's largest exporter of buses to Vietnam. As the company merged with others, it continued to create vehicles and grow its markets and built a factory.

Mercedes-Benz AG invested in SsangYong Motors in the early 1990s and SsangYong Motors gained the opportunity to use advanced technologies and launch them into a global market.

Based at Great Lake Motor Distributors Limited in Taupo, Deon Cooper said he is looking forward to being at this year's event with SsangYong vehicles.

"We will have our new SsangYong double cab ute which will have been released three days before," Mr Cooper said.

Ms Riddell is excited with the new vehicles that will be on show for the first time at the event and hopes everyone stops at each site to look them over.

This year, as in previous years, the popular rural prize is on offer. A Suzuki ATV and Brent Smith trailer filled with goodies will be won by someone with a rural delivery address. The competition ballot will be drawn on the final afternoon.

Getting to the Central Districts Field Days is easy. The main entrance to Central Districts Field Days is through the South Street at Manfeild Park. Anyone travelling north is encouraged to use the car park accessed from Awahuri turn-off into Kawakawa Road.

Gates open at 8.30am each day until 4.30pm on Thursday and Friday. Gates will close at 4pm on Saturday. Admission is $12 per adult. Seniors can get in for $9 on Thursday and Friday only. Children under 16 years accompanied by an adult get in for free.

For more information, contact Ms Riddell on 06 354 0000.