Northland Field Days February 2023

MARCH 2, 3&4 2023

STATEHIGHWAY 14,DARGAVILLE

NorthlandField Days exhibitingresilience

Thelargest agriculturaleventin Northlandhasbeen heldinDargavillefor 37years.

ForNorthlandFieldDaystherewasa breakinproceedingsin2021and2022 becauseofCovid.WithCycloneGabrielle causinghavocintheKaiparaDistrict recently,itinitiallylookedliketherewouldbe anotherenforcedshutdownoftheevent.

Dargavilleandsurroundingdistricts were awashwith water,manyresidents left homesto escaperapidlyrisingwater, the TangowahineRiver bankscollapsed, theNorthern Wairoa river overflowedon

totheFieldDaysiteandothersurrounding streetsandthetowncentrewascrammed withsandbags.

EventCo-ordinatorfortheFieldDays, LucianaSchwarz,saysnotoneofthe250 orsoexhibitorspulledoutbecauseofthe consequencesoftherainandwind.

“Theexhibitorshavebeenverysupportive andourcommitteeofvolunteershasbeen workingdayandnighttocleanupthesite andhaveitreadyfortheevent.”

Schwarzsaidtheamountofwateronthesite afterthecyclonehadpassedthroughwas “significant”butoncetheriverwaterreceded thesitebecamehabitable.Therewassome remedialworkrequired.Thecommittee clearedthedrains,moppedupthewater andmowedthelawnsreadyforexhibitorsto comeinandsetup.

Thelong-termweatherforecastforthe NorthlandFieldDaysonThursday2ndMarch toSaturday4thMarchisforfineweather.

Chainsaws ready to go forthe competition to beheldatthe NorthlandFieldDays.

Alllinedupand ready to go –justsomeofthe tractorsondisplayattheNorthlandFieldDays.

AnaerialshotofNorthlandFieldDaysshowingthesizeoftheagri-eventwhichisthelargestinNorthland.

WHAT’SON.

Tractors,LawnMowers, SheepDogsandOtherCritters

NorthlandFieldDaysareonatAwakinoPoint WestRoad,Dargaville,overthreedays-2nd, 3rdand4thMarch.

TheFieldDayshavea37-yearhistoryand forover25yearsofthoseyearsthere hasbeenatractorpullcompetition. Thecompetitionisonthe100metre trackontheTractorPullAreaonWells Roadandisdesignedforboththenovice contestantandexperienceddrivers.It testsbrutestrengthcombinedwithskill andtechnique.Sectionsincludethebank challenge,thebusinesschallengeandthere aregeneralheats.

Thereislawnmowerracingonaspeciallybuiltoval.It’sdesignedforpeopleofallwalks oflifetogetinvolvedandcompeteandhave funatthesametime.

Oneofthemostpopularevents,and somethingthatispartoftheKiwiDNA,isthe

sheepdogtrials.Dogsandtheirhandlers fromalloverNorthlandwillcompeteand theyareheldonDavePhillipsMemorial Drivedaily.

Forchildrenofallages(andforchildrenat heart)thereisCaro’sCrazyCrittersMobile Farm.It’sanopportunitytoexperience hands-onenjoymentandpersonal interactionwitharangeoffarmand domesticanimalsthatcertainlycitydwellers maynototherwiseget. Availablealldayfor allthreedays.

Therearethreelargelifestylepavilions exhibitingfoodandwine,gadgetsofall kinds,outdoorfurnituredisplays,laserclay shootingandvariouscompetitionsata numberofthe250stands.

Lawnmowerracing

Caro’sCrazyCrittersatthepetting farm

The ever-popularsheepdogtrials

Thetractorpulling competition

Te AraHauoraWellnessHub

andservices,visitorswillseeinnovative equipmentsuchasTePahiONgaIwi-the ‘People’sBus’,adiagnosticvanthatcan provideechocardiogramsthatexaminethe heart,aswellasvascularandeyeexams. TeWhatuOra,stafffrombowel,breastand cervicalscreening,willbeonhandtodiscuss howscreeningworks.

industriesaswellasurbansectorsacross theregion.

ThatincludesworkfromTeWhatu Orastaff,whoseaimistohavethe benefitsofagoodshowcontinue longafternextmonth’sNorthland FieldDaysgatesclose.Visitsinthepasttothe TeAraHauorawell-beingsiteattheannual eventhaveliterallysavedlives.

Amonghealthmessages,innovations andinsightsintoregionalprogrammes

Thestaff,messagesandhealthgadgetsatTe AraHauoraWellnessHubwillbeatsitesC1, C2,D1andD2inalargepaviliondevotedto regional,publicandcommunityservice. TeWhatuOra(formerlyNorthlandDistrict HealthBoard)annuallygrabsthischanceto reachouttoomanythousandsofpeople. ThisyearNorthlandFieldDaysorganisers expectaround18,000visitorseachdaythe eventison.Thelonghistoryofbeingpart oftheFieldDaysreflectsTeWhatuOra’s missiontoimprovethewell-beingofpeople intheagricultural,horticulturalandoutdoor

Area-wise,Northlandisoneofthelargest regionsinNewZealand.Becauseofthe distancebetweenservicecentres,the remotenatureofmanysettlements,a historicproportionatelylowincomeand employmentlevelcombinedwithrelated badhealthoutcomes,andaperceivedlack offundingtoovercomeinter-generational problemsacrosstheboardinNorthland, theregionoftensitsatthebottomofthe rungonmostsocialindices.TeWhatuOra hashadatoughhaultryingtoovercome manyobstaclestoimproveaccessibilityand healthoutcomesinitsregionandhasbeen recognisednationallyforlocalprogrammes ithasintroducedandpiloted.

So,what’sallthatgottodowithwhatis primarilyanoutsizedag-hortshow?Well,

nowheredotown,country,andamyriadof industries,communityservices,innovation, andold-fashionedfuncometogethermore colourfullyandaccessiblythanonthe NorthlandFieldDays’36-hectaresiteon Dargaville’soutskirts.Thisyear,morethan 300exhibitorswilldisplaystuffforcows, ploughs,bigrigs,farmbikes,workwear, fencinggear,dogtrials,tractorpulls,solar power,cleanwater,wastewater,croptrees, amenities,barbecues,eco-loos,cabins, kitchens,leisurecraft,artsandcraft,kids’ games,playgrounds,foodhalls,tasting stalls...andsomuchmore,includingTe AraHauoraWellnessHub,showingwhat prevention-aimed,practicalsolutionpublic healthinitiativeslooklike.

Beingheldforthe36thtimesince1985but stymiedbyCOVIDin2021and2022,theshow isonfromThursday,March2,untilSaturday, March4.Atitspre-COVIDpeak,theeventhad over500exhibitorsandupto27,000visitorsa day.TheNorthlandFieldDaysissecondonly insizetotheannualnationaleventatMystery Creek,nearHamilton,andattractsexhibitors andvisitorsfromalloverNewZealand.

L-R: LouisaKingi,VickyMaihi,EvanSmeath(PresidentWhgA&PSociety),AnnetteTeHira,StuartSelkirk,TinaQuitta

It’sthecountdown untilNewZealand’s secondbiggest agricultureshow openstothepublic butworkorganising thebigeventhasbeen underwayformonths.

TeWhatuOra’smissiontoimprovethewell-beingofpeople intheagricultural,horticulturalandoutdoorindustriesaswellas urbansectorsacrosstheregion.

Locals supporting local

DargavilleFordhasno fewerthansevensitesat theNorthlandFieldDays.

Inpreviousyearstheyhavehadfivesites butforthisyeardecidedtogoallout.

Ondisplaywillbearound40Fords,20Can Amcars,15Suzukimotorbikesandaround fiveorsixMahindracars.

Dealershipowner,AnthonyWest,saysthey havebeengoingtoFieldDayssincetheystarted in1986anditmeansverygoodbusiness.It’s alsowhytheyhavechosentohavesomany sites.Therewillbesevenoreightstaffmanning thesitesoverthethreedays.

“Wegettradiesandfarmersandotherlocals comingintochat. Itcomesinwaveswith peoplecomingandgoingandthisyear,with thecyclone,afewwillbelookingtoreplace carsthatareflooddamaged.

“Atthemomentwehavesevenvehiclesin theyardthathavebeenmadeinoperable becauseoftheflood.”

WestisalsoownerofNorthlandMotorsport thathasastandattheFieldDaysaswell.

HesaystheirinvestmentintheFieldDays “definitelypaysoff”andunlikeother exhibitorshedoesn’thavetospendmoney gettingthegoodsindisplaytransportedfrom outoftown.He’salocal.

Ford EverestSUV, afinalistintheNew ZealandCarofthe Yearandonshow, along with anumberofother Fordsandother makesandmodels,attheDargaville Ford standattheNorthlandFieldDays.

Dargaville Ford,alongtimeexhibitor to theNorthlandFieldDays

Cashmere. RP409

NorthlandRegional Council I1A,I2

NorthlandVegetationControl 2012 LTD. F16

Northpower................................................... H20

NorthTec| Te Pūkenga. G13

Norwood ...................................... C8, C9, D8 &D9 Nutrinza. G1

Nutritional Services Ltd. RP422

NZ Tamarillo CooperativeLtd LP121

NZ WagyuCorporation Limited D16a

NZPORTABLES L17

Ombro leatherwallets and belts. E18a Ospri RP401

OurLand andWater National Science Challenge.

Oxleys FurnitureNZLP105, LP106, LP107 &LP108

PineWoodlotValuesLtd ............................ RP420

PlanningPros............................................ RP414

Plasma BiotecSolutions Limited RP502

Polaris NewZealand L10 &L11

Prolan NZ .....................................................E12B

RJBull E10 Rata Equipment B15

RocktecTechnologyLtd C5

Rockview RedDevons................................ RP504

Sarah’s Solutions F17a

Sarahlee Studio .......................................... LP112

Seed ForceLtd ........................................... RP508

SHAW DIESELS LTD D16B

Show

Northpower manning thestand

Northpowerhas astandatthe NorthlandFieldDays.

Thisisdespite the factanumber ofcrewsareworkingto restore powertothethousandswho experiencedpowerfailure during CycloneGabrielle.

Justoveraweekago,there were7,000peoplestillwithout power.Butthatisdownfrom the30,000whodidn’thave powerintheimmediate aftermathofthecyclone.

RachelWansbonefrom Northpowersaidthe KaiparaDistrictisstillof concern,particularly aroundPoto.

Thecompanywillhavesixorseven staffmanningthestandattheField Days.Theyaremainlyofficestaffand notthoseworkinginthefield.

Theywillbeboostedbyanother sevenoreightfromtimetotime andsupplementedbysome Northpower’strusteeswhowillbe presenttotalktopeoplewho

“Wehavealteredthesetupofourstand fromwhatwehadoriginallyplannedto reflectwhathashappenedduringthe cyclone,”shesaid.

“Wewillhavealotofphotosofthecyclone’s devastationandIexpecttherewillbealotof discussiongoingonaroundthosebecauseso

manypeoplehavebeenaffectedtoagreater orlesserextent.”

Thecompanywillhaveanoff-gridphone chargingstationonthestand,apedal bikegeneratingelectricity,therewillbe competitionsandinformationoncareers available.

DemonstratingthePPE(PersonalProtectionEquipment)

Apedalbikegeneratingelectricity,ontheNorthpowerstandattheNorthlandFieldDays.

Areyou coming to theField Days?

The2023NorthlandFieldDaysarejust aroundthecorner.Ourteamfrom NorthTec|TePūkengawillbethere toanswerallyourburningquestions abouthowyoucanlearnsomethingnew, upskill,re-train,orgetqualifiedforthecareer ofyourchoice.

Whetheryouareinterestedinagriculture, fencing,horticulture,pestoperations, conservation,orheavytransportwehavethe coursetohelpyougetthere.

AtNorthTec|TePūkengaweofferanNZ CertificateinFencing(Level3)thatallowsyou tolearnfencingbestpracticesforworkasa ruralfencerorinafencingteam.You’lllearn toconstructelectricandnon-electricfences, performroutinerepairsandmaintenance, maintainhealthandsafetyintheworkplace, andoperateallnecessarymachineryand equipmentneededforthefencingworkplace.

OurNZCertificateinFencing(Level4)builds onthefoundationsoftheNZCertificatein

Fencing(Level3)withafocusonfenceand stockyarddesignandconstruction,managing staffandclientrelationships,andleadership skills.Theprogrammeisdesignedtosuit theneedsofpeoplealreadyworkinginthe industrywhowanttotakethenextstepin theircareersandopenupthepathwayto managementorsolobusinessownership.

Bothprogrammeswillbedeliveredusing onlinezoomtutorials,onlinelearning,and one-on-oneworksitevisits,sotheycanfit

inaroundyourcurrentemployment.These papersarealsoavailableall-aroundAotearoa NewZealand,notjustinNorthland.

MoreinterestedinCommercialTransport? Weoffershortcoursesthatgetyouqualified foryourlevel2MediumHeavyRigidVehicles, level4HeavyRigidVehicles,orCertificatein CommercialRoadTransport(Level3).Wealso offerendorsementsinDangerousGoodsand Wheel,Tracks,andRollers.Ourtutorsareall experienceddriverswiththeknowledgeand skillstohelpyoulearninasafeenvironment. Maybeyou’remorefocusedonconservation andtheenvironment?Weofferafull suiteofcourses,fromaCertificateinPest Operations(Level3)allthewaythroughto ourBachelorofAppliedScience(Biodiversity Management).So,whetheryou’rekeento

Beenthinkingaboutstudyingthisyearbut haven’tgotyourapplicationinyet?

There’sstilltimetoenrolforstudywithusat

NorthTec |TePūkengaforSemester1,2023andtakethenext steponyourlearningjourney.

Weunderstandthatit’snotalwayseasytomaketimeforstudy aroundourlives,jobs,andwhānau.That’swhy

NorthTec |TePūkengaoffersfull-time,part-time,orpaper-by-paper studysoyoucan fityourlearningaroundyourlife,in awaythatworks foryou.

Weofferonline,on-campus,andon-the-joblearningsoyoucanworkin thelocationofyourchoice,withoutinterruptingyourworkorfamilylife. WealsohavecampusesacrossTeTaiTokerausoyoucanstayclosetohome whilelearningwhatyouneedtogofarinyourcareer.

Nomatterifyou’refreshoutofhighschoolorarelookingtoretrain,wantto increaseyourskillsinyourcurrentcareer,oraresimplyinterestedinlearning somethingnew,wehave acoursetohelpyouachieveyourgoals.

Enrolmentsarestillopen,sogetinquick!

startlookingafterourenvironmentaspart ofyourcareer,orifyou’rejustinterestedin takingcareofyourownplace,youcanlearn theskillsyouneedwithus.

Wealsoofferawiderangeofcoursesin manyotherpursuits,fromhorticulture, construction,andplumbing,allthe waythroughtobusinessmanagement, accounting,andadministration.Sono matterwhatjobyouwanttopursue,wecan helpyougetthere.

Wantmoreinfo?ComealongtotheField Days,ourteamfromNorthTec|TePūkenga willbereadyandwaitingtohelpyoufind therightprogrammeandhelpyougofar inyourcareerwhilestayingrighthereinTe TaiTokerau.

Northlanddrinking waternitrates targeted at upcomingFieldays

Northlandboresandspringsbodewellincurrentnitrate watertestingbygroundwaterscientistsatGNSScience.

Forthenextyear,GNSScienceunder acommunityresearchprogram, NitrateWatch,willofferafreenitrate testingserviceforruralNorthland residentstomailinpotablewatersamples fromtheirspringsandbores.Town-supplied waterisroutinelytestedbydistrictcouncils toensurethatthesourceissafeforthe populationtodrink.Thereinliesthequestion —whotestsruralareasthatrelyonboresand springsfortheirdrinkingwater?

“OurgoalistosupportruralNorthland communitieslookaftertheirdrinking byofferingafree,confidentialtestingservice tomeasurenitratelevelsindrinkingw GNSseniorscientist,KaryneRogers,s drinkingwaterresultshavebeenpromising andbetterthanexpected.TheNewZ drinkingwaterstandardallowsupto11.3

milligramsofnitrateforeachlitreofwater.

“Sofar,ourtestingshowsthatthenitrate levelsfromaround60samplessubmitted bylocalresidentshavebeensignificantly underthelimitandoftenbelowone milligramperlitre.”

TheNitrateWatchTeamwillbeatNorthland Fieldays2023fromMarch2-4inDargaville wherepeoplecanbringalongasampleof theirdrinkingwaterinacleanjarandgetit testedonthedayortheycanpickupafree testingkit.

Nitratecontaminationofdrinkingwater canhappenwhendairyandfarmingwaste, fertilisersorseptic tanksleachthrough thesoilandmixwiththefreshwater stored undergroundthatisextractedasdrinking water.Thereisnosimplewayto remove nitratesfromdrinkingwater.Boiling water removesharmfulbacteriathat couldcause stomachupsets,butitdoes notremove thenitrates.

Theteamofscientistsarelookingattrends acrosstheregionratherthanbyspecificbores tocheckifthereisanexcessofnitratein drinkingwaterfromsomeareasofNorthland.

“Wewillbeabletolookatdifferentregions todetermineifsomeareashaveslightly moreelevatednitratesthanothers.Wewant toensurethatNorthlandresidentsallhave accesstothistesting.

“Weencouragepeopletotesttheirwaterand haveconfidenceintheirnitratecontent.The individualnitrateresultsarekeptconfidential andreturneddirectlytothesubmitter.The broadertrendswillbeusedtoensurewater qualityisbeingmaintainedineachregion.”

Testingkitscanalsoberequestedfromnitratewatch@gns.cri.nz

CycloneGabriellehas highlightedtheimportant role powerplaysinallofourlives.

Totalspan Lifestyle to Commercial

Totalspaniswellknownasthe marketleaderinlifestylebuildings butwhatmanydon’trealiseisthat wehavestandardengineering optionsupto24mclearspanwhich isanidealsizeforsmalltomedium commercialbuildingsandlarge ruralbuildings.

Totalspanhasbeenaroundforover 25yearsandoverthattimehas developedbuildingssystemsthatcan beadaptedtosuitprettymuchany purpose.Wecandoanythingfromasimple implementshedtoacommercialworkshop withofficesandbathroomfacilitiesoreven ahouse.

WeareNZownedandhaveourownNZ factoryusingNZSteel.

OneofthethingsthatTotalspanexcelat,is attentiontodetail.Whetheritbethewaythe windowsareinstalledormaintaininginternal clearanceorbirdproofing,wehavesystems

WealsohavearangeofColorsteel thicknessestosuittheendpurposeandthe budget.IfyoucomeandseeusatFielddays wecanshowyouwhatmakestheTotalspan systemsogood.

Whenitcomestolargerclearspanbuildings thenourstandarddesignsgoto24m withoutanyinternalsupports.Thesetypes ofbuildingsareidealforsmalltomedium commercialbuildingorlargeruralbuildings andcanbedesignedtositonaconcretefloor orontoconcretepileswithagravelfloor. TotalspanNorthland(Whangareiand Dargaville)hasdesignedandbuiltthese

widerspanbuildingsaseverythingfrom housestocommercialbuildings.Wecanfully completethemincludingfullinteriorfitout,a lockableshelloreveninkitsetform.

Whenyoudealwithuswewillquoteyouthe buildingasdesignedforyourspecificsite.It willbeengineeredtosuittheexactlocation

Northlandthiscanbequotedpriortosigning thecontract.Afterallwehaveallheard thestoriesofbeingquotedforabuilding andthenaftersigningthecontractallthe extrasareaddedinandthepriceincreases massively!Weprideourselvesonquoting accuratelyupfronttoremovethesesurprises. Whenyouarelookingforabuilding,another keyfactoriswhowillbuildit.AtTotalspan wehaveourownbuildingcrewsthatare experiencedinourproduct.Wearealso membersoftheCertifiedBuilderssohave qualifiedbuildersandLBP’ssocando restrictedbuildingworkaswell.