Exhibitors tune in for Kirwee Field Days

Organisers have gone to extra effort to ensure more space than ever is available and are urging companies intending to exhibit to get in sooner rather than later to secure some prime field days real estate.

“We are anticipating we will fill the site to its 650-exhibitor capacity for the 2025 field days and are working hard to ensure we can accommodate the needs of all our keen and committed companies,” says field days committee chair Andrew Stewart.

Exhibitor registration has been streamlined to a simple online process that offers a site map for exhibitors to choose where and how much site they require.

For many exhibitors the South Island Agricultural Field Days at Kirwee play a key part in their marketing and sales programme.

It may be a big trip up to the Kirwee site for Lochiel Trailers from Winton, but it is one company director Colin Hitchen makes a point of doing for every Kirwee event.

“For us the timing of the field days is good. Unlike some events, being held in March means farmers know exactly how much money they have to spend and are prepared to commit.”

He says having companies with similar products grouped together encourages some constructive tyre kicking, ensuring customers have the best chance to assess what’s on offer, all in an easy walk.

“We enjoy the challenge of getting people to go and compare our product to what else is there, they get a good chance to appreciate what we offer.”

While the past couple of years have been particularly tough ones in the rural sector, Colin looks to the field days as an opportunity to keep the quality Lochiel brand out there and is looking forward to better times ahead.

“This is the time to get your name out there and keep it out there so when things come right you are already there.”

Commercial tool retailer George Henry based in Christchurch has been a long-time supporter of the field days. Manager Corey Burmester says the field days have long proven themselves as an invaluable part of the company’s promotional and sales activity, with good sales resulting not only over the field days, but often in follow up business.

“We would have been coming for almost as long as the field days have been running, going well back to when it was basically a tent site at Lincoln.

“We find the Kirwee field days to be the best for generating sales. Farmers are keen to buy and being bi-annual we find they are very well timed, customers have had something in mind for a while and have the money, ready to spend,” says Corey.

Their site’s success has been such they have tripled its size over the past six years, and this year are also supporting a second site with a distributor.

“It is at the scale now that what we are offering is pretty much what we have in our showroom back in town,” he says.

George Henry has no problems getting its loyal suppliers including the likes of Kingtony, Powerbuilt, Hikoki and Makita on board for the field days, and Corey firmly believes in the value of being seen by farmers, some of their most loyal clients.

“It is a lot of organising, but it really is worth our while to be there.”

Access to exhibitors’ sites is even better this year, with the field days committee investing in additional shingle laneways and boosted shingle on existing laneways throughout the site.



Field days chair Andrew Stewart encourages exhibitors with a special piece of equipment to exhibit to contact the organisers to optimise their location and exhibition time.