Heritage

The Show Goes On...
The Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association Show

The first agricultural show in Canterbury was one held by the Canterbury Pastoral Association on 14 September 1859 at a station on the north bank of the Rangitata River. Although the site had been chosen so that entries would come from all over Canterbury, the interest in the show was mostly from the south. Twenty-eight pens of sheep were judged. They were not divided up into classes according to breed.

The next year a more successful show was held at Turton's Accommodation House in Ashburton.

Carnival Week in Christchurch the implement section of the Canterbury A & P Association's metropolitan show. [1899]

Carnival Week in Christchurch - the implement section of the Canterbury A & P Association's metropolitan show - 1899

In 1862 the show was held for the first time in Christchurch, in a paddock fenced with gorse, just north of Latimer Square.

A year later, in 1863, a permanent Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association was founded and bought a showground of fourteen acres in Sydenham (became Sydenham Park in 1894). A show was held there on 22 October, but was washed out by rain.

By 1866, long-woolled sheep were judged separately by breed. Shows were also held that year in Rangiora and Timaru as the local agricultural and pastoral associations grew in strength.

When the Sydenham site became too small, the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association bought a 29-acre block at Addington from a Mr Twigger, who gave the Association another 5 acres.

The first show at this site ran from 9-11 November 1887. It included events such as the leaping match with a prize of 5 for the horse clearing the highest bar no less than 4 feet. By now there were classes for sheep, pigs, cattle and horses, as well as farm produce and equipment.

The implements display, Canterbury Metropolitan Agricultural Show, Christchurch

The implements display, Canterbury Metropolitan Agricultural Show, Christchurch [1901]

By 1918 the Friday of Show Week had become People's Day at the Show, when large numbers of people came into the town from the country. That year huge crowds came into Cathedral Square when false reports of an end to the First World War were spread. These two gatherings probably increased the speed with which the influenza epidemic grew.

Some time between 1955 and 1958 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) to the Friday of Show Week. The Friday had been People's Day at the Show for years, but the change meant an official holiday for banks and businesses.

The Canterbury Show continued at the Addington Showgrounds for another 110 years, until the move to the Canterbury Agricultural Park in Curlett's Road in 1997. The old facilities at Addington had become cramped and dusty and no longer able to cope with the large number of entries and crowds of visitors. In 1996 the A & P Association acquired a 250-acre block of land at Wigram from the city council.

The first show at the new site in 1997 included a range of events, from dog trials to axemen, and exhibits such as emus and ostriches, wines and cheeses, agricultural machinery and services, as well as the more traditional livestock competitions.

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