Canterbury A&P Show facts for kids

The New Zealand Agricultural Show
Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association's Metropolitan Show, held at the Addington Showgrounds, c. 1910
Status	active
Date(s)	15–17 November 2023
Frequency	Annually
Venue	Canterbury Agricultural Park (since 1997)
Location(s)	Wigram, Christchurch
Country	New Zealand
Years active	162
Inaugurated	22 October 1862 (1862-10-22)
Founder	Canterbury A&P Association
Previous event	9–11 November 2022
Next event	15–17 November 2023
Participants	5000 competitors and over 3000 animals on-site
Attendance	Over 100,000
People	President – Anne Rogers.
Member	2500 financial members

The New Zealand Agricultural Show is a huge yearly event in Christchurch, New Zealand. It used to be called the Canterbury A&P Show. This show is the biggest of its kind in New Zealand. It brings together farming, animals, and lots of fun entertainment.

Since moving to Canterbury Agricultural Park in 1997, over a million people have visited the show. Each year, about 100,000 people attend. You can see over 5,000 animals and many different competitions. There are also more than 600 trade stands to explore.

History of the Show

The very first agricultural show in Christchurch happened on October 22, 1862. It was held in a field near Latimer Square. A few weeks later, on January 23, 1863, the Canterbury A&P Association was formed. This group helps organize the show.

In April 1863, the Association bought 14 acres of land in Colombo Street South. This land became the showgrounds. Today, it is known as Sydenham Park. Later, in November 1887, new showgrounds opened in Addington.

In 1996, the show needed an even bigger space. The Association bought 145 hectares (about 358 acres) in Wigram. This was the first time a showground was built just for this event in New Zealand. It was named Canterbury Agricultural Park. The first show held there was in 1997.

In 2018, the show's name changed to the New Zealand Agricultural Show. This change caused some discussion. Over the years, the show has become less about just farming trade. It has grown into a big outdoor event with shopping, learning, and entertainment for everyone.

The show has only been cancelled a few times. It was cancelled in 1919, and then in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 lockdowns. In 2024, the show was first cancelled due to money problems. However, it was later brought back and went ahead as The Christchurch Show. In 2022, about 115,000 people visited. In 2023, the attendance grew to 125,000 visitors.

Show Day: A Special Holiday

New Zealand has a special holiday for each region called an "anniversary day." For the Canterbury Province, this holiday was originally December 16. This date marks when the first two ships, the Charlotte Jane and the Randolph, arrived in 1850.

For many years, the Friday of the A&P Show was known as "People's Day" or "Show Day." Sometime between 1955 and 1958, the Christchurch City Council decided to move the official anniversary day. They made it happen on the same day as Show Day. This meant banks and businesses could close, allowing more people to enjoy the A&P Show.

Show Day is usually the second Friday after the first Tuesday in November. This timing helps make sure it doesn't happen at the same time as the Melbourne Cup horse race in Australia. While mid and North Canterbury celebrate this Show Day, South Canterbury has its anniversary day in September.

Christchurch Cup Week Events

The New Zealand Agricultural Show happens during a busy time called "Cup Week." This week also features several important horse and greyhound races:

• The New Zealand Trotting Cup for harness racing (horses pulling carts) is on the Tuesday at Addington Raceway.
• The New Zealand Cup for Greyhounds is on the Thursday at Addington Raceway.
• The New Zealand Cup for thoroughbred racing (galloping horses) is on the Saturday at Riccarton Park Racecourse.

These race meetings include many other exciting races for each type of animal.

See also

• Harness racing in New Zealand
• Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand