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Waipara Winehouse has undergone extensive refurbishment since Stuart and Judith Clumpas took ownership in 2023. When Scottish music promoter Stuart Clumpas first visited Waipara Winehouse three years ago, he immediately saw an opportunity. The vineyards. The wide North Canterbury skies. The proximity to Christchurch, while still feeling unmistakably rural. “I looked at it and thought: this could really work,” he says. Now, just a few years later, Stuart Clumpas with wife and

The Canterbury A&P Show’s return to its traditional Wednesday-to-Friday format has gained a significant vote of confidence, with farmer-owned co-operative Ravensdown signing on as naming-rights sponsor for the next two years. Now known as the Ravensdown Canterbury A&P Show, the partnership comes as the Canterbury A&P Association continues to strengthen the event’s financial position and sharpen its focus on agriculture, farmers and the rural businesses that have long been at

Ashley Rakahuri School pupils get behind the PTA’s ambitious Ford Ranger raffle fundraiser for a new playground. From left: Emmy Gregory-Hunt, Brody Gregory-Hunt, Stevie Dyer, Lucy Young, Zoey Gascoyne, Milla Dyer, Evie Clifford and Beaudan Clifford. Supplied. After five years of fundraising for a new playground, Ashley Rakahuri School parents realised they were facing a frustrating problem. They were raising money, but inflation was rising almost as quickly. “We were finding

BetterMan founders Ryan Astle, Todd Astle and Ged Robinson are taking their popular Quiz and Some Other Shizz format rural, with the first Rural Edition being held at Terrace Downs in partnership with Mid Canterbury and North Canterbury Rural Support Trusts. Mid Canterbury and North Canterbury Rural Support Trust is teaming up with men’s wellbeing charity BetterMan for a different kind of rural mental health event, one built around quizzes, competition, humour and a good nig

Kylie Dorr (center) receiving her award for Supreme Winner of the 2026 NZI Rural Women Business Awards at Parliament from NZI’s Christina Chellow (right) and Kylie’s supporter and mother Sandy Dorr (Left). Kylie Dorr admits she was in shock when her name was called as the Supreme Winner of the 2026 NZI Rural Women Business Awards. The owner of Southern Reproductive had already taken out the Emerging Enterprise category at the awards before being named the overall winner at

More than 120 women from across New Zealand’s seed and arable sectors attended the annual Women in Seed Forum in Christchurch. Claire Inkson More than 120 women from across New Zealand’s seed and arable sectors gathered in Christchurch for the annual Women in Seed Forum, a day focused on leadership, innovation, wellbeing, business and connection within the industry. Hosted by Seed and Grain New Zealand on May 28, the event brought together women working across the sector for

Can a chicken climb stairs? Do a high jump? Achieve total spherical excellence? Chickenstock 2026 provided an official verdict: yes, they can (mostly.) Not quite Woodstock, and with far too much personality for regular chicken stock, Chickenstock 2026 is Canterbury’s “premier poultry athletics event”, delivering the kind of passionate crowd usually reserved for international sporting finals. Organised by Mark Chirnside, barista by day, musician by night, and curator of elite

Men’s champion Jay Reeve and Women’s champion Abbey MacDonald celebrate after earning their place at the World Stone Skimming Championships in Scotland. Photo Deanna Gerlach An icy start on the shores of Lake Hāwea did little to deter the crowds gathering for the inaugural Aotearoa Stone Skimming Championships. The event, held on May 16, was presented by Novus Glass supporting Melanoma New Zealand. Wrapped in puffer jackets and beanies, spectators lined the lake edge while c

Comedian Tom Sainsbury is used to travelling around the country to perform, but when he takes the stage in Gore during the Tussock Country Music Festival this May, it will feel more like returning a favour. Sainsbury says it was noticing how many people from Gore were travelling to see his shows elsewhere that prompted the decision. “Every time I go and do a show down there, people travel from far and away from Gore to come and see me,” he said. “And I feel terrible about it.

Tussock Country is back in Gore this May with its biggest programme yet, stretching across 10 days and more than 80 events. Festival promotions and event co-ordinator Annabel Roy says the festival has grown well beyond a single weekend, now spanning two weekends and running through King’s Birthday weekend. “It’s a 10-day festival, which in itself is quite unique,” Roy said. “It’s always the last week of May, it’s cold, so all the venues are cosy. There are fireplaces. There’s

Colin Maw with a vintage tractor and plough at the Methven A&P Show on March 14, ahead of the 2026 New Zealand Ploughing Championships. Claire Inkson Before GPS, before minimum till, before modern machinery - there was the plough. This April, that history returns to the paddock in Methven for the first time since 2010. The 2026 New Zealand Ploughing Championships and Methven Country Fair will bring together some of the country’s top ploughmen and women, along with a full week

The shores of Lake Hāwea Station will host the inaugural Aotearoa Stone Skimming Championships, with alpine views providing a dramatic backdrop for the event. What could be more kiwi than skimming stones? A flat rock, a stretch of water, a bit of friendly competition - and suddenly everyone’s eight years old again. That simple lakeside pastime is about to get a national stage, with the first-ever Aotearoa Stone Skimming Championships set for May 16 at Lake Hāwea Station. The

The Methven A&P Show is set to return on March 21, with a growing ute muster and a Ford Ranger world record attempt running alongside the day’s traditional programme. The ute-focused events have quickly become one of the show’s biggest drawcards, bringing an extra layer of energy and competition to the showgrounds. “There’s been a lot of talk about it. Every time I go out, someone mentions it,” show president Mike McKenzie said. With over $6000 worth of prizes up for grabs, h

For many, the first thing that comes to mind when the Mayfield Show is mentioned is the pig racing. There aren’t many events that can claim a century of crowds, competitions, and community spirit. But on March 14, the Mayfield A&P Show will do just that, celebrating its 100th show with a day that promises to be as lively and family-friendly as ever. From livestock judging to trade stalls, tractor pulls and the famous pig racing, the Mayfield Show has built a reputation as one

A Merino ram is assessed during livestock judging, highlighting the strong agricultural focus at the heart of the Wānaka A&P Show. Supplied The Wānaka A&P Show has grown into one of the South Island’s biggest rural gatherings - but at its heart, it remains exactly what an A&P show should be: a celebration of farming, families and community. Running over two days in mid-March, the show draws farmers from across the lower South Island, many of whom lock it into their calendars

1. No driving, no worries. Visitors to the North Canterbury Wine & Food Festival can rise the rails to the vent this year on The Mainlander Train. Supplied. There is something satisfying about arriving at a summer festival without the stress of driving, parking, and working out how you are getting home at the end of the day. On Sunday March 8, festivalgoers can do exactly that, with a dedicated passenger train running from Christchurch straight to the gates of the North

Jack Jordan in action, driving the axe into the block as chips fly. Supplied. World champion axeman Jack Jordan will be one of the headline acts at this year’s Amuri A&P Show on March 7, bringing international-level woodchopping back to a grassroots country stage. Jordan, who farms sheep and beef in the King Country, said balancing life on farm with competing at the top level of the sport was part of the job. “Farming certainly helps being reasonably fit, but when you are tra

One of the standout features of the show will be woodchopping, which will see a New Zealand versus Australia test series held as part of a three-day timber sports programme. There will be the crack of axes, the rumble of jet boats, the thud of hooves and the smell of hot pies in the air. For one day, Rotherham will come alive as the Amuri A&P Show marks 110 years, bringing together everything that makes a country show what it is - livestock, competition, community and a good

Omihi School is inviting locals and visitors alike to come together for an evening of food, connection and community when Food Truck Friday returns to Omihi Community Hall on Friday, March 6. Now in its third year, the event runs from 5pm to 9pm and is designed as a relaxed community gathering rather than a fundraiser. Principal Maree Lucas says the idea grew from a desire to reconnect people after COVID and create something welcoming for the wider rural community. “It’s not

Festival director Kristy McGregor says the Shepherdess Muster is about “filling your own cup so you can give back to everyone else.” Supplied From 6–8 March 2026, the small Southland community of Tokanui will host the Shepherdess Muster – a three-day festival created to give women something many don’t allow themselves very often: time. Festival director and Shepherdess magazine publisher Kristy McGregor describes it as a deliberate pause from the constant demands many women c