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Gordon Smith retires as Chair of Manfeild Park Trust
2 July 2021
After nearly six years as Chair of the Manfeild Park Trust Board, Gordon Smith has retired, and the search is on for a new Chair.
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In his time as the trust chair, Manfeild has become profitable and attracted several key events to the venue that have benefited the District and the wider region, as well as the National Driver Training Centre.
Manawatū District Mayor Helen Worboys and spokesperson for the Manfeild settlors says that Smith has contributed positively in his position as Chair and he leaves Manfeild in a strong position.
“Gordon has done an incredible job in his time as Chair. His efforts are greatly appreciated by -
New Trustee appointed to Manfeild Park Trust Board
25 August 2020
After an extensive search for a new trustee, The Manfeild Park Trust Electoral College is pleased to announce the appointment of Shayne Harris to the trust board. With 19 very high caliber applicants applying for the one position, Shayne was seen as the best by the Electoral College. Board members are appointed by the three settlors of Manfeild, Manawatu District Council, Manawatu Car Club and Feilding A&P Show. "As original settlors of Manfeild Park, the Manawatu Car Club is excited to have Shayne Harris joining the Manfeild Park Trust Board. We believe his wealth of knowledge and experience will be a huge asset to Manfeild for many
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Manfeild, CD Field Days support buses
12 March 2020
An annual rural showcase at Manfeild that delivers as Manawatu’s biggest crowd draw and revenue-spinner has raised thought from the host and organiser about how city support might increase. Central Districts Field Days, this year spanning March 19-21, creates an impressively-sized temporary town that becomes a primary agribusiness focus for many thousands of attendees poring over millions of dollars’ worth of exhibits spread around more than 600 stands. This national attraction also serves as a powerful reminder of Manawatu’s status as a key agriculture hub. Statistics showing 68 percent of exhibitors and 48 percent of
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Manfeild Gardens
28 February 2020
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
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Certain liberties for time scale notwithstanding, this Chinese proverb is one that is being taken to heart at Manfeild Park.
The Manawatu’s most diverse events centre is going back to its roots; more exactly, in giving a green-fingered refresh to its trees and plants, especially those that border the facility’s main thoroughfare from South St, Feilding.
Nature has not been wholly kind to the mainly Native specimens lining Brendon Hartley Drive, the boulevard celebrating the locally-born international motorsport star’s links -
Veterans for Manfeild show
19 February 2020
WHEN does a diehard enthusiast become an outright obsessive?
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It’s likely a fine line differentiating one from the other when it comes to collecting and curating vintage farm machinery, two involvers have to smilingly agree.
Manawatu Machinery Club members Ian Capstick and David Dench each have sizeable collections.
Though their individual tastes differ – Capstick, who grew up on a farm but ran a townie business for all his working life, favours tractors and implements from the 1930s while retired farmer Dench has a particular taste for the International Harvester brand – they are united about the importance of -
Manfeild delighted Smith back for 2020
17 January 2020
CONTESTING next month’s New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild leaves national motorsport treasure Ken Smith tantalisingly close to achieving an ambition he’s been progressively realising at the Feilding venue.
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The 78-year-old icon’s long-standing desire is to achieve a personal goal of 50 starts in the nation’s biggest domestic circuit event.
His return to the Castrol Toyota Racing Series for the class’s big finale at Manfeild on February 15-16, will take that count to 49.
That this quest has been largely fulfilling on Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon during the TRS era is highly appropriate, venue chief -
Manfeild delighted by Lawson return
15 January 2020
KNOWING the ace Kiwi winner of last year’s New Zealand Grand Prix will defend his title on Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon next month is a delight for the venue.
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Kathy Gibson, chief executive of the Feilding multi-events facility, says seeing Liam Lawson, also the reigning champion, fighting to keep the title ‘local’ adds even more spice to the February 15-16 race weekend.
“A constant about the Grand Prix at Manfeild is that it has always been a total thriller.
“I cannot imagine next month’s race being any less intense – the field is packed with top international -
Manfeild home to call service enhancement
10 December 2019
INCREASING demand by venue users for specific cellular services and recognition that Feilding’s existing mobile and digital reach was hitting peak have influenced a new feature at Manfeild Park.
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The importance of the 20-metre telecommunications tower commissioned by Spark New Zealand goes well beyond it being the tallest free-standing feature at the venue.
Standing adjacent to the carpark servicing the facility’s landmark Manfeild Stadium, the 3G and 4G-enabled technology will prove massively timely as the property continues to attract important events that demand the best and latest in digital -
Manfeild Hosting Deer Experts
12 November 2019
“We produce the world’s best – and that’s a reputation we want to keep.”
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New Zealand deer velvet quality control begins with events such as one coming to Manfeild, explains a local industry involver.
Craig Hocken, who farms deer near Colyton, is an organiser of the November 28-30 North Island Velvet Competition, expected to draw more than 70 entries to Manfeild Park for judging and display of velvet and hard antlers.
Manfeild Park chief executive Kathy Gibson sees this as exciting hosting opportunity for the venue. Velvet production involves the majority of New -
Manfeild familiar to Ingram
24 October 2019
THE thrill of driving the most powerful single seater racing cars in New Zealand tempered with recognition that the machines – and often their drivers – are irreplaceable legends of speed.
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An aspect of New Zealand’s world-leading SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series, kicking off at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon next month, makes it uniquely different to any other motor-racing series.
Manawatu driver Kevin Ingram’s competitive spirit has been re-energised by joining this homage to an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions -
Manfeild Host's Vintage Car Swap Meet
4 October 2019
WHAT to buy a 100-year-old becomes a question of ever-increasing relevance with each passing year of a Manfeild-based event for vintage vehicle enthusiasts.
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The Manawatu branch of the Vintage Car Club’s annual swap meeting, at Manfeild Stadium tomorrow (October 5), is a nationally-renowned mecca with proven record for being one of the best opportunities to lay hands on rare spares.
In respect to that aspect, it is potentially set to enter a gold era from now on, with an increasing count of club members’ vehicles set to hit their 100 th year since manufacture.
That reflects a big change in the car business that occurred -
Manfeild a happy 'home' to Higgins
17 September 2019
THE civil construction company that brought Manfeild into being five decades ago is today using the venue to bring new careers into life.
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Civil trades and operator practical training as well as seminars by the Palmerston North-based icon business Higgins are a regular feature at the Feilding venue.
The annual Operator Boot Camps since 2017, leadership conferences and specialist skills training have drawn a massive participant count and enabled the firm to teach new skills, current best practice and expand the knowledge base of hundreds of their staff.
This year’s activities have included training in asphalt paving, chip -
Manfeild set to be MX-5 central
13 September 2019
DESCENDED from classic 1960s’ icons, dedicated to a pure driving experience … the world’s biggest-selling roadster, with a cult following.
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Motoring buffs need no more clues than these to pinpoint the subject of this adulation.
The Mazda MX-5 is a budget baby two-seater that’s won more than one million owners in 30 years of production over four generations, enduring recipe of top-down fun and a pure driving experience proving particularly popular in New Zealand.
Little wonder the Mazda MX-5 Club of New Zealand’s activity on Manfeild’s Circuit Chris Amon on September 22 has drawn a full house of 50 -
Manfeild chief executive announced
20 August 2019
“The time has come for Manfeild Park to take its rightful place as a leading sports and events facility in the lower North Island”.
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This from Kathy Gibson, a Manawatu corporate and community identity announced by Manfeild Park Board of Trustees today as the Feilding amenity’s incoming chief executive officer, from September 30.
Mrs Gibson needs no persuading about the Feilding multi-event centre’s status as a vital regional facility – she’s long been something of a ‘super fan’.
Manfeild was championed during her recent tenure -
Manfeild a Hot Spot for Fire Fighters
19 August 2019
Fire rescue crews from around the country will be at Manfeild later this week for the United Fire Brigades’ Association national drivers challenge.
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AN event at Manfeild this week offers opportunity for the public to show their appreciation of the country’s fire and emergency crews as they undertake a driving skills competition.
The United Fire Brigades’ Association Firefighter Driver Challenge on August 23-24 will contain largely to Circuit Chris Amon and has drawn crews from all around the country.
The UFBA has been using Manfeild for annual skills testing for some years and the previous driving -
Morrie for Manfeild hot rod day
31 July 2019
AMONG treats awaiting rev heads making pilgrimage to Feilding’s home of horsepower on Saturday is a madcap ‘Morrie’.
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Manfeild Park’ s massive stadium and the adjacent Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon will be a hive of activity for the annual Palmerston North Hot Rod Club swap meet.
Standing tall will be Tim Rush’s 1965 Morris FGK60 flat deck powered by a GM/Holden all-aluminium LS2 V8 motor running into a four-speed automatic transmission.
Because? Primarily, it’s a transporter for a 1970 Begg FM4 Formula 5000 car Tim races in historic motorsport; a jewel of Feilding’s famed Rush -
Manfeild set for huge car culture weekend
2 April 2019
CALL it ‘magnetic Manfeild’ – the Feilding venue’s ability to pull in huge crowds for a massive celebration of modern car culture is set to be demonstrated again this weekend.
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Aimed at the modified after-market scene but also tailored to be family-friendly, the V4 (four-cylinder) and Rotary Chrome Expression and Jamboree over Saturday and Sunday enters its 10 th year looking stronger than ever.
A schedule offering everything from passenger rides on world-renowned Circuit Chris Amon to sessions of racing, burnouts, drifting and drag racing, plus a big array of other entertainment, has -
Reining shines at Manfeild
2 April 2019
A WESTERN riding discipline that demonstrates how closely humans and horses can connect is staging at Manfeild soon.
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Reining is a horsemanship competition born in the United States in which the riders guide their mounts through a precise pattern of circles, spins and stops.
It has an enthusiastic and growing New Zealand following, with core support from this region.
“We have many local members from Feilding and within the lower North Island who will be attending,” says Pauline Scahill, explaining the impetus for why the New Zealand Reining Association choosing Manfeild Stadium as venue for the ‘Summer Reining and -
Manfeild readies for 2019 Field Days
13 March 2019
BIG and getting bigger – and Manfeild couldn’t be happier.
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Central Districts Field Days creates one of the biggest temporary towns in New Zealand.
The long-term annual attraction transforms Manfeild into a primary agribusiness focus for many thousands of attendees poring over millions of dollars’ worth of exhibits and reminds why the Manawatu region is a key agriculture hub.
The 2019 show spanning March 14-16 is set to bring an increase in show stands, with more than 600 booked.
This requires a rejig of the layout yet, with one of the Feilding facility’s strengths being space in abundance, finding room for -
More drama in New Zealand as Lawson wins GP and title
12 February 2019
Toyota Racing New Zealand Media Release
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Liam Lawson is the 2019 New Zealand Grand Prix winner and the Castrol Toyota Racing Series champion after a dramatic finale at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon this afternoon in the Manawatu.
In a race peppered by Safety Cars, race stoppages and penalties, Lawson emerged through it all to take both prizes. A devastated Marcus Armstrong was given a five second penalty for a move on Lawson during the race, but it proved to be academic. Once Lawson had established himself in second place late on after the third race restart, there was nothing Armstrong could do to prevent Lawson winning the series -
HIGHEST quality equestrian competition is coming to Manfeild next month
30 January 2019
The Bates National Dressage Championships has been an annual occurrence at the Feilding venue since 2014.
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The 2019 competition on February 14 -17 has high significance as the year’s first world ranking points-scoring opportunity for riders looking to make the cut for New Zealand’s entry to 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.
The Dressage Nationals and subsequent Horse of the Year, in March, are the primary national occasions for riders to gain points; thereafter the best opportunities require travel to Australia, from May.
It is also the sport’s first international event since New Zealand was named as second placeholder -
Manfeild NZGP ticket promo a hot deal
28 January 2019
IMPETUS by the New Zealand Grand Prix’s promoter to deliver an astoundingly sharp ticket price for the country’s biggest national motorsport event has delighted the chief executive of host venue Manfeild, who says motorsport fans would be crazy not to take full advantage.
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A promotion by Speed Works Events specific to the February 8-10 meeting on Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon effectively means patrons will, if coming in on a double ticket bought through the vendor’s promotion, pay just $10 for an individual weekend ticket that has a full retail value of $80.
Julie Keane, chief executive of the Feilding venue, says it -
Manfeild’s Aussie celebration in good heart
18 January 2019
SENTIMENTALITY is proving a powerful fuel for an annual celebration of Australian cars.
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The upcoming 2019 All Aussie Car Show at Manfeild is the second staged since car manufacturing ceased across the Tasman and, while that loss is keenly felt, growing nostalgia is likely lifting the status of this popular charity event.
Organiser Dwayne Burrell, of Feilding, is confident the display has a good future and will forge a stronger reputation as time goes on.
“I’m not sure if it’s just pure nostalgia but its profile just seems to build up just that little bit more every year.
“This year’s -
Manfeild’s Aussie celebration in good heart
18 January 2019
SENTIMENTALITY is proving a powerful fuel for an annual celebration of Australian cars.
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The upcoming 2019 All Aussie Car Show at Manfeild is the second staged since car manufacturing ceased across the Tasman and, while that loss is keenly felt, growing nostalgia is likely lifting the status of this popular charity event.
Organiser Dwayne Burrell, of Feilding, is confident the display has a good future and will forge a stronger reputation as time goes on.
“I’m not sure if it’s just pure nostalgia but its profile just seems to build up just that little bit more every year.
“This year’s -
Manfeild’s Aussie celebration in good heart
18 January 2019
SENTIMENTALITY is proving a powerful fuel for an annual celebration of Australian cars.
Read More
The upcoming 2019 All Aussie Car Show at Manfeild is the second staged since car manufacturing ceased across the Tasman and, while that loss is keenly felt, growing nostalgia is likely lifting the status of this popular charity event.
Organiser Dwayne Burrell, of Feilding, is confident the display has a good future and will forge a stronger reputation as time goes on.
“I’m not sure if it’s just pure nostalgia but its profile just seems to build up just that little bit more every year.
“This year’s -
Car show with Australian flavour revving up for Starship Foundation
10 January 2019
Rev up your Holdens and ignite your Falcons, Feilding's Manfeild Park is about to be over-run by Australians.
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Since the manufacturing of the Australian car assembly ceased in 2017, the All Aussie Car Show will forge a stronger reputation as time goes on.
The show returns to Manfeild for its eighth visit on January 26, over which time it has raised more than $15,000 for the Starship Foundation.
Organiser Dwayne Burrell said owners of about 200 historic cars usually turned up with their pride and joy. Some even let children climb into the driver's seat and check out the bells and whistles.
A -
New Zealand drifting grand final moves from Pukekohe to Manawatū
10 January 2019
Smokey circles, deafening engines and the stink of burnt rubber will ring out from a Manawatū raceway as it gears up to host New Zealand's coveted drifting championship.
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The D1NZ grand final will come to Feilding's Manfeild Park for the first time when it rolls into town on April 26.
The event's finale has spent the last four years at Pukekohe Park Raceway, regarded as the spiritual home of drifting, although the Auckland track will only host round four this season.
Organiser Brendon White said the competition would be brought forward two months to seek warmer -
Manfeild round excites teen
12 December 2018
HEADING to his home track this weekend for the second round of a motorcycle series in which he has made a strong start excites a Sanson teenager.
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Shane Miller comes to Manfeild in Feilding holding third equal in the GIXXER Cup, a competition designed to get young bloods back into motorcycle road and track racing. Hence the tagline: ‘Growing Future Champions.’
His hope about this second outing, part of the Suzuki Series, providing good opportunity to further build on a great run at the December 8-9 opener at Taupo, rests on his intimacy with Circuit Chris Amon.
“It’s the track on which I’ve put in the -
So much talent heading to Suzuki Series start line
4 December 2018
For three weeks each December, the speed of life quickens as the annual Suzuki Series weaves its magic.
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Bike racers, engineers and mechanics, team managers, sponsors and the many fans all become engrossed in this special 'mini' season of pre-nationals racing.
This year's annual three-round Suzuki Series kicks off at Taupo's Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park this Sunday, December 9, and there's no let-up with the series heading to the Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon, on the outskirts of Feilding, for round two just a week later, on December 16, before its traditional Boxing Day finale on Whanganui's famous Cemetery Circuit.
It has been -
Manfeild Park Trust granted $2.8million to deliver national driver training project
15 November 2018
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has today announced $2.8million of funding for the Manfeild Park Trust to develop its National Driver Training Centre.
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The $2.8m Provincial Growth Fund investment will be used by the Manfeild Park Trust to develop the facility, expanding the current Class 1 driver training programme to deliver a full suite of driver training; including class 2 - 5 (heavy/commercial licences), wheels, tracks and rollers and civil construction.
As the first facility of its kind in New Zealand, Manfeild Chief Executive Julie Keane says that the National Driver Training Centre provides a solution to -
Manfeild drift event for charity
13 November 2018
OPPORTUNITY to check out a locally-developed car that has taken its motorsport sphere by screaming storm will come at Manfeild on Saturday, November 17.
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A charity event for suicide awareness co-ordinated by the Manawatu Car Club’s drift committee, ShowVember is a free-entry activity that corrals a wide variety of track-themed performance cars for public scrutiny, with specific focus on the world’s fastest-growing motorsport, drifting.
A big count of slide-tastic cars will be competing on Circuit Chris Amon, with the winner being crowned ‘King of ShowVember’.
The New Zealand Grand Prix-hosting layout will also -
Manfeild classic revs up
7 November 2018
CLASSIC racing is about more than pure competition – another draw is the camaraderie.
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The enthusiast spirit that drives this weekend’s MG Classic on Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon is why this annual chance for drivers of all types of classic car to get onto the track and let rip remains so popular.
So says Dean Curtis, of Palmerston North, whose Ford Escort RS has become a regular sight over the years, winning huge admiration for not only being an exciting pace-setter but also because of the impeccable standard of presentation.
“We really look forward to the MG meeting, it’s just a really good event that draws a -
Manfeild tops with police training
25 October 2018
AN environment dedicated to motorsport prowess is also being credited with elevating the skills of guardians of our roads.
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Incredibly, the Manfeild Park facility in Feilding is heading toward clocking half a century of continuous association with New Zealand Police driver training.
A programme that brings police vehicles and staff to Circuit Chris Amon on an almost weekly basis is celebrated as a core activity that conforms comfortably with the facility’s emergent National Driver Training Centre speciality, says chief executive Julie Keane.
“One strong reinforcement of our belief that Manfeild Park should and will be the -
Manfeild programme aiding highway project
24 October 2018
Manfeild’s ground-breaking driver training programme stands ready to provide support to the biggest civil engineering project in the Manawatu in many years.
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Carving out a route to wholly replace the now defunct Manawatu Gorge segment of State Highway Three is a multi-million dollar impetus demanding a large local workforce, many having to operate specialist machinery.
The Feilding facility’s National Driver Training Centre will facilitate the needs of hundreds of workers desiring to upskill to that level.
“Construction of the Gorge replacement road and bypass are major undertakings to commence by 2020 so there is a -
Manfeild's vintage outing
4 October 2018
“How it gets up in the morning is how it will go for the rest of the day.”
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Vintage car buff Dave Livingston isn’t outright saying his 1927 Paige coupe is cantankerous, but he does suggest there’s a reason why it has earned a certain epithet.
“We call her ‘Mrs Paige’ … because she does have a bit of a mind of her own in respect to how she runs.”
So, on some days sweet and loveable – and on others a bit rough-voiced and not to be messed with.
Still, that’s how it goes with old cars and the one that has just hit its ninth decade gets plenty of love and understanding -
Manfeild grandstands removed
28 September 2018
THE ease of demolition of three Manfeild Park buildings is a powerful reminder why their time had come.
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Grandstands bordering Brendon Hartley Drive, the main access into the venue from Feilding’s South St, have now been toppled.
The buildings’ fate was sealed through abject inability to meet code compliance for earthquake risk.
The poor state of the structures, also influenced by an asbestos and fire danger risk, was highlighted during demolition, Manfeild Park operations manager Steve Easthope says.
“It has been a great relief for us that the buildings are finally down.”
The grandstands dated to the -
Christmas market at Manfeild
27 September 2018
FESTIVE cheer will fill Manfeild Stadium when it hosts the country’s biggest indoor Christmas market.
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The October 12-13 occasion is the latest brainchild of Gary and Heather Philip and is an exciting adjunct to the hugely-popular annual mid-year Feilding Craft Market they stage at the venue, with a ton of ‘special somethings’ promised.
“We are really excited about having Feilding Craft Market's big Christmas market at Manfeild,” Mrs Philip says.
“It’s going to be huge.”
Having the market in October gives shoppers the chance to get their Christmas shopping done early, she says. -
Manfeild mini moto’s electric edge
25 September 2018
THE major annual event at Manfeild where secondary school students race mini motorcycles they have developed has followed latest trend and gone electric.
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The spirit of inventiveness synonymous with the New Zealand Secondary Schools Mini Moto Racing has seen Manawatu schools and a local learning institute plug into the potential of battery-compelled bikes.
Machines created by Feilding High School, Freyberg High School, St Peters College and Palmerston North’s UCOL will add quiet and Green-minded flavour to the October 16-17 outing in which pupils from 12 schools race motorcycles they've designed and built to gain NCEA unit -
Manfeild tattoo moment recalled
14 September 2018
SEVEN years and four shows on, it remains the moment that captures the spirit of an epic Manfeild Stadium occasion returning on September 30.
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The grand finale moment of the 2010 Highland Tattoo at the Feilding venue … all performers take the stage; the pipes are skirling, drums beating.
And leading this ensemble, the tall Drum Major, this time in the company of a wee cherubic boy, also dressed in full Highland regalia.
It’s easy to imagine that everyone there would remember the day … yet, actually, the one who made the moment, who took the hand of a friendly stranger and walked into the spotlight is quietly -
Manfeild hot rod show benefits Canteen
2 August 2018
CIRCUIT cruising is a can-do component of an annual cool car culture captivator at Manfeild that will this year benefit Canteen.
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Organisers of Saturday’s (August 4) swap meet and hot rod display and track ride experience operated by the Palmerston North Hot Rod Club are delighted this year’s event will benefit the local branch of an organisation providing life-saving support for young New Zealanders impacted by cancer.
Hundreds of vehicles drawn from throughout the country are set to be shown off at the Feilding venue for an event that, in addition to being the country’s oldest continual swap meet, is also a superb -
Manfeild prepped for ENEOS finale
17 July 2018
MANFEILD’S fast and challenging layout will add extra spice to this Saturday’s (July 21) finale of an endurance car race series.
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With points still so close that more than half the entrants stand a mathematical chance of victory, the free-to-view third and final leg of the most competitive ENEOS North Island Endurance Series season to date will likely be an extreme paced epic.
Any one of the top 16 teams in the title chase, including Palmerston North outfit MIKE Racing, is in with a mathematical shot of winning the drawcard three-hour series, an organiser contends.
“The championship is up for grabs,” says -
Manfeild superb for superbikes
16 July 2018
RETURN of superbike racing to Manfeild next March raises potential for a long-standing lap records being bettered.
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“The advances in tyre and motorbike technology since a national championship event was last held at Manfeild could raise that possibility,” suggests Glen Williams, Motorcycling New Zealand’s President and a firm fan of the Feilding track.
A resurgence of road racing and emergence of fresh rider talent over the past season also fuel this prospect, he adds.
Any challenge to the optimal motorcycle time will be keenly followed. The overall motorbike record of one minute and 5.343 seconds was set by Andrew -
Manfeild perfect for jobFEST
11 June 2018
AN exposition primarily providing students insight into employment opportunities in a regionally-crucial industry is an exciting initiative for host venue Manfeild.
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JobFEST is a first-of-a-kind event on June 20 likely to pull thousands of attendees, the majority comprising year 12 and 13 secondary students from central New Zealand.
An event that provides focus on the transport industry, with 50 companies providing displays and showcasing jobs spanning a multitude of areas of expertise, capitalises on Manfeild Stadium’s impressive display space.
“There is no place better suited in the region for jobFEST than -
Manfeild driving programme recruit call
5 June 2018
ADDITIONAL volunteer mentors to teach students to drive safely are required for a programme operating at Manfeild.
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National Driver Training Centre programme manager Michael Barbour says his call for more recruits is driven by the success of the scheme at one local school.
The rewarding outcomes from a programme at Hato Paora College near Feilding has encouraged other schools in the region to seek involvement.
“Obviously this is great news but it does also raise a challenge,” Mr Barbour said.
““We are delighted to already have some amazing mentors who have generously given their time, yet we are now at a -
Manfeild perfect for huge market
24 May 2018
MORE ‘special somethings’ will be on sale when the biggest indoor craft event in the country comes back to the largest indoor venue of its type in the lower North Island.
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The Feilding Craft Market at Manfeild Stadium has always been a mecca for treasure hunters and this year’s event, on Friday June 8 and Saturday June 9, will elevate that status all the more, organiser Heather Philip suggests.
“We have been travelling the country all year to add those special somethings to our event and have found many wonderful artisans, some of whom have never been to any shows before,” she says.
Garden art -
Manfeild perfect for duathlon
18 May 2018
OPPORTUNITY to compete in an environment similar to a roadscape but without the issues of traffic makes Manfeild a perfect location for an impending duathlon at the Feilding facility.
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A successful outcome of the cycling and running event, to stage on the circuit on the morning of June 10, might lead to Manfeild being favourably considered for higher status competition in the future.
These thoughts are expressed by Barrie Eccles, treasurer of the Manawatu Triathlon Club, which is organising the upcoming interclub race.
His own participation in last year’s six-hour cycling challenge, an annual event staging again this Sunday -
Scholarship racing on at Manfeild
7 May 2018
OPPORTUNITY to race in the United States has further lifted the standing of a star of the future motorsport search that calls Manfeild home.
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Circuit chief executive Julie Keane says the extra shine meted the annual SpeedSport Scholarship reflects the ongoing importance of a generous regionally-orchestrated competition giving its winner a season in the Formula First category.
“Manfeild takes pride that we are part of a scholarship story that further shows our circuit as a breeding ground for future champions.
“I’m delighted that, in addition to continuing to provide the significant prize of entry into the primary -
Manfeild driving programme at school
2 May 2018
IMMERSING in a road safety programme and young driver tuition operating from Manfeild is giving a small college near Feilding an amazing opportunity it intends to maximise.
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Hato Paora College is a Catholic Maori boys’ school at which almost all students are fulltime boarders.
It draws students from all over New Zealand – including the Chatham Islands – and also overseas, including at the moment Kiwi kids whose parents are working in Germany and New York, for up to five years’ education.
This raises one bump on a road Sean Bristow, the acting principal and also the director of teaching and learning, intends -
Crash rescue comp returns to Manfeild
26 April 2018
AN exercise in which fire crews are tested on the ability to extricate road accident victims from smashed vehicles returns to Manfeild next month.
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Sixteen crews, seven from the North Island and the remainder from the South, will be at the Feilding facility on May 24, 25 and 26 to take part in the United Fire Brigades’ Association of New Zealand combined regional road crash rescue challenge.
Held at the Manfeild Stadium and requiring 70 cars donated by regional wrecking yards, this event is very popular with fire brigades.
“Road fatalities and related injuries continue to rise,” UFBA Chief Executive Officer Bill -
Life-saving equipment for Manfeild
6 April 2018
Around 1800 New Zealanders every year are treated for a cardiac arrest in the community and experts suggest survival is often largely due to what assistance comes within the first few minutes.
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A vital piece of equipment that has a proven record in much improving a sufferer’s chances of survival has now been installed at Manfeild.
Julie Keane, chief executive of the popular Feilding facility, says she is delighted the venue now has an automated emergency defibrillator, provisioned as result of a Lion Foundation grant and sourced from Pro Med, the event medical services specialist provider to Manfeild.
Equipment that commonly -
Dressage role celebrated by Manfeild
21 March 2018
CONFIRMATION the New Zealand National Dressage Championships will return to Manfeild in 2019 provides opportunity for the venue to reinforce a previously stated status as the premier national location for the sport.
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The Bates National Dressage Championships has been an annual event at the Feilding venue since 2014, having previously been staged there every two in every three years.
Manfeild chief executive Julie Keane says the 2018 event, on February 15-18, was especially well-supported by riders and spectators and provided the added appeal of internationally-renowned local competitor Julie Brougham winning the championship after years -
Tyre toasting arena enlarged at Manfeild
15 March 2018
PARTICIPANTS in one of the most popular crowd thrills hosted at a big annual celebration of modern car culture at Manfeild are being given more room to play.
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The venue’s burn out pad, a polished concrete low-grip surface on which cars are made to lose traction to the point where the driving tyres smoke heavily, has been enlarged.
Organisers of the V 4 And Rotary North Island Jamboree, which returns to the Feilding venue for a ninth consecutive year on March 24-25, have funded the extension and are excited by the potential a bigger arena brings.
“With the area now around 18 metres by 18 metres we can accommodate -
Field days a bumper crop for Manfeild
8 March 2018
AS the countdown to a landmark Central Districts Field Days begins, organisers and the venue host have taken opportunity to turn back the clock, reflecting on how this rural centrepiece has grown.
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Manfeild chief executive Julie Keane says the instigators of a national classic running on March 15-17 always envisaged it becoming a big thing, yet today’s event has probably outgrown their wildest dreams in terms of its physical size, span of activity and, of course, crowd draw.
“In 1993 this was a small event with about 50 sites taking up a modest area within the circuit layout - this year’s celebration of 25 years of -
Last picture show at Manfeild?
28 February 2018
NEXT weekend’s outdoor movie double-header at Manfeild might yet be the last picture show at the venue.
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So much depends on what sort of turn-out the season finale delivers.
Drive-in movies have been running at the Feilding venue for the past two summers, in either the Manfeild Stadium carpark or on the adjacent oval, and started out as a box office success.
However, dwindling audience counts have led the venue having to consider whether it’s time to stow the big screen.
But there’s one more chance for film buffs to show their support.
Thought is that two 1980s’ American epics, coming-of-age great The -
Manfeild experience wows golf hotshots
23 February 2018
FIVE hard drivers in top-level golf have come to Manfeild for a race car experience that was anything but putt-putt.
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Brad Shilton, David Smail, Harry Bateman, Luke Toomey and Brad Kennedy, all big hitters of the New Zealand PGA Championship running today and all weekend in Palmerston North, enjoyed free time from that competition yesterday (Thursday, February 22) to take a fast ride around Circuit Chris Amon, in the passenger seat of a high-powered European exotic.
Even though some of the guests had experienced performance cars on tracks before – and one, Smail, has such an interest in circuit sport that he is restoring a -
Manfeild, region, promoter pleased with GP
23 February 2018
CONFIDENCE that the New Zealand Grand Prix will continue going from strength to strength at Manfeild with significant regional funding support is total.
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This today from Manfeild chief executive Julie Keane, who says discussion between event stakeholders and the promoter since the February 11 race on Circuit Chris Amon has clarified certainty about the Feilding venue’s host rights’ status and strengthened her optimism that this event will continue to flourish.
“In the past week we have been involved in talks between promoter Speed Works Events, the Palmerston North City Council and Manawatu District Council and have -
Manfeild set for second GP
14 February 2018
THE second phase of Manfeild’s Grand Prix double-header opens tomorrow (Thursday, February 15) with top-flight competition and a massive national turnout expected.
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The Feilding venue has been in a turmoil of activity, with crews cleaning up after the country’s biggest domestic motor-racing event, the New Zealand Grand Prix contested on February 11, synching smoothly with preparation for the Bates NZ Championships.
The country’s largest and most crucial dressage undertaking has attracted a bumper entry of 186 horses and more than 140 riders (because some have more than one mount), with a range of high-profile -
Manfeild impressed by NZGP promotion
26 January 2018
ATTENDANCE of the New Zealand Grand Prix race meeting at Manfeild on February 9-11 will definitely be boosted by a regional ticket giveaway promotion.
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“We understand quite a few Palmerston North and Manawatu ratepayers have taken advantage of the offer of a free three-day pass,” Manfeild chief executive Julie Keane says.
“The preliminary information we have received from the promoter, Speedworks Events, suggests we can anticipate seeing quite a few additional race fans coming to Manfeild: Circuit Chris Amon as result of this promotion, enough to help realise our expectation of this endeavour delivering an increased -
Muscle machines for Manfeild show
16 January 2018
AN epic Aussie ‘phwoarhorse’ is sure to command special attention at an annual car show returning to Manfeild on Saturday (January 20).
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The all-Aussie car show at the Feilding facility takes special significance in its seventh year, not just because the recent end to car-making across the Tasman means it will for the first time be a celebration of past achievement.
The fundraiser for Auckland’s Starship hospital will also deliver chance for fast car fans to look over a very special edition Holden, created as a sign-off to its own car-making chapter in Australia.
In the prelude to ending assembly in October, GM -
Hartley pointing the way at Manfeild
28 December 2017
ANOTHER regional motorsport hero has been permanently honoured by the Manawatu facility where his circuit racing career began.
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Manfeild this morning hosted a celebration of Brendon Hartley, the Palmerston North-born and raised racer whose trophy-rich international motorsport ascendancy was especially stellar this year, culminating with entry into the category he dreamed of entering since age six, Formula One.
Now his amazing year ends with a home ground honour - the naming, as Brendon Hartley Drive, of the main thoroughfare into a venue he has also known since childhood.
Fittingly, the route that comes off South St, Feilding, leads -
Feilding youngster fired up for Manfeild
11 December 2017
WATCHING action at Manfeild and having a dad and older brother compete on two wheels fired the racing ambition of a Feilding teen set to show his talent on his home track this weekend.
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What also got this aspirant into the Suzuki GIXXER Cup, an exciting new start-up series designed to get young bloods back into motorcycle road and track racing, can also be measured in material necessary for starting a good blaze.
The name of the title sponsor on the fuel tank of Justin Maunder’s motorcycle tells a story of fantastic home-built entrepreneurship.
‘Justin’s Killer Kindling’ an enterprise run by the Feilding -
Julie's Column Dec 7
7 December 2017
AS the year draws to a close, our thoughts here at Manfeild are turning toward the New Zealand Grand Prix, a title every driver wants.
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Planning for the February 11-12 event is again guided by the memory of true legend Chris Amon – the 2018 race represents the 50th anniversary of the first of our Bulls’-born friend’s two NZGP title wins while a Ferrari works driver.
Chris was always a firm supporter of keeping the NZGP at Manfeild. His view was that maintaining the event at a single venue enhanced the race’s heritage and he believed Manfeild was the best choice, being so geographically well located and quite -
Manfeild tops with Special Olympics NZ
23 November 2017
WORLD class quality has earned Manfeild repeat host rights to the only 2017 Special Olympics New Zealand event to stage outside of Wellington.
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Thirty-nine riders from throughout the country will come to the Feilding venue for equestrian competition next week that is part of the organisation’s National Summer Games.
Every other event is being staged in and around the Capital, but when it came to the November 28-30 riding competition, only the best would do – that’s Manfeild Park.
The allure today is as it was when the competition last staged there in 2009. Thinking then that the massive indoor and outdoor eventing -
Manfeild demonstrates NDTC reach
21 November 2017
INVITEES to today’s significant Manawatu event addressing driver training for secondary school students were exposed to a rich diversity of activity.
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The National Driver Training Centre, based at Manfeild, has hosted a promotion for school principals, career advisors, gateway co-ordinators, Government departments, corporate partners and funders to showcase existing courses along with future opportunities the emergent venture aims to provide in 2018 and beyond.
Guided demonstration of current activities plus insight into additional involvements still under development was provided, with displays in and around Manfeild Stadium and -
Manfeild sharpens tech edge
13 November 2017
EXTRA polish has been added to Manfeild’s online and phone app technology.
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Just-enacted enhancements to the venue’s website ( www.Manfeild.co.nz) and its smartphone app active for Apple and Android platforms that, when launched in time for the 2017 New Zealand Grand Prix in February was believed to be a New Zealand first and potentially international standard-setter, have left both delivering a whole new user experience.
“We’re really excited by the revisions and we know users will be too,” says Manfeild marketing manager Sarah Hughes.
“Our social media development is a core part of our ongoing -
Classic role for Manfeild’s historic meet
9 November 2017
LEADING every race field but never seeing the finish flag is Russell Byrne’s lot at a historic race car gathering at Manfeild renowned for its rich colour and character.
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The Palmerston North local and longtime Manawatu Car Club member has a key role at this weekend’s The Sound MG Classic, driving the safety car that competing drivers follow to form up on the grid. He then ducks away before the lights go green.
It’s a fun duty for someone who has, in the past, been amongst the competing crowd, in a 1979 series 1 Mazda RX7, and a reminder of the crucial role played by volunteers filling a multitude of duties to ensure -
Manfeild well-placed for policies
3 November 2017
DRIVER training policy expected out of the new Labour-led coalition Government is wholly in tune with aims expressed by a leading locally-based national provider.
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“We are in a great position to deliver on the policies expressed by Labour and by New Zealand First in their respective election campaigns,” says Michael Barbour, project lead for the National Driver Training Centre, operating from Manfeild in Feilding.
“We hope that the new administration will now prioritise their ideas about
introducing driving classes to high school students because we share their conviction that this is a matter of great -
From Man to Manfeild
26 October 2017
A British-born competitor at this weekend’s historic motorcycle racing event at Manfeild has quite a tale to tell.
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Chris Swallow, a Yorkshireman who came to live in New Zealand seven years ago to teach physical education and a motorcycle-automotive course at a Tawa college, is the talk of his sport for setting a speed record at the Isle of Man Classic TT, a classic bike racing mecca event in August.
In nailing a lap average of a fraction over 160kmh on a BSA Gold Star, a bike that came into production in 1938 and was a staple of top-end racing for 20-odd years following, Swallow met a challenge that the machine’s New -
Manfeild minibike action broadcast
17 October 2017
THE eleventh stanza of a national annual secondary students’ miniature motorcycle racing event at Manfeild today and tomorrow can be seen as something new – as in, something new to be seen on a screen.
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For the first time a national event that has massively reinvigorated flagging student interest in manual trade courses is being webcast.
Capturing the action is a Hamilton-based specialist, CTAS, which has plenty of experience of filming motorcycling racing at Manfeild, through live broadcasting of Victoria Motorcycle Club winter series rounds this year, as well as other sports including jet sprints and rugby league.
The -
Manfeild menu’s new ingredient
11 October 2017
CREATING memorably good food is a mix of artistry and craft – that’s a view the expert caterer now taking up an opportunity at Manfeild firmly shares with the cuisine ace who has decided to leave the facility’s kitchen.
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Karen Rusling, whose parents ran a bakery and whose Feilding-based KR’s café and catering has risen to become a celebrated and award-winning regional business, has been named as the exclusive corporate caterer for Manfeild, thus replacing one of the country’s leading culinary experts, Hester Guy, who has chosen a quieter life.
Mrs Rusling is excited about starting a whole new food -
Manfeild ready for old favourites
10 October 2017
FANCY seeing yourself at the wheel of a bone fide pioneer of the roads?
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Owning cars from a bygone time isn’t necessarily a rich man’s dream – at the moment many are no more expensive to buy into than a modest family shopping basket.
The boom in buying up vintage vehicles – anything built between 1919 to 1931 – that hit dizzying heights about 10 years ago has quietened down considerably attests Trevor Hardy, a co-ordinator of an upcoming vintage car swap meet at Manfeild.
Many popular vintages models and even some veterans (the pre-1919s) can be snapped up for good prices, says the Manawatu -
Manfeild puts best paw forward
6 October 2017
TWENTY-five years ago Sue Richardson sought professional assistance when a pup she bought refused to come back when called – today she, her husband and their 10 border collies are award-winning obedience stars.
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‘X’ factors that make all the difference in the competition ring include watchfulness, willingness to please and a happy attitude – not just from the four-legged entrants but also their handlers.
“Dogs are just like us, they have good days and their bad days,” says Ms Richardson, a local organiser of the Blackhawk National Dog Obedience Assembly bringing 230 people and 800 canines to the -
Manfeild well-known to cyclists
29 September 2017
AS novel as the idea of cycling on motor-racing circuits sounds, competitors in a national schools’ event at Manfeild on Monday, October 2, will be forgiven for finding the venue highly familiar.
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Kevin Searle, a Levin identity of the sport and also chairman of Cycling New Zealand Schools, reminds the Feilding circuit’s link with the New Zealand School Road Cycling Championships is exceptionally strong.
“Manfeild has hosted the Points Race at the School Road National Championships since the race was introduced back in 1979.”
Taking the event to the circuit’s main grand prix track, renamed last year as -
Manfeild driver course in synch
23 August 2017
GROWING political interest in introducing driving classes to high school students has been welcomed by an emergent local provider.
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The National Driver Training Centre, operating from Manfeild, has already begun training the region’s students, with a high pass rate.
Michael Barbour, the NDTC project leader, says the recent national focus on preparing youngsters for the road, is heartening.
Over the past few weeks the Labour Party and New Zealand First have each pledged to introduce training programmes and Local Government New Zealand has also spoken out on the subject.
“The importance of a driver licence to perform -
Manfeild driver course gets thumbs up
21 August 2017
THE mother of one of the first graduates of a Manfeild-centred programme readying young drivers for the road has spoken glowingly of the course – as has her daughter.
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The ambition of the facility-backed National Driver Training Centre is to see students achieve a restricted licence, associated NCEA credits and even a defensive driving certificate.
The impetus is that school leavers stand a much better chance of gaining a place in the workforce if they hold a driving licence.
Ali Skelton’s daughter Nelly was among Feilding High School students who recently achieved restricted licences from a course at the Feilding -
Julie’s Column 3 Aug
7 August 2017
EVENTO’S standing as an artistic performance occasion has surely been cemented by this year’s show, at our magnificent Manfeild Stadium last Saturday night (July 27).
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Feilding High School’s wearable art competition holds comfortable status an iconic event, but the 21st coming of age celebration was truly special and I’m sure every one of the 1500 attendees would have been hugely impressed by the quality of the show.
Evento really is something to behold. The music, dance, performance and wearable art combine into an extravaganza that overwhelms the audience with its richness.
Even so, Saturday was extra -
Manfeild a hot spot for fire competition
7 August 2017
MANFEILD is about to feel the heat of a major fire call-out with likelihood of a dozen engines and 90 fire fighters in attendance – but there’s no call for alarm.
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The August 11-12 occasion is purely a drill, being an annual United Fire Brigades’ Association competition that tests driving skills.
The fiercely-contested event will this year draw entrants from Kaitaia at the top of the North Island to the Southland township of Wyndham, representing 53 brigades, the majority being volunteer personnel.
Opportunity to be named the country’s best fire engine driver certainly gets them all fired up, UFBA Events -
Manfeild fulfils dying man’s wish
7 August 2017
A DYING petrolhead’s tyre-smoking drift dream has been fulfilled at Manfeild.
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Jarred Townsend, who is diagnosed with leukaemia and has been told he has weeks to live, is ticking off his bucket list – and one burning desire was to test the mettle of his just-completed high horsepower Nissan Skyline.
That wish was granted on Saturday, August 5, with a full day of drifting at a venue which hosts some of the biggest national events for the now FIA-recognised skid-up sport.
Manfeild and the Manawatu Car Club, which was hosting a motorsport event on the main circuit for the weekend, worked together to realise the -
Extra grunt to Manfeild hot rod show
31 July 2017
AN annual Manfeild event that captures the ethos of cool car culture has extra horsepower this year.
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Organisers of Saturday’s swap meet and hot rod display run by the Palmerston North Hot Rod Club say there has been an upsurge in trade sites, with more than 50 for the 8am start occasion.
The resurgence of interest shows that an event of this size and scale is simply irresistible to the numerous businesses that specialise in selling petrolhead fare, organisers believe.
“Our trade site numbers were down a little over the past couple of years, but not this year – we’re looking good for a great day,” an -
Manfeild Evento vibe captures students
24 July 2017
NATURE being the core theme of Evento seems entirely appropriate for one participant school – Waiopehu College’s involvement appears to be ever-growing.
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Fourteen students from the Levin school are taking part in the 2017 secondary schools’ wearable arts show, at Manfeild Stadium this Saturday night (July 29), an enthusiasm that delights their head of visual arts.
Andrew Yates says he cannot speak highly enough of Feilding High School’s annual demonstration of artistry, enthusiasm and ingenuity in apparel.
In the eight years’ of his own involvement, first at Taihape Area School before coming to the -
Julie's Column 20 July
20 July 2017
MANFEILD’S strong interest in positive youth development is bringing tangible result at this very moment.
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In addition to preparing for our annual instalment of Evento, just a fortnight away and now surely the country’s pre-eminent showcase of school-level wearable arts, our Feilding venue has during this mid-term break been further developing our regional push to get every teenager a driving licence before they leave secondary school.
It is six months since we began a pilot for the Steering Aotearoa driver training initiative that sets out to enable secondary students to achieve at least a restricted licence, associated -
Manfeild farm-scape for contest
6 July 2017
MANFEILD’S massive outdoor arena is converting into a working farm – complete with paddocks, sheep, tractors and grain siloes – in preparation for an event tomorrow that will test the nation’s brightest farming talent.
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Hands’ on activity central to determining the pick of the crop of the nation’s top young farmers is being staged at a venue just minutes from the Feilding central business district.
“This is our first direct involvement with the FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final and we couldn’t be more excited,” Manfeild chief executive Julie Keane said today.
“Young -
Manfeild Evento buzz grows
3 July 2017
“Four weeks to go – and it feels like four minutes. The weeks just fly, there are not enough hours in the day.”
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So says Amanda Street, an architect of Feilding High School’s Wearable Art Show, Evento, much more now than an iconic annual must-see in its home town and all the more important with the 2017 event, on July 29 at Manfeild Stadium, being the 21st.
The ramp up to a show that includes music, dance and performance as well as wearable art, all created by secondary school students, in an extravaganza of colour and sound playing out to an audience of thousands is already under way.
Ticket sales are off to
