A&P shows, or indeed any event in a small or rural town, are so important – and, in my eyes, so exciting. Events give communities an opportunity to thrive, connect, share and celebrate, and sometimes bring out a bit of the old “friendly” competitive spirit. The Mt Benger A&P Show in my hometown of Roxburgh inspired me this year to host a home industry-style Chatham Islands Craft and Flower Show – the first of its kind here, I am told. I had been thinking about bringing an event like this to the Chathams for a few years, but never had the time or energy for it to move past just being a thought. Then last year I spotted an ad for Creative Communities funding, and the idea spurred into life.
After successfully securing some funding, I began planning. My very clever friend – and fellow Shepherdess team member – Ash Ryan helped with the design work, and I more or less took care of the rest. As with any event run for the first time, people had lots of questions. “Do I need to register?” “Do meringues count as unbaked slice?” “Is bacon jam a sweet or savoury preserve?” “Is a homemade card like homemade paper?” And, my favourite question of all, “Are there any categories that would suit men to enter?” My reply was, “Yes, all of them.” The bloke enquiring then asked, “Well, how am I meant to find time to do any of this?!
I was petrified that no one would even turn up and that no one was going to understand how the show would work. Then, in the week leading up to the event, a large storm passed over the Chathams bringing heavy rain and gale-force wind. All I could think of was flowers being blown over and destroyed! All the same, the day arrived, the sun was shining – an absolute miracle – and I had a great team of volunteers to help with organising the entries and, of course, with the all-important job of judging. It all turned out to be a complete hit! We had over 160 entries and the hall was packed with locals and visitors alike.
The show, hosted at the local community hub, The Den, included categories for flowers, bouquets, knitting, sewing, artwork and a colouring competition for the kids. Creating a scene in a pāua shell was a favourite with the kids – creations included miniature dinosaur, mermaid and scuba diver scenes. You could tell so much thought and care had been taken to get things just right. Elsewhere, we had bread rolls, baking, local honey, jams and chutneys. And despite the awful weather just a few days prior, we had the most magnificent variety of flowers. Of course, no local event would be complete without a sausage sizzle and bake sale fundraiser for the local school.
Although I really didn’t need another excuse, the show gave me – along with so many others here – permission to spend more time growing and crafting and then somewhere to show this all off. It was such a wonderful opportunity for people to share their creative talents and what they have been carefully growing in the garden, and for children and families to work together creating small masterpieces. The day brought so much joy to everyone involved and, by popular demand, it will most certainly be back again next year.
Glossary. Pāua, abalone.
This story featured in our Takurua Winter 2026 Edition.
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