NZ to host world ploughmen

13 March 2009

Soil toil: Tractors will take centre stage, but horse-drawn ploughing will be displayed at the World Ploughing Championships at Methven next year. Picture: DAVID HALLETT

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The world's best ploughmen will turn over Methven soils next year in their search for tilling glory.

Two ploughmen will represent their country from 30 nations during the two-day World Ploughing Championships in the conventional and reversible ploughing classes, from April 17. Between 400 to 500 overseas supporters and enthusiasts are expected for the plough-off.
Ploughing will be held at the Ridge family's cropping farm near Methven with neighbouring properties supporting practise days and the 2010 national championships to be held over the two days before the world event. About 80 hectares of land is needed to run the events.
NZ Plough 2010 spokesman John Hall said Methven had good ploughing soils and was an ideal location to hold the contest because it was near Christchurch and Ashburton and had good accommodation.
He said competition between Kiwi ploughmen to represent the host country would be stronger than usual as they would want to perform well in front of their home crowd.
The two New Zealanders to contest next year's world championships will be decided at the two-day national championships at John and Esmay Kyle's cropping farm in Seadown, near Timaru from May 2.
Some contestants brought their tractors with them at the last world championships in New Zealand at Outram in 1994.
Ploughmen have the option of freighting ploughs or hiring them.
The world title is usually dominated by farmers or contractors from the United Kingdom and Europe where competitive ploughing is taken seriously.
New Zealand ploughman Ian Miller last took the world crown in 1982 and Alan Wallace won it the year before.
Organisers are confident Methven is a good site to hold the event because its soils can withstand ploughing after rain, while the scenic backdrop of Mt Hutt is expected to appeal to overseas visitors.
"There is a lot of interest from overseas," said Hall. "Ploughmen will come with support teams and people travel around the world to support ploughing and it is a good excuse to come to New Zealand."
Alongside the ploughing championships will be one of the largest displays of vintage machinery in Mid-Canterbury and demonstrations by horse drawn and old mechanised vehicles.
New Zealand has Scott McKenzie from Clinton, South Otago, in the conventional class and Malcolm Taylor from Putaruru, Waikato, in the reversible due to leave for Slovenia for this year's world championships in September.

- © Fairfax NZ News