Gisborne A&P Spring Show: Local's Favourite Event
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
When: 16 October & Saturday 17 October 2026
Where: Gisborne Showgrounds, 34 Main Road, Makaraka, Gisborne
Official Website: www.gisborneshow.co.nz
Every town has that one event where seemingly everyone turns up.
In Gisborne, it’s the Poverty Bay A&P Spring Show. If you’ve never been before, imagine a giant community reunion where farmers, families, school kids, horse riders, tradies, food lovers and curious visitors all descend on the show grounds for two days of organised chaos, competition and entertainment.
Held annually at the Gisborne Showgrounds in Makaraka, the Poverty Bay A&P Spring Show has been bringing town and country together since 1875. That makes it one of the oldest and longest-running events in the district, surviving world wars, economic downturns, changing fashions and countless muddy gumboots.
More Than Just A Country Show
If you’re imagining a few sheep and a tractor parked in a paddock, think bigger.
The show attracts more than 30,000 visitors across two days and combines traditional rural competitions with carnival rides, food stalls, live entertainment, trade exhibitors and family attractions.
You’ll find:
It’s one of the few places where you can watch a champion shearer, eat a giant hotdog, buy a new ride-on mower, pat a lamb and lose your children to the amusement rides all within about twenty minutes.
A Living Piece of Gisborne History
The Poverty Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Association was established in 1875, only a few years after Gisborne itself began developing as a town. Over the decades, the show became a showcase for the industries that built the region: farming, horticulture, forestry and rural enterprise.
Today, while Gisborne has changed enormously, the show still reflects the district’s rural heart.
Many visitors come for the rides and entertainment. Others come to compete. Some come to catch up with friends they haven’t seen since last year’s show. And a surprising number arrive with military-level planning for which food stalls they’re visiting first.
The Grand Parade
Ask locals what they remember most and many will mention the Grand Parade.
It’s one of those traditions that somehow survives every generation. Prize-winning animals, riders, exhibitors and competitors gather in the main arena in a colourful display that celebrates the people and skills behind the event.
For visitors, it’s also one of the best reminders that this isn’t just an event. It’s a celebration of the community that surrounds Gisborne.
Why Visitors Should Go
If you’re visiting Gisborne in spring, the show offers something many destinations can’t.
It’s not a tourist attraction created for visitors.
It’s a genuine local tradition.
You get to see rural New Zealand in action, meet locals, watch competitions that have been part of the region for generations and experience an event that remains deeply connected to the community that created it.
Plus, where else are you likely to see championship show jumping, speed shearing and a teenager carrying an enormous candyfloss at 9:30 in the morning?
Local Tip
Arrive early.
The crowds build quickly, parking gets busier as the day goes on, and you’ll want plenty of time to explore the exhibits before being distracted by food, rides and the endless stream of things you didn’t know you wanted to see.
The Poverty Bay A&P Spring Show isn’t just one of Gisborne’s biggest events.
For many locals, it’s the weekend that officially announces spring has arrived.
