HB Showgrounds future guaranteed.

We had a real win before Christmas 2021.

Our iconic HB Showgrounds, which is owned by the Agricultural & Pastoral (A&P) Society, has been and still is financially stressed. Richard Gaddum doesn’t think this is a secret to anybody. Covid most certainly hasn’t helped as events and functions over the last two years, which the A&P Society relies on for its income, have been cancelled.

Mid December 2021, a developer offered $55ml for this iconic 42ha block of land to convert into houses, concrete and asphalt...!

John Bostock got wind of this before it was announced so we pre-empted the announcement to the public with a front page in our HB Today newspaper with disclosure of this, along with a photo of a grumpy looking John and Richard Gaddum denouncing this offer totally as we felt it sacrilege to destroy this iconic piece of real estate.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/.../4C572M2CNZHAS5GEC5PLK3VHRA/

This is our Central Park of New York City and our Hyde Park of London for goodness sake....!! 

The A&P Society were naturally furious with us however the HB public got right behind us which forced the developer to withdraw the offer.

This gave us huge exposure for our "Save the Plains" cause which made not only the HDC sit up and listen but also the wider public realise just how important our fertile soils are. 

We now have a genuine offer from the HDC to purchase 42ha the showgrounds for $7.5ml to hold this greenspace in perpetuity for the people of HB which the general committee of the A&P Society have conditionally approved to proceed.

Approval is still to be had from the A&P Society members as well as the rate payers of the Hastings District.

A wonderful result and in an indirect way, we have a lot to thank the developer for, because if it wasn't for him, this great end result probably wouldn't have happened.