Motueka farmer Lester Rowntree said the venue was ideal for his venture - the New Zealand Heritage Farm Show - which would include an agridome, bullock teams, blade-shearing, chaff-cutting, horse-and-wagon teams in action and a museum of farm machinery.
The Central Otago District Council manages the racecourse on behalf of the Crown and the land is registered as a racecourse reserve. The council has called for submissions on its intention to lease about 5.5ha of the racecourse land to Mr Rown-tree for the venture. Submissions close on Monday, May 25.
Mr Rowntree said he had been planning the project for about 15 years and believed it would cost between $3 million and $4 million.
"For it to be viable we'll have to attract a good number of people there every day, but I believe it has the potential to be the best farm show in the country."
He has "tested the water" by performing at A and P shows around the country with his Clydesdale horses and bullock teams in recent years, and has a vast collection of old horse-drawn machinery and vehicles.
"Travelling around the shows has proven the demand for what we do, and you'd be surprised how much interest there is in farming as it used to be done at the turn of the century."
It was time to find a base for the collection and the show, he said.
The Cromwell racecourse was perfect and was also close to Queenstown. He had considered locating his operation in Queenstown, but said it would be too expensive to find suitable land and probably too difficult to get planning consent.
The heritage farming show would also including demonstrations of cow-milking, butter-making, blade-shearing, ploughing using a horse team and other items of vintage machinery in action. Deer and tahr would also form part of the display.
New Zealanders as well as overseas visitors would be interested, Mr Rowntree believes.
"It'll be educational and a lot of people will never have seen these things before. It's all part of our country's history."
The project had been his "lifetime dream" and all going well, it could be up and running by December 2010, he said.
Giving approval in principle, the board suggested a lease of up to seven years, with a right to renewal for three more terms.
The proposal
• A lease on 5.5ha of Cromwell racecourse
• The land would border Ripponvale Rd
• A 3500sq m agridome to be constructed
• The farming show would open every day of the year
• It would feature bullocks, horses, sheep, deer and tahr
• Includes a museum to house farming machinery
• Would employ up to 15 people
• Will cost up to $4 million
• Could open by December 2010
