National Fieldays postponed

New Zealand's National Fieldays, billed as the largest agricultural event in the southern hemisphere, won't be going ahead in June due to the covid-19 outbreak.

"As this is an unprecedented environment, we request the time between now and 31 March to present our loyal and longstanding exhibitors and stakeholders with potential options for preserving this event,'' Peter Nation, chief executive officer of the New Zealand National Fieldays Society said in an email seen by BusinessDesk.

Nation said the decision to postpone the Fieldays event scheduled for June 10-13 came after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the government was banning all gatherings of more than 500 people and requiring the cancellation of events such as festivals, fairs, sporting and cultural events.

Further guidance is still to come on smaller events as the week progresses.