More than 6400 visitors attended the last day of the transport and heavy equipment expo (THE Expo) at Mystery Creek, which culminated with the truck show ‘n’ shine competition.
The event’s organisers worked closely with the Motor Industry Association, NZ Truck-Trailer Manufacturers Federation and NZ Equipment Suppliers Association to ensure the three-day long exhibition was relevant to the industry.
Event manager Ammie Hardie says she is pleased with the positive feedback received by both visitors and exhibitors over the three days.
“We’ve received such positive feedback about the quality of exhibitors and sales leads that we’re confident the event has achieved its goal, bringing industry buyer and seller together,” she says.
NZ National Fieldays Society, which owns THE Expo, will give exhibitors and registered industry professionals the opportunity to have their say when a survey goes out later in March.
Organisers say the results will be used to help plan the 2021 expo.
Norwegian hobby photographer Jan Aslesele, who is part of an online group that takes photos of trucks from around the world, attended all three days of the event.
He put his annual photography trip to America on hold after Kiwi photographers told him about THE Expo at Mystery Creek Events Centre just south of Hamilton.
Aslesele says the high calibre of trucks in New Zealand is remarkable, describing them as “well-kept and beautiful”.
“There is a perfect mix of American, European and Japanese which you don’t get anywhere else, it’s unique,” he says.
The line-up of more 90 highly polished trucks in the show ‘n’ shine competition travelled from as far away as Invercargill.
Tony Kelly took away the classic truck award for the R Model Mack that he and co-owner Ned Kelly have fully restored over the last three-and-a-half years.
Describing it as a labour of love, Kelly says he was “pretty proud and pretty happy to win this”.
Equally thrilled was People’s Choice Award winner Anna Lockley, who won the crowd over with her golden Kenworth SAR 409.
As a first-time winner, the secret to her success was “a lot of elbow grease, a lot of time and patience to do it.”
The Show ‘n’ Shine award winners were — Curtain-siders, flat decks, tractor units: Guy Knowles, livestock and loggers: Cameron Torr, classic trucks: Freightways Napier, tippers: Dean Chandler, People’s Choice: Anna Lockley, and tankers and supreme award winner: Dave Chambers.
