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Meet the Ashburton A&P Show president

Meet the Ashburton A&P Show president
Ashburton Show president Ben Stock is encouraging the community to get behind this years event. Photo Claire Inkson.

Ashburton A&P president Ben Stock has been farming in Mid Canterbury with his wife Mary-Anne for twenty years, which he reckons makes him "nearly a local".

"I grew up in Gisborne, but my wife is from the South Island.

"I ended up here with an opportunity, and I just love it.

"The South Island is where it's at."

After working around the South Island share-milking, the Stocks settled in Hinds, where they milk 700 cows on their property.

Adding a contract milker to the farming operation has meant Stock has more free time on his hands.

"We are fortunate to have some wonderful people involved with the farms, which means we are able to step back slightly.

"I was looking for something to fill that gap, and the show committee seemed like a good option."

Stock said being on the committee has sometimes pushed him out of his comfort zone, but he has enjoyed the experience.

"I probably wasn't quite ready to be a Lion, but this has been a whole new set of skills, new people and new and exciting challenges."

The Stocks are no strangers to giving back to the community, though, having got on board with the Rapa Feed Run in 2020 and were instrumental in organising feed from Mid Canterbury for Hawkes Bay farmers struggling with drought.

"I saw what they were doing, and I said to Mary-Anne, we could do this, so we made a few phone calls and got it going.

"You can only do it with good people around you.

"The community is full of good people like that; that's what makes the community go around."

Stock said the A&P show had been supported by a lot of energetic people in the past who wanted to see the show carry on and grow.

"Shows have been part of our Kiwi DNA since we were all young.

"It allows interaction between the farming community and town community, depending on what side of the fence you are on.

"We all remember going to the show in your new shirt Mum bought you and spilling hot dog sauce all down it, getting sunburnt and spending all your pocket money on the rides and the games.

"Every Kiwi can resonate with that, and I think that's what makes it such a good and valuable thing to put time and effort towards."

Stock said it was important to get the right entertainment to keep the interest alive.

This year's show will showcase Mid Canterbury as the "food basket" with a paddock-to-plate theme, with the new Ash-burger bash highlighting local produce and encouraging people to support Ashburton businesses.

Exciting additions to the event include the Clash of the Colleges and the South Island gumboot throwing championships and celebrity shearing to keep the crowds entertained.

There will be forging demonstrations and an expanded and improved animal tent.

Early birds through the gate on Saturday will get a sizzling reward, with the first 1000  paying attendees receiving a free burger sponsored by ANZCO.

The Ashburton event is one of the few regional shows to run over two days, and Stock is calling on the community to mark their calendars and get behind it.

"Everyone plays their part, and we really want the community to come out and support us this year and support local business because it's not the nicest economic climate we have been in.

"It's blimmin' tricky out there at the moment, so we want to inject a bit of a goodwill story into the community."

The Ashburton A&P Show is on November 1 & 2 at the Ashburton Showgrounds.

By Claire Inkson