New chief executive Richard Lindroos is already dreaming of Fieldays 2026 knowing next month’s event is under control. Senior writer Chris Gardner met him at Mystery Creek.
New Zealand National Fieldays chief executive Richard Lindroos. Photo: Chris Gardner
Richard Lindroos is a change agent and knows fiddling around with planning for a major event six weeks out is not a clever use of his time.
He is nine days into his new job as New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive when The News catches up with him at Mystery Creek south of Hamilton.
“I’m looking at ’26 and ’27 now.”
“Fieldays is a major event,” he says. “Let’s make it a mega event.”
Aerial view of Fieldays 2024.
More than 100,000 people visit New Zealand’s largest agricultural trade show every year, but Lindroos believes there is room for managed growth.
“There is scope for bigger numbers, and also extending the reach of Fieldays,” Lindroos says.
“It might be the extension of a day, that sort of thing. But it’s more about what events you offer off it. Online, satellite events, business network.
“There’s a bit of a demand for those sorts of things, and that might mean that some things might fall off.”
Fieldays 2022. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Lindroos joined the organisation with 30 years’ experience in the event management sector, with stints as regional general manager of Fifa, director of Auckland Marathon, Supercars NZ, and senior executive advisor for America’s Cup Events.
Agribusiness is not an area Lindroos has worked in, and he feels up to the challenge.
“I just saw the opportunity and thought this is a fit.
“I think agribusiness is a really important part of New Zealand and wanted to put my stamp on that.”
While Lindroos is a townie himself, his grandparents Jack and Elizabeth McPherson were high country station managers in Central Otago.
“The board had the courage to go outside their remit to select me, and my intention is to pay back that.”
Lindroos feels more could be done to elevate Fieldays, which started in 1968, to a New Zealand Inc approach.
“It may be a wee bit of a Waikato agribusiness focus,” he says.
“We are the platform for agribusiness. We’re available. We’re open for business, and I think that’s exciting.
“I have a lot of ambition for the Fieldays Society.”
Lindroos intends to meet New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Ministry of Business and Innovation to get more international visitors.
Companies like Giltrap AgriZone, founded as Giltrap Engineering in Ōtorohanga in 1959, have been regular exhibitors at Fieldays. Pictured last year were, from left: Lindsay Ferguson, Ōtorohanga agricultural contractor Malcolm Boggiss, Graham Anderson and managing director Andrew Giltrap. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
“We’re selling New Zealand to the world, strengthening those relationships that are very good already.”
The society could also make more of the venue, which hosts about 100 events a year from short meetings in the society boardroom to Fieldays itself.
Past events have included international netball, basketball and Davis Cup tennis ties in the pavilion and scout jamborees and festivals around the 114 hectare site.
“Over time there will need to be more builds here,” he says.
“When you have a society that’s 57, 58 years old this year and producing a Fieldays, they need to diversify their revenue streams. We’ve got a great strategic asset, if you look at the growth that’s going on in the airport, I think we can look at how we use our asset.
“We’ll look to increase throughput. We will have to look strategically to do that.”
Day four of Fieldays at Mystery Creek last year. Soon it could be five days. Photo: Stephen Barker
Lindroos is also impressed with the society’s approach to sustainability, with restorations, planting, pest control and education programmes onsite.
“A lot of people have sustainability on their website, but we actually have it on our bottom line.
“It’s not just a buzz word.”
Lindroos, 55, is married to Anna, a strategic and governance planner, and couple live in Auckland. They have three children: Isaac, 20, Georgia, 18, and Nathan,16.
Lindroos is spending his working week in the Waikato, returning to Auckland in the weekends. But he plans to move to the Waikato when Nathan finishes his school year.
Asked about hobbies and interests, Lindroos says: “I am a work-a-lot. Let’s be upfront. When you take a new job it’s all consuming. Downtime: a bit of walking, family time.
“We’ve got to sing from the rooftops that we’re here for New Zealand and we’re the agribusiness platform that you do business at.”
New Zealand National Fieldays chief executive Richard Lindroos. Photo: Chris Gardner
