PIA South Island Agricultural Field Days

How proud!!

Our adventure started at 4am with teenagers district-wide leaping out of bed in anticipation of a day ahead with Team Leader (Mrs FS) at The South Island Agricultural Field Days at Kirwee. The teens were surprisingly chatty on pick up at 5am with Team Leader's hopes of a quiet trip ahead dashed early on. 

How to find Gate C in the dark - turns out this was quite the conundrum. Fortunately, Minivan #3 has had plenty of prior U-turn practice (by other less experienced drivers) and after carving up some unsuspecting lawn we arrived to be met by a sea of hi-viz. Now preferential entry to the field days and superior parking is quite the feat to achieve and Team Leader was justifiably proud that this goal was waiting just on the other side of the gate. Only for disaster…. The tickets were buried at the bottom of the trailer. Tense moments ensured with the queue growing behind us. Electronic tickets found, we are scanned in with our new Hi-viz friends saying they had enjoyed the training exercise.

Unloading the trailer always gives the appearance of a 5-year-old's birthday party - suspense in discovering what we packed, wailing about what we forgot and general chaos as the 15 wee helpers work up a sweat.

So fencing royalty happen to be onsite and Team Leader is quick off the mark to reacquaint herself with her famous friends: the NZ Fencing Competitions Board Members, ex-Golden Pliers winners, and posh contractors galore. PIA stand in awe at the hobnobbing on display.

Lines are set up with teams from GHS, Akaroa and Rangiora High School competing. Our intrepid fencers have to erect a 3-wire electric fence, ram 5 intermediate Y posts, parallel electrics at each end, dig in 2 Breast Blocks, add in inline tensioners, figure 8, crimp and sponsors signs. Our fastest team is off the line in 1 hour 21 with the rest close behind. A tense hour passes as our fences are measured to the last mm. Team Leader is not known for her patience - her class thinks this should be a future professional development goal.

Drum roll for the results…….

PIA are the 2025 South Island Secondary Schools Fencing Champions plus 2nd, plus 5th, plus 6th! Just a couple of points separating teams.

Nice work PIA

1st Tom B & Cullen B

2nd Cayden H & Issy An

5th Gus C & Tom M

6th Althea S & Lilly M

After cutting down the fences, ramming all the holes and generally being awesome we are released to make new friends - vendors site-wide are pumped in anticipation. By the time we visit all our sponsors, there's not much time left. The cost of preferential parking comes at a price - we are stuck onsite until 530. As Team Leader yarns to main sponsor Andy from Point Lumber a familiar-looking minivan flashes past. Hmmmmm. On discovering she has lost the van and contemplating the potential extra shoe shopping time a voice is heard, “Sarah”. Turns out the kids had sore feet and while lying on the grass at the van could see an unmanned exit. Team Howell (parents of the year) instigated a van liberation. Yay Time to boost through to Ashburton for tea.

A great day where once again our fabulous students made us proud. A long day under pressure, never once complaining during the big cleanup. 

A huge thank you to Struan from Strainrite, NZ Fencing Debbie Whyte, Nick Leifting, Nick Terry, Tony Brady, Andy from Point Lumber and our Coach of the Year Dan Douglas Fencing and assistant Quinn Foley-Smith

Our next gig is 6 teams in the Point Lumber Fencing at the MacKenzie A&P Show - come and see us in action.