2436 days ago

We're all a little bit country... Y'all headin' along for a knees-up?

Piers Fuller Reporter from News of Wairarapa

Mixing country music and classic cars, the 2020 Wairarapa Country Music Festival at Tauherenikau promises to be an event like no other.

Not only is legendary kiwi band The Warratahs headlining a star-studded line-up, day two of the three day festival will feature hundreds of classic and muscle cars from the annual Cruise Martinborough.
Hosted at the beautiful Tauherenikau Race Course in Wairarapa from January 24-26, (Friday to Sunday), the festival is becoming recognised as one of the best in the country. It’s also proving to be top billing for motorhome and caravanners with ample space and excellent facilities, all set in a stunning environment adjacent to a large stand of historic native bush.
Organised by the Wairarapa Racing Club, general manager Matthew Sherry says the 2020 festival is going to be huge.
“We couldn’t be more excited as this we believe is one of the best line-ups we have put together in the four years of hosting the festival,” Matthew says.
“The music line-up is incredible and we’re confident that it is going to be something very special,” he says.
The addition of Cruise Martinborough, which runs from 23-26 January, adds another exciting aspect to the festival making it an event not to miss, he says. The annual four day rally, which brings together the best classic and muscle cars from across the country, will be on-site at Tauherenikau on the Saturday afternoon giving country music festival goers the chance to get up close and personal with these magnificent machines.
“Cruise Martinborough is now an established event, so to have them involved on the Saturday is going to be fantastic.”
The star of the 2020 show will be The Warratahs, who after nearly 35 years of playing and performing are a New Zealand music institution.
Also confirmed is: New Zealand Entertainer of the Year 2018, Ainslie Allen; UB40 openers Dust & Gold from Nelson; Nashville based kiwi singer/songwriter Jackie Bristow; Tui award nominees, Melissa & The Dr; Bevan Gardiner (of John Denver tribute fame) with James Davy; Wairarapa-based performer Sue Dyson; and the grand-daddy of them all, Wayne R. Heath, who has well over 50 years of experience as a singer, entertainer and recording artist.

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More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!

William Hansby Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.

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6 days ago

Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑

Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.

We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?

Want to read more? The Press has you covered!

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🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
  • 52.8% Human-centred experience and communication
    52.8% Complete
  • 14.8% Critical thinking
    14.8% Complete
  • 29.7% Resilience and adaptability
    29.7% Complete
  • 2.8% Other - I will share below!
    2.8% Complete
576 votes
13 hours ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.

Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.

For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.

Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?

We hope this brings a smile!

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