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Proud to be Me is a series of profiles about ordinary and extraordinary people in the Selwyn District. This Saturday, the agricultural show season kicks off with the Ellesmere A&P Show in Leeston and Coen Lammers sat down with President Alastair Barnett to talk about the show and growing up in the district.

For Alastair Barnett, presiding over one of New Zealand’s oldest agricultural shows is the culmination of nearly two decades of service — and a one-year chance to leave his mark on the 155th show.

The presidency rotates annually through the “top table”, moving from Junior Vice-President to Vice-President and then President.

“You only get one year, so you’ve got to try and give it your best shot,” says Barnett, who emphasises that running the show is teamwork, with 30 people on the general committee, supported by subcommittees, Past Presidents and a much larger volunteer workforce.

Past Presidents provide Barnett with a sounding board, while younger members bring fresh ideas.

That mix of tradition and renewal is reflected in the theme of this year’s Ellesmere A&P Show, “Full Steam Ahead”, tracing agricultural machinery from the steam age to today’s technology.

At age 59, Barnett has seen plenty change working alongside brother Robin on the the original farm block his grandfather Gordon purchased back in 1933..

After working along his father for years, Gordon’s oldest son Leslie took over the farm, but sadly passed away at only 60, leaving behind wife Heather and their two young sons, Alastair and Robin, to keep the business going.

The family accountant suggested at this time of change that the family consider finding additional off farm employment, but the brothers doubled down on their farming roots, expanded the farm and increased production to make the business more viable for the future.

“There was a crunch time. Were we going to farm the property or not? But we ended up here and stayed here ever since,” says Barnett, whose family farm has followed the opposite route as many Canterbury farmers, turning the original dairy farm into an award-winning mixed crop and livestock business.

The Barnetts now grow small seeds, vegetable seeds, cereals, grass, clover and maize, alongside about 500 ewes and additional store lambs over winter.

Barnett has watched farming change markedly, from shifting land use to precision irrigation and closer nutrient monitoring.

Like most farmers, the Barnett family had to juggle the environmental and economic sustainability of their farm with increased irrigation and intensification.

They are proud of their contributions to the local catchment group, Ellesmere Sustainable Agriculture Inc, fencing off waterways, investing heavily in native planting and riparian restoration, and contributing to farming and community advocacy.

“It’s all about preserving and improving what we’ve got for the next generation,” says Barnett who points out that 19-year-old daughter Honor might be tempted into the family business after completing her studies in agriculture and farm management.

Since taking on the President’s role, Barnett admits that it has been tough juggling meetings, working bees and long days preparing the show, and is grateful to his brother Robin for picking up the slack on the farm and wife Carey and children Jennifer and Honor fortheir steadfast support through the demands of farm life.

“I couldn’t do it without them,” says Barnett, who is pleased the show’s attendance has grown steadily since the pandemic, drawing 14,000 people in 2025 from around the district and the wider Canterbury area.

The secret has been the unchanged ticket prices for the past 15 years, thanks to the support of the Selwyn District Council and their broad sponsorship base, including principal sponsor Bayleys.

“It enables us to keep the event such an affordable day for every family in the community.”

The show will this year feature a wide variety of events for young and old, including fencing competition, wood chopping, shearing, a barbecue contest, live entertainment and a revamped country kids’ challenge for three local schools.

“We try to introduce new things to keep the show fresh and hope people walk out the gate at the end of the day saying, ‘Wow, that was a fantastic day.’”

Barnett’s reward will come late on show day.

“Hopefully, come five o’clock, we can look back at a job well done. If the weather turns out all right, we can think, ‘Well, that was a fabulous day.’”

Last modified: 15 Oct 2026 1:51pm