Meet the SIAFD Committee - our hardworking group of volunteers that bring SIAFD to you every second year.

Profiles of the Committee members
Picture of Chris Beatson

Chris Beatson

Chris has been working for Agri Magic Ltd. since attending Lincoln University.

He currently lives in Kirwee with his Fiancee Grace and daughter and joined the SIAFD organising committee in 2023.

Chris is assisting with marketing and PR for the 2023 event and is looking forward to supporting a great community event, and meet and work with like minded people.
 
Picture of Hayden James

Hayden James

Hayden joined the committee in mid-2021 and is looking forward to his first event in 2023. Hayden is in his final year at Lincoln High School and outside of school he has worked on a couple of local dairy farms as a relief milker.
Picture of Jack Shaw

Jack Shaw

Jack is a qualified engineer working in Ashburton at Ag Serve doing on farm repairs and maintenance. He lives in Methven on a dairy farm that his partner, Hannah, manages.
Picture of Hayden Dorman

Hayden Dorman

Organising Committee Chairman & Executive Committee Member

Hayden lives in Dorie, Mid Canterbury and is a passionate cow man who has been in the industry for 25 years.

He is the Organising Committee Chairman after being on the committee for 12 years.  Hayden served his earlier days in Young Farmers as Dunsandle Club Chair and Tasman Regional Chair.

He has two young boys, nine year old Adam and three year old Noah.
Picture of Alastair Robinson

Alastair Robinson

Executive Committee Chairman

Alastair is the current Chairman of the executive committee, and has been on the organising committee since 2005. He is fourth generation on the family dairy farm, now milking 800 cows all year round.

He is the past President of the Northern A&P Association and the Canterbury Westland branch of the Holstein Friesian Association. He sees SIAFD as an important meeting point.

"The Field Days are a great opportunity for farmers, contractors and the like, to be able to visit one site and see a variety of industry leaders, businesses and catch up with fellow rural people from near and far".
Picture of Rodney Hadfield

Rodney Hadfield

Executive Committee Member

Rodney has been involved in the South Island Field Days for 20 years.  He was the Chairman for the 2017 and 2019 Field Days.

He operates an arable farming operation and contracting business, (combine harvesting, cultivation and drilling) which also encompasses an equine feed business, with his two brothers and their wives. 
Picture of Richard Westaway

Richard Westaway

Executive Committee Member

Richard works on a mixed crop farm near Kirwee, and as well as the SIAFD committee, Richard is also actively involved in the Courtenay A&P Association.

He is married to Rebecca and they have one son.
Picture of Hamish Maginness

Hamish Maginness

Executive Committee member

Hamish owns and operates a fully irrigated 216 hectare mixed cropping farm at Killinchy. He is married to Taryn and they have one daughter.

Hamish believes strongly in the concept of the South Island Agricultural Field Days and has been a member since 2002. 

The committee and Field Days have benefited much from his experience, knowledge and hard work.
Picture of Annabelle Adkins

Annabelle Adkins

Annabelle works at Ravensdown in the customer centre and is also involved in young farmers up to a Regional level.

She enjoys planning events for the region to get involved in and it is through Young Farmers that Annabelle started supporting SIAFD.
Picture of Dan Schat

Dan Schat

Executive Committee member

Dan is a dairy farmer near Darfield with his wife Amanda. They have two children, Lexi and Harper.

Dan has been on the organising committee for over 10 years, recently filling the publicity officer role, which means it is his task to give the public all information about SIAFD and to encourage them to get to the event.

“I enjoy being part of the great volunteer organising committee, and putting on this amazing event for the exhibitors and the public”.
Picture of Andrew Stewart

Andrew Stewart

2021 Demonstrations Coordinator & Executive Committee Member

Andrew is a dairy farmer on the family farm in Waikuku, milking 380 pedigree Holstein Friesan cows, with his wife Rachel and young son. He is interested in showing dairy cattle and breeding cows that have high type production.

Andrew has been on the committee for six years and is in charge of the demonstrations for the 2019 SIAFD.
Picture of Henry Williams

Henry Williams

Executive Committee Member

Henry has been on the committee for over ten years. He enjoys being on the committee to help run SIAFD which showcases the agricultural industry, in particular helping with the demostration programme. He recently started a new role as a sales representative for JJ LTD based in Central Canterbury.

 
Picture of Alan Sadler

Alan Sadler

Alan joined the South Island Agricultural Field Days Committee in 2005 as a member of the Darfield Young Farmers Club. He enjoys playing lawn bowls over the summer and supporting the senior rugby teams of Kirwee Rugby Club during the winter months.

He has helped at the Field Days in many ways over the past thirteen years and is a regular attendee at working bees.

He has held a forklift licence for many years and has provided support to the exhibitors setting up their sites and dismantling at the end of Field Days.
Picture of Chris Watts

Chris Watts

Chris works together with his father to run an agricultural contracting business covering the Waimakariri area. Offering a full baling service, cartage, and sandblasting.

Chris enjoys being part of the committee and meeting new people involved in SIAFD.
Picture of Daniel Sheat

Daniel Sheat

Coming soon...
Picture of David James

David James

David is married to Jody, and with three children, has been on the Field Days committee since 1999, He was chairman on the organising committee in 2009 and chairman of the executive committee from 2011-2015. He is the director of David James Engineering Ltd.

“It is a pleasure to have been involved in the Field Days right from when the event was run at Lincoln University”.
Picture of Dean Judson

Dean Judson

Dean worked and lived on the Lincoln University Cropping farm for 17 years, where he was co-opted onto the SIAFD committee in the early 1990’s.

“The farm was leased out in 2008, and I stayed on the farm and joined the team at Plant and Food, where I am still working today”.

Dean lives in Doyleston with his wife Sam, and loves playing golf as much as humanly possible, mostly at his home club, Waimakariri Gorge Club.
Picture of Lachie Hamilton

Lachie Hamilton

Lachie and his partner Amanda live in Ashburton. Lachie is the Divisional Manager at Andrew Quigley Contracting covering Chopping, Transport and Harvesting (between Rangitata River and Waimakariri River). Lachie really enjoys working and is passionate about his job, as well as being involved with SIAFD.
Picture of Martin Bates

Martin Bates

Martin joined the committee in 2017 through his role with Tasman Young Farmers and he previously reached the Regional level of the Young Farmer Contest.

Martin and his wife Vanessa are sharemilking and have a young daughter, Isabell.
Picture of Nathan Stewart

Nathan Stewart

Nathan owns his own contracting business, Cresslands Contracting, and he specialises in the agricultural sector in North Canterbury and Hurunui area.

He has been on the committee since 2015 and is helping his brother Andrew with demos.
Picture of Phil Lancaster

Phil Lancaster

Phil works on a cropping farm in Springston and is married with one child.

Phil enjoys watching rugby when he’s not working and has been on the committee for nine years.
Picture of Rory Burgess

Rory Burgess

Rory grew up in Christchurch and after he left school decided to go dairy farming. After 10 years, he has now switched to sheep and beef farming near Kirwee. Rory enjoys playing rugby for his local club in Kirwee and helping them out when needed. Rory and his partner, Jeanette enjoy all aspects of farming and giving his three kids, Eli, Oli and Willow a rural lifestyle.
Picture of Sarah Heddell

Sarah Heddell

Sarah joined the committee in 2019 coming through Young Farmers. She is sheep and beef farming in conjunction with her family in the Darfield/Kirwee and Banks Peninsula areas, and works as the Principal Farm Systems Advisor for the regional council. 
Picture of Shane Brooker

Shane Brooker

Shane grew up on a sheep and cropping farm in Kirwee and now runs his own contracting business based out of Kirwee. Shane joined the committee in 2020.
Picture of Tim Sheat

Tim Sheat

Coming soon...
Picture of Tim Wilson

Tim Wilson

Tim and his father own and operate the 220ha irrigated family farm in Halkett, where they farm a mixture of crops and fatten stock. Tim has also worked in the UK and Western Australia for four seasons driving balers and combines. When Tim's not working, he is involved with the Dunsandel Young Farmers Club and the Courtenay A&P Association.
Picture of Tony Redmond

Tony Redmond

Coming soon...

Friends of SIAFD

The following companies and organisations are proud to be associated with the South Island Agricultural Field Days

Coming soon!

The SIAFD is a story of success. It has been the result of hard work by young farmers since 1951. About 175 members have served on the organising committee and several hundred others have worked during the field days providing the hands on approach needed to prepare for and run successful events.
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