Club stalwart Barry Stott and president Waide Jones are looking forward to hosting Piopio’s first hunting competition. PHOTO SIGRID CHRISTIANSEN
Preparations for Piopio’s first hunting competition are well under way.
Piopio Cosmopolitan Club stalwart and keen hunter Barry Stott said the committee was tackling a formidable checklist of items ahead of the May 11-13 competition, including a tidy up of the club grounds, installing double gates to protect fencing in the paddock adjacent to the car park and laying protective coverings over the clubroom carpets.
There will be scaffolding to hang the pigs and deer at the back of the club and the children’s catches in the critters category – turkeys, possums and the like – will be hung on a portable trailer for easy disposal afterwards.
The idea for the hunting competition came to Barry when he was club president about 16 years ago, but at that time he could not get traction. With a few new faces in town, the idea received a warmer welcome in 2023.
The event is already causing a stir in the community.
“I think most of our people around are very excited about it. This is the first time that this has happened, ever. It’s happened at Māhoenui and Āria, but not here.”
Barry said there had been 50 hunter entries so far – as well as a huge list of sponsors from Piopio, Te Kūiti and even as far as Queenstown.
Club president Waide Jones sees the competition as a real positive for Piopio and an event that fits with the club’s mission to connect with people across the district.
Having been vice-president and now president, he said it was also something he had always wanted to have a go at.
Waide said it was “a great opportunity to start something for the community, and surrounding communities going forward.”
Many people had put a lot of work in, he said.
“It has been a joint venture and obviously the whole committee has been involved, which has been great.”
Even community members who were not on the committee had phoned the club and put their hands up to help.
The competition will be judged by officials from the Ridgeline clothing company and the prizegiving will start about 5pm, or earlier.
“That’s the plan, to have it as early as possible so that travellers can get going earlier,” Barry said.
