Growing With Confidence at Fieldays 2026
On 10–13 June, National Fieldays once again turned the Mystery Creek Events Centre in Hamilton into the beating heart of New Zealand’s primary sector. Drawing in record breaking crowds, more than 100,000 visitors and over 1,000 exhibitors converged to talk about the future of farming and agribusiness.
We had an incredible time as an exhibitor. For us, being on site was an opportunity to have real, grounded conversations with farmers, growers and business leaders from across Aotearoa about the realities of doing business right now – the pressures, the opportunities, and the decisions that are keeping them up at night.
What we heard on the ground echoed what we are hearing from our clients – resilience, pressure and opportunity are tightly connected - and at the centre of it all is one simple question: How do we protect what we’ve built and still have confidence to grow?
Risk is evolving faster than ever
Historically, risk for many agribusinesses has meant protecting physical assets. That’s still critical, but the risk landscape has shifted, both locally and globally, and risk now needs to be treated as a whole‑of‑business issue. It’s about protecting balance sheets, people, reputation, data, supply chains, and the ability to keep operating – so you can move with confidence when opportunities arise. Across Fieldays, a few common themes that we hear often came up:
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Tight margins, high expectations – volatile prices, rising costs and shifts in trade and regulation are forcing smarter, faster decision-making.
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Weathering the extremes – from cyclones, storms and floods to drought conditions, resilience is about bouncing back quickly, not just surviving the next event.
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People at the centre – finding, keeping and looking after good people is a constant challenge. Fatigue, succession and skill gaps are real pressure points.
These aren’t isolated issues. They are part of a broader pattern we see across many sectors:
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Risk is evolving faster than ever, and traditional “set and forget” approaches are no longer enough.
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Resilience can’t just mean “bouncing back”; it needs to be strategic so that helps you adapt, not just absorb shocks.
Cyber risk is real
One topic that sparked a lot of discussion at Fieldays was cyber risk. Many visitors we talked to still saw it as a “corporate” problem. The reality we shared – backed by what we’re seeing in claims and incidents – is that more small, targeted scams are hitting New Zealand farmers and rural businesses hard.
New Zealand’s primary sector now relies on digital systems just as much as it does on the weather and market conditions. In today’s world, protecting our farms from these hidden threats is as essential as preparing for a storm – because sometimes it’s the risks we don’t see coming that can do the most damage.
How can you turn change and volatility into confident decisions?
Resilience pays off when it enables better, faster decisions. That means:
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Shifting from hindsight to foresight – using data, analytics and scenarios to understand “what if?” before events hit, rather than only reviewing losses afterwards.
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Thinking in systems, not silos – recognising that a weather event, a market shock or a cyber incident can all hit cashflow, suppliers and staff at the same time.
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Not going it alone – partnering with trusted advisers who understand both local realities and global risk trends, to provide the right insights, advice and solutions.
At Aon, our role is to help businesses see the full picture of their risk. Our clients are better informed because we help them to understand what’s changing, and they are better advised because we put practical risk and people solutions in place so they can make better decisions to keep moving forward with confidence, even when things are uncertain.
Backing the next generation at Fieldays with Spirit of Adventure Trust
Among the conversations at Fieldays, another topic that stood out was how we support the next generation stepping into agribusiness. Together with our partners at Spirit of Adventure Trust, we provided a Fieldays‑only, fully funded 10 Day Development Voyage scholarship for a young person aged between 16 - 19 to get on board Spirit of New Zealand.
A 10 Day Development Voyage is an amazing way for young people to make lifelong friends from communities from across Aotearoa whilst empowering them with life skills that lead to better decisions well beyond the ocean.
Across the four days at Fieldays, we received 24 nominations and the scholarship recipient was selected at random from these nominations – due to set sail on voyage 953 in December 2026.
You can read more about our national sponsorship partners here.
Staying connected
Even though Fieldays is over for another year, Aon continues to support agribusinesses of all kinds to make better decisions. If you joined us for a session, put a young person forward for the Spirit of Adventure voyage, or simply dropped in for five minutes to talk through what’s on your mind – thank you.
Talk to Aon today to find out how we can shape better decisions to protect and grow your agribusiness.
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