Mystery Creek water network to be upgraded
Published: 2 April, 2026
Water infrastructure at Mystery Creek Events Centre near Hamilton – home of the country’s premier agricultural event, National Fieldays – is being upgraded with the help of a Regional Infrastructure Fund loan of $1.35 million.
Mystery Creek Events Centre during National Fieldays in June.
The existing water infrastructure at Mystery Creek is more than 50 years old. It has reached the end of its serviceable life and is starting to fail. The venue also needs to increase its water storage volume to cope with increasing visitor numbers and more than 1,000 exhibitor sites during National Fieldays.
The annual National Fieldays at Mystery Creek in June each year showcases New Zealand’s primary sector, attracting more than 110,000 visitors over 4 days. The event generates $528 million in spending, including $213 million in the Waikato region.
More than 100 other events are hosted at Mystery Creek during the year, ranging from community to national events.
The Mystery Creek Events Centre also serves as a critical infrastructure location for Civil Defence in Waikato and will act as a logistics and supply hub during a large-scale emergency.
The site needs to be safe, accessible and resilient. This includes a reliable water supply.
Work involves replacing the existing reticulated water network and installing a 600,000-litre water tank. Up to 7 jobs will be created during construction. The work, currently underway, is on track to be completed in time for this year’s Fieldays.
The Regional Infrastructure Fund loan will be made to New Zealand National Fieldays Society, which is co-funding this $3.2 million project. The society owns the Mystery Creek event site.