Home & Country Show 2025

Saturday 13th September 2025

at the Village Valley Centre,
Cambridge Street, Ashhurst

Sections

Information
Timetable
Categories

Information

Please read all the information carefully to ensure success with your entries. Utilise the video (at the bottom of this page) showing examples of past entries.
Online Registrations will open on Monday 11th August 2025.
Registrations will close on Friday 5th September 2025. NO entries will be received after this date. (However, minor tweaks can be emailed through until Sunday 7th September 2024.)
Once you have completed your registration, an email will be sent to you which will contain a list of your entries and your individual Entry Code that will be used to keep all the judging anonymous. Please keep this email.
Each exhibit your child enters and any placings (1st, 2nd, 3rd) they receive earns them points. The child with the most points will receive the “Supreme Exhibitor” rosette. One is given to a Junior (up to 8 years) and the other to a Senior (9 years and over). It is important to note that if you register an exhibit but do not enter it on the day you will not receive any points for the exhibit.
Please DO NOT name your exhibits.
When you deliver your entries on Show Day:
1. You will be given a small card to put with each of your exhibits. It will have your individual Entry Code on one side (for judging) and your name on the other side (for viewing after judging).
2. Each card will also have an exhibit code e.g A2 for 2D Art. Check the posters on the wall showing the codes that match the exhibit.
3. Give each exhibit with the matching card, to a member of the Show Committee who will place it in the correct location in the exhibition hall.
4. Place any leftover cards, i.e. for any exhibits you registered for but didn’t enter, in the tubs provided.
The Age Category for each entry is set based on the child’s age as of 13th September 2025.
All entries must have been produced since the last MHE Home & Country Show.
Photography and Literature entries close on Monday 1st September 2025. To ensure judging is completed prior to the Show no exceptions can be made.
Those entering Photography and Literature sections will need to ensure their individual Entry Code and Age Category is written/stuck on the back of their entry both of which can be found in your Registration email.
Deliver your Photography and Literature entries to Kirsten Edwards – 58 Featherston Street (corner of Featherston & Kingswood Street), Takaro, PN craftykje@gmail.com, 021-583234.
Both categories will be judged prior to the Show Day.

Remember, you do not have to attend on the day to enter or enter to attend the day!

Entry Fees: The entry fee is $12.00 per child for up to four children in a family, ie you do not pay for subsequent children. For non-MHE members there is an additional $15.00 per family. This cost covers the child’s entry of all exhibits, participation in the activities and games and the families entry to view the exhibits.
Payment: You will be invoiced for your family after the last student registration form for your family is submitted. Payment is required in the week prior to the Home & Country Show.
Parent Help: This event is simply not possible without your help! Completing the Parents/Helpers Form is now required for your student’s participation in the Home & Country Show. We understand a few families will be unable to assist, please indicate why on the form. Older children who are not entering events are encouraged to contribute, and extended family are welcome too.
If you are down to volunteer, and aren’t able to attend because of unforeseen circumstances, it’s important you let Hayley Smeaton know ASAP (ring or text on 027 697 1383); if you are not there to do the job you have been assigned, other arrangements need to be made.
Summary Form: The Home and Country Show Committee are aware there is a range of difficulties and abilities/disabilities that our children can have in regards to completing their entries including physical and non-physical. Our aim is that it is expected that each exhibit is the work of the child. Any guidance and encouragement should remain as verbal as possible. Where that is not possible we do not want this to be a hindrance to your child entering. Please use the Summary Form to communicate any extra assistance that your child received over and above what would be age and/or stage-appropriate.
Visitors on the Day: If you want to visit on the day and check out all the exhibits, come along and join us – you are very welcome! The Exhibit Viewing time is 12:30pm-1:30pm. Otherwise, there will be a brief exhibit viewing time between 3:00pm-3:20pm (after prizegiving prior to exhibits being dismantled/taken).
Children (not exhibiting in the show) participating in activities are asked to contribute a Gold Coin donation. Arrive anytime after 10:00am.

Timetable:

 8:30am – Registration of exhibits opens
 9:45am – Registration of exhibits closes
10:00am – Judging commences
        – Indoor & Outdoor (weather permitting) activities start
11:30am – Wheels Parade
12:00pm – LUNCH TIME - sausage sizzle available for purchase
(Tea and Coffee is available in the kitchen throughout the day)
12:30pm – EXHIBIT VIEWING
             NO food in the Exhibition Hall
             Pre-schoolers must be accompanied by an adult
             NO touching of exhibits
 1:30pm – Exhibition Hall will close for final Prizegiving preparations
 2:00pm – Prizegiving
 3:00pm – Exhibit Viewing opens again
             Do not take your exhibits early
             End of viewing will be announced by Loudspeaker
 3:30pm – Clean up, Take exhibits, and Packdown commences.

ART

2D Art

Age Groups: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.
Overall criteria will focus on the Wow! factor – does the entry grab and keep your attention?

Technical Requirements

Give your art a title.
A single piece of artwork only can be entered.
Add an arrow to the back to show orientation.
Use of space (Is the artwork balanced? Does it fill the page?)
Colours work well together.
Presentation (crease free, items stuck down, no rubbed out pencil lines).
Demonstrates a knowledge of the medium used.
Displayable on an upright, flat surface. Has no, or limited, physical depth. Eg collage, drawing, painting etc

3D Art

Age Groups: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.
Overall criteria will focus on the Wow! factor – does the entry grab and keep your attention?

Technical Requirements

Give your art a title.
Presentation (for example: finish, holding together, etc).
Demonstrates a knowledge of the medium used.
May be viewed from various angles, and may be freestanding. Eg sculpture

Recycled Creation Art

Age Groups: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.
Overall criteria will focus on the Wow! factor – does the entry grab and keep your attention?

Technical Requirements

Give your art a title.
Must be made of recycled material (sellotape, glue and other adhesives may be used to hold it together).

BAKING

Party Biscuit

Age Groups: 3-4

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Biscuits must be covered in icing.
Biscuits must be decorated with edible items.
Up to 3 biscuits per entry.
Biscuits can be standard purchased biscuits or homemade. This will not impact judging. The focus is the decorating.
Must be labelled with the name of the Party Biscuit (not student’s name).

Biscuit Creation

Age Groups: 5-6

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Must use biscuits (as many as required) to create an object, structure or animal.
Must fit on a bread/butter plate.
May be held together with icing or toothpicks/skewers. Toothpicks/skewers must be hidden.
Must be labelled with the name of the Biscuit Creation (not student’s name).

Muffins

Age Groups: 7-8

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Must be un-iced.
Must provide three (3) of the same flavour of muffins.
Will be tasted for texture, moisture, mix of ingredients, and how well it is cooked.
Must be labelled with the name of the type of muffins (not student’s name).

Baked Slice

Age Groups: 9-10

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

May be iced or un-iced.
Must provide three (3) pieces.
Must be baked.
Will be tasted for texture, mix of ingredients, and how well it is baked.
Must be labelled with the name of the slice (not student’s name).

Pavlova

Age Groups: 11-12

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Will be tasted for texture, mix of ingredients, and how well it is cooked.
Round shape – 20-30 cm diameter.
Exterior crunch and marshmallow centre.
Must be decorated with whipped cream and fruit.

Sponge

Age Groups: 13+

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Will be tasted for texture, mix of ingredients, and how well it is cooked.
Must be filled with cream and decorated with fruit.

Novelty Cake

Age Groups: 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.
Entries will be judged on decoration only and so will not be tasted.
Royal Icing/Fondant and Butter Icing cakes will be judged separately.

Technical Requirements

Cakes can be stacked, tiered, or be unusually shaped.
Cake dummies (eg polystyrene) are allowed.
Edible ornaments and figurines will be shown favour over plastic/inedible ones.
Rolled icing should be smooth and free from finger marks.
Butter icing should be free from crumbs.
Piping should be uniform.
Board should be clean.

CONSTRUCTION

Lego/Knex/Duplo/Meccano or similar

Age Groups: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Original creation / no kitsets.
No props.
Displayed on a base plate or secured to an oven tray with adhesive.
Maximum size – 55cm x 40cm.
Must be labelled with Title of the creation.

Lego/Knex/Duplo/Meccano or similar – Advanced

Age Groups: 11-12, 13+

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Original creation / no kitsets.
No props.
Displayed on a base plate or secured to an oven tray with adhesive.
Maximum size – 55cm x 40cm.
Creation follows the theme of “Taonga – Treasure".
Provide an image that has inspired your Lego creation (optional).
Must be labelled with Title of the creation.

Woodwork

Age Groups: 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Summary Form included and completed to explain how the child made their entry.
Written instructions on how to operate their exhibit may be included.

Metalwork

Age Groups: 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Summary Form included and completed to explain how the child made their entry.
Written instructions on how to operate their exhibit may be included.

Electronics

Age Groups: 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Summary Form included and completed to explain how the child made their entry.
Exhibit must be battery powered only and must not be AC/mains powered.
Written instructions on how to operate their exhibit may be included.

FLORAL

Fruit and Vegetable Novelty

Age Groups: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Create a sculpture using raw vegetables and/or fruit.
Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Use real produce only.
May use toothpicks, skewers or similar to hold sculpture together, though they should be hidden from view.
Must be labelled with the name of the sculpture (not student’s name)

Unusual Container

Age Groups: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Arrange flowers and and greenery in an unusual container.
Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Only use non-artificial plant material.
Water, soil or oasis must not be visible and must be completely contained.

Tea Cup Arrangement

Age Groups: 9-10, 11-12

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Use non-artificial plant material only.
Height should be proportional to the size and height of your cup and saucer.
Ensure no oasis and/or wire netting is showing.
Needs to be viewable from all sides.
A balanced look is important. For example, its height could be as high as the width of the cup opening.

Dining Table Centrepiece Arrangement

Age Groups: 13+

Judged on 3 criteria: Colour Harmony and Condition of Plant Material, Design and Originality, and Balance and Proportion (ie size of flowers should be in proportion to the arrangement).

Technical Requirements

Fresh plant material only (no artificial plants)
Total arrangement must be no taller than 30cm (a table arrangement should not obstruct view or conversation)
Can be round or long in shape
Candles or other accessories may be used — keeping overall proportions in mind
Ensure no oasis and/or wire netting is showing.
Needs to be viewable from all sides.

HANDCRAFT

Handcraft – Textiles

Age Groups: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Some examples include needlework, knitting, sewing, embroidery, crochet, and quilting.
Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Kept to actual pattern (eg each stitch in place).
Up to 3 items of the same skill may be entered, but will be judged as a whole.
Summary Form included and completed to explain how the child made their entry.

Handcraft – Non-Textiles

Age Groups: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Some examples include cardmaking, jewellery, candles, pottery, and quilling.
Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Up to 3 items of the same skill may be entered, but will be judged as a whole.
Summary Form included and completed to explain how the child made their entry.

LITERATURE

The theme is Taonga – Treasure. A taonga can be anything precious – something you own, something passed down, a memory, a place, or even a feeling. It’s up to you how you interpret it!
Try to use interesting, descriptive words (instead of saying “nice", try “shimmering", “ancient", “precious", or “mysterious").
Think about the five senses—what does your treasure look, feel, sound, smell, or even taste like?

Poetry – Acrostic Poem

Age Groups: 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Acrostic Poem about Taonga – Treasure
Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.
Overall criteria may include visual impact and presentation.
* Literature entries close on Monday 1st September 2025. To ensure judging is completed prior to the Show no exceptions can be made.

Technical Requirements

Reflects the theme of “Taonga – Treasure"
The FIRST LETTER of each line spells out your chosen Taonga – Treasure.
There are no rules about how many words or syllables are in each line.
Poem does not need to rhyme.
Uses descriptive language.
Correct spelling.
Use your own words. Not the words of AI or an adult.
Narrated work is acceptable but needs to be true to the childs work and “narration" indicated on the back of the entry.
Fits on a single side of one A4 page.

Creative Writing

Age Groups: 5-6, 7-8

Write a story about finding taonga – treasure. Imagine you have hidden taonga somewhere! Describe your taonga and where you have hidden it with details/instructions of how to find it.

Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.
Overall criteria may include initial impact, presentation.
* Literature entries close on Monday 1st September 2025. To ensure judging is completed prior to the Show no exceptions can be made.

Technical Requirements

Body of writing limit is 550 words.
Story is about fnding taonga – treasure.
Uses descriptive language.
Correct spelling and grammar.
Use your own words. Not the words of AI or an adult.
Must be labelled with Title of the writing.
Narrated work is acceptable but needs to be true to the childs work and “narration" indicated on the back of the entry.

Age Groups: 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Write a taonga – treasure hunt story. Taonga means different things to different people. The story can be true or imaginative.

Technical Requirements

Body of writing limit is 750 words.
Story is about a taonga – treasure hunt.
Uses descriptive language.
Correct spelling and grammar.
Use your own words. Not the words of AI or an adult.
Must be labelled with Title of the writing.

PETS

Age Groups: 3-8, 9+

Pets must be in a secure container, cage, or leashed at all times.
The judge will question the child on the care of their pet e.g. gender, breed, who feeds it, what does it eat/how often and any special requirements.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Age Groups: 9-10, 11-12, 13+

This year’s theme is “Taonga – Treasure".
Photos may include identifiable persons. Original photos only.
You may: crop, make adjustments to exposure, colour and contrast etc.
You may not digitally enhance or alter you photographs beyond the basics needed to achieve realistic colour, balance and sharpness. Your goal is to make it real.
Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.
Overall criteria may include initial impact, level of skill.
* Photography entries close on Monday 1st September 2025. To ensure judging is completed prior to the Show no exceptions can be made.

Technical Requirements

“Taonga – Treasure" theme is reflected in the image.
In focus (sharp image, intentional blur is acceptable).
Composition including such things as the Rule of Thirds, etc.
Presentation including the quality of print and mounting.
A single photo only. No requirements on the size of the photo.
Mount on photo board or card.
Must be labelled with Title of the photo.

SCENIC TRAY

Age Groups: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13+

Create a miniature outdoor scene. This may contain a variety of materials (eg. food, artificial plants, miniature toys, etc.).
Judged on 3 criteria: Creativity and Originality, Technical Requirements, and Overall.

Technical Requirements

Maximum size of container – standard oven roasting dish.
No cardboard boxes.
Must be labelled with Title of the creation.

WHEELS PARADE

Age Groups: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

Bring a bike/trike/scooter/skateboard etc already decorated. This is a fun category with Lucky Dip prizes.

Technical Requirements

Must be rideable.
Riders must wear a helmet.
Helmets must not be decorated.

Setting