Vandals smash up AP&I showground

Vandals smash up AP&I showground

A trail of destruction has been left around Levin by at least one group of teenagers, with the AP&I Showgrounds a particular target.

The showgrounds are a private facility run by volunteers who put thousands of hours into maintaining it and often spend their own money on materials. Long-time AP&I Show volunteer and Shannon farmer Gilbert Timms is outraged.

“It is an absolute disgrace. Now people like me, at 82, have to go in and repair all the damage to a facility that we have looked after for decades.”

The show’s sheep pens, used every Tuesday by Carrfields Livestock Auctions, had rails kicked in and gates ripped off their hinges only three months out from the 2026 show.

Show administrator Jill Timms says every gate was open, and every hinge ripped off or damaged enough that they could no longer be closed.

“The police were here three times prior to the long weekend, and a lot more has happened since then.”

Damage to a large section of iron-panel fencing during storms and the recent tornado meant the showgrounds were visible from Tiro Tiro Road, which allowed locals to report the vandalism while it was in progress.

Vandalism to the show’s grandstand has graffiti all over it, and new iron installed at the back has been kicked, dented, and graffitied. At least two places in the grandstand show signs of attempted arson.

In the horse stalls, a pole was ripped out of the ground and dumped elsewhere. There is damage in the pig pens, most severely to the entry gate, which was kicked open with the locking mechanism still in place.

The showgrounds have had to deal with damage before, as they are open to the public year-round. They are used throughout the week by many community groups, and most weekends for large events such as the Christmas Fair, Age on the Go Show, and the huge AP&I Show at the end of January each year.

It is privately owned and mostly run by scores of volunteers like 82-year-old Gilbert.

“In more than 50 years as a volunteer with the show, I have never seen it this bad,” he says.

His family is among many locals who have supported the annual AP&I Show ever since it started in 1907, when it was at the Levin race course. Like many other families, they have been involved for generations, offering their labour, materials, and expertise.

Gilbert is a steward for the show’s sheep section – also often winning top prizes – and has been on the show’s committee for 50 years.

“I’ve been involved since I was 17, and my dad was involved in moving the buildings from the race course to the showgrounds. My dad had the contract to paint the roofs. I was in primary school at the time. We have also raised a lot of money for the showgrounds over the years, and to see it treated with such disrespect is heartbreaking.

“I can’t believe what they have done. What do they get out of it? There is nothing to steal and sell on,” he says.

Levin police have already dealt with several alleged offenders.