Despite the storm that ravaged Auckland and Northland for the previous two days, and the closure of the main arterial road north, the Kamo Touch-a-Truck Show returned to Whangarei, attracting a record crowd to the popular show.

Show organisers calculated that a crowd of 4600 attended the event on Sunday 29 January, at its favoured venue, Hurupaki School, just outside of Whangarei. That’s almost double the number who attended the show when it was last held at the same venue in 2021.

The storm-related closure of SH1 at the Brynderwyns prevented some Auckland-based entries from getting through.

But there were still 48 entries in the show with plenty of trucks and heavy machinery for kids of all ages to clamber into, climb over, and create a cacophony of air-horn orchestration, a unique feature of the family-orientated and interactive show.

Also on display with a significant and popular presence, despite enduring a hectic two days leading up to the show, were the emergency services – police, ambulance, and fire. All proceeds from the charity show were split between the Kamo and Ngunguru fire brigades. Organiser Andrew Ivey, a serving police officer and volunteer firefighter, estimates that the record attendance raised $10,000 for the brigades.

A feature of the show, and something different for the industry, was the Mainfreight-sponsored Class 2 Heavy Traffic accelerated licence qualification provided by Forward Transport Training. The scholarship award seeks to assist with recruitment and training. This year’s recipient was 22-year-old Rihanna Caie.

Andrew Ivey said he was delighted with the show’s success, particularly with the unprecedented weather event leading up to the event and a covid-related break in 2022.

He thanked those who attended, including the “army” of volunteers, and suppliers, emergency services, and principal sponsors—Mainfreight, Fulton Hogan and TWL.

Kamo Touch-a-Truck Show 2023
Award Winners