‘Wheels at Cromwell’ could be an option, after a surprise proposal at a Cromwell Community Board meeting on Tuesday (August 19) for the town’s racecourse to host the major motoring and machinery event previously held in Wānaka.

Peter McDougal, who introduced himself as a trustee of Wheels at Wānaka, made a pitch for the biennial show that attracts tens of thousands of people to find a new home at the Cromwell Racecourse.

Addressing elected members as they heard from submitters on Central Otago District Council’s (CODC) draft racecourse reserve management plan, Peter indicated his presentation would pivot the conversation from the topic of “horses to horsepower”.

He said a chance encounter with a council employee led to discussions about relocating the event to Cromwell. 

“I said, ‘have you got anywhere to hold our next event?’ and she connected me with council staff,” he told the board. 

He has since met twice with CODC staff and visited the racecourse, which he described as “a very good site for 2027 and beyond if we can put it together”.

Peter said he and Allan Dippie shared a love of vintage tractors, which sparked their early collaboration on the Wheels at Wānaka event.

Grown under Allan’s watch (the developer behind Wānaka’s Three Parks), Wheels at Wānaka peaked with 65,000 attendees this Easter - but Allan also announced it as his last.

Efforts by The Central App to reach Allan for comment were unsuccessful.

Back at this week’s community board meeting, Peter said the event attracted people from all over - “They brought bulldozers from Whangārei” - and Cromwell stood to benefit from providing an alternative venue. 

“If you look at the number of people that come into the district and the benefit to the hospitality people, they generate a tremendous amount of money,” he said.

He suggested using the area housing the existing cross-country course for a heavy machinery display, with horse jumps temporarily removed and reinstated. 

“We don’t want to stand on anyone’s toes,” he said.

A CODC spokesperson confirmed staff had met with Peter and advised him to present his proposal at the hearing meeting. 

At the meeting, staffer Gordon Stewart said the next step would be “a meeting of the main users to see what we can make work”.

PHOTO: Wānaka App