Hororata Highland Games

The Hororata Highland Games is an annual event held in Hororata, New Zealand. The Games began in 2011, following the 2010 Canterbury earthquake. The Hororata community had a desire to make a positive change following the damage of the Canterbury earthquakes. The annual event has increased in popularity with 10,000 people coming to the 2016 edition.[1] It has since become New Zealand's biggest Scottish festival.[2]

Hororata Highland Games
StatusActive
Location(s)Hororata, Canterbury
Coordinates43°32′1.88″S 171°57′14.92″E
CountryNew Zealand
InauguratedNovember 5, 2011 (2011-11-05)
Most recentNovember 7, 2020 (2020-11-07)
Attendance8,500 (2020)
Websitehororatahighlandgames.org.nz
Pipe Bands at the opening of the 2020 Hororata Highland Games
Competitors in the senior and junior competitions strive to win.
Pipe bands performing on the Hororata Domain during the Hororata Highland Games, (November 2020)

In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic closed New Zealand's borders. This left overseas tourists unable to attend the Games. Despite this, 8,500 people showed up to its tenth event.[3]

Chieftain

There is a Chieftain for each games who presides over the opening ceremony. These have included:[4]

The Chieftain for 2020 was John de Vries.[6]

Economy

A study conducted by the University of Canterbury looked at the economic benefits of the Hororata Highland Games. This found that they provided $370,000 to the Selwyn District economy in 2019.[7]

Events

The Games have over 300 competitors turn up each year, with about 570 competitors competing in 2020.[3] Competitions include Highland Dancing, Piping and Drumming, Tug O’ War and Scottish heavy athletics (men's and women's). The heavy athletics include the hammer throw, the sheaf toss, the Hororata stones and tossing the caber. The Kilted mile is a race over a mile which includes eating a Hororata Pie, Drinking a traditional Scottish drink and negotiating a series of obstacles.[8] There are also stalls, food vendors and a fairground each year.

References
  1. "Hororata Highland Games". Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  2. "2019 Hororata Highland Games Chieftain Announced". Selwyn Connect. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  3. "Thursday 12th November 2020 | Malvern News". 12 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  4. Wednesday; October 2018, 10; Highl, 3:32 pm Press Release: Hororata; Games. "Hororata Highland Games Chieftain announced | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 8 October 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. "2019 Hororata Highland Games Chieftain Announced". Selwyn Connect. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  6. "Hororata Highland Games Official Programme 2020". November 2020.
  7. "Strong community spirit in Hororata helps quake recovery". Otago Daily Times Online News. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  8. "Hororata Highland Games | The Kilted Mile". Retrieved 8 October 2020.
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