Mayfield, New Zealand

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Mayfield is a small farming village in Mid-Canterbury approximately 30kms from Ashburton on state highway seventy two at the intersection of the Mayfield-Lismore road towards the top of the Canterbury Plains. The village has a shop, garage, tavern, local transport company and rural supply store.

Mayfield is the location of a primary school that services the township and surrounding community. The school was opened sometime between 1880 and 1887. In 2000 the school was increased in size when the smaller Lismore and Westerfield schools were closed. Students at these schools transferred to Mayfield. Two relocatable classrooms from Lismore were moved to Mayfield to add two additional classrooms while another buiilding was used to extend the library/hall.

The town also has a voluntary rural fire brigade staffed by locals. The brigade uses a Bedford tanker and International fire appliance. The fire brigade is particularly useful since the climate and local farms are particularly prone to drought and grass fires during the summer season.

The town had a post office but this closed in the nineteen eighties. The postie services are still being carried out by the good proprietors of the one and only local store.

The Mayfield Agricultural and Pastoral show is an NZ South Island cultural highlight taking place on or around the first week in March each year. It features world famous pig racing, lawnmower polo, V8 engine block blow op, show jumping, ostrich racing, trick riding, eats from all over Canterbury, arts and crafts, sheep shearing, and some truly breathtaking motorcycle stunts and jumps by international petrol heads who converge on the Mayfield paddocks to get their high.

A Panther was reportedly sighted close to the township however its location and fate are unknown. The profound effect the sighting had on the community caused the local pub to change its name from 'The Mayfield Tavern' to 'Panthers Rock' in 2006.

Mayfield is on Highway 72 the fabulous Inland scenic highway skirting the rugged Southern Alps.

Peter Jackson (Lord Of The Rings Director) was rumoured to have flown over Mayfield during his hunt for locations.

In 2003, Tom Cruise was rumoured to have purchased an ice-cream from the local dairy whilst travelling around the South Island during a break in filming of 'The Last Samurai'. The ice cream stick is currently on display in a framed cabinet in the local tavern.

In June 2006 Mayfield and the Mid-Canterbury region were hit by large snowfalls disrupting power, phone and roads. Power remained cut for hundreds of households more that a week after the event making it one of the worst storms to hit the region in several decades.