The Kumara Racing Club may be a small fish in the New Zealand racing scene, but they punch well above their weight with the iconic and widely-renowned Kumara Gold Nuggets meeting, taking place this Saturday, 11th of January.

The Club has been staging their annual meeting in mid-January since the late-1940’s, which completes a fantastic week of racing on the West Coast alongside Omoto (Sunday) and Reefton (Wednesday).

For Michaela Meates, the Kumara Races have been part of her life for as long as she can remember, from painting and cleaning with her grandmother as a young girl, to now playing a major role in running the club’s showpiece event.

“I was born and bred in Greymouth, so I’ve been around Kumara my whole life and a lot of my family live there,” Meates said. “I’m now based in Christchurch and do everything from here.

“Growing up, my Nana had a huge passion for the club, she is a local in Kumara. She’s 95 and still going strong.

“She used to take my sisters and I down to the club and we’d paint all the fences and help her clean, it’s always been in our family. My uncle is the president, my great-uncle is also heavily involved so it’s a real family affair.

“I’ve always loved it, I don’t think I’ve missed a meeting. It was one of those things that we just got used to growing up, a bit like Christmas really. I’ve become very close to all the people in the committee and saw the hard work they were putting in, and knowing that they are getting a bit older, I wanted to dip my toe into everything they do, so I can have a good understanding when one day they may need me to train others.

“My Nana had a huge amount of pride in the club which makes me have a lot of pride in it too, trying to take her legacy on and keep it moving.”

Kumara Racing Club’s performance in areas of governance, financing, racing, marketing and innovation did not go unnoticed in the past couple of years, being awarded the NZTR Country Club of the Year at NZTR’s 2024 Industry Development Day last March.

While maintaining the traditions and values that has made Kumara so successful, Meates has worked with the committee to implement a modernised touch to reach potential racegoers.

“Our meeting has been reliant on word-of-mouth for so many years, and more recently, we’ve worked a lot in promoting the races in new ways, using online platforms and social media to target those younger audiences and bring in new people,” she said.

“Getting videos and capturing the atmosphere is so important, because that’s why people come to our meeting.

“People are welcome to put on their stubbies, put on their jandals, there is no pressure to dress-up. Just rock up, bring your own food and drinks and enjoy the day. We are fortunate to have BYO liquor-licensing, but that has been the result of responsible, respectful crowds over the years.

“While we are bringing in new ideas, I believe it is very important to continue the bones of the club, traditions brought in by the older members that has made it so special and unique over the years. We want to improve and build on certain areas, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Last year’s meeting attracted patrons from across the North and South Islands, while there were also several that ventured across the Tasman.

“We don’t have an exact number, but we would’ve had close to 9,000 at the Kumara races last year,” Meates said.

“A lot of them come from up north, the Waikato in particular, but also from Australia, they really appreciate the country meetings. The races attract people from all over the country, which is awesome, it’s definitely not just secluded to the West Coast.

“We have a lot of West Coast locals who may have moved away, but they always come home for this meeting. There are a few family reunions going on each year.

“The people make the day. We put a huge amount of work and effort for just one day, and seeing everyone enjoy it is just incredible.

“Seeing so many happy faces, you can’t get much better than that.”

The Kumara Gold Nuggets (1810m) will be the centrepiece of an 10-race card, with the winner being awarded their own greenstone and gold nuggets.