Selwyn Motorfest

More than just a car show!

Bring the family, have a blast and support a local annual FUNdraiser for Selwyn District community not-for-profit groups. It would be great to see you on Sunday 24 November at Helpet Park between 10 am and 3 pm. Entry is near Broadlands Drive roundabout (Rolleston College end).

ENTRY: $10 FAMILY $5 ADULT $2 CHILD

There will be plenty of action to keep the kids occupied. The kids are going to love this! Bouncy castles, mini diggers, mini jeeps, face painting and games…. All the Motor Fest is fun for kids of all ages.

WHAT IS THE SELWYN MOTOR FEST?

Selwyn Motor Fest is an annual vehicle show and family fun day held in Rolleston.

More than just a car show, the event is open to vehicles of all makes, models and eras; if it is your passion, you can enter it. We have seen motorbikes, motor-trikes, trucks, and a variety of cars entered in the show: Vintage original 1920's Fords through to 2020's model electric cars. The proceeds from each event (after running costs) are donated to non-profit organisations throughout the Selwyn District. In addition to being a show for vehicle enthusiasts, we also promote this strongly as a family day out providing a raft of entertainment for children at no additional cost to their parents.

We have also partnered with local high school Rolleston College who organise and provide the show's stage entertainment, featuring the musical talents of students from Rolleston College and other schools across the District. This has proven to be very beneficial as it introduces our show to a new audience with family members of the students coming to watch, as well as showcasing local up-and-coming talent.

We have contributed towards large-scale projects such as the new St. John Ambulance station in Rolleston, to smaller services such as Selwyn Women's Issues group (who fundraise to produce and supply high visibility vests to local schools for the safety of children walking to school) and a range of other community-minded organisations in-between.

Our event is organised by a committed team of vehicle enthusiasts and community-focused individuals. Our committee ranges in age from their 20s to their 80s; multiple generations brought together by their shared passions. We are all volunteers who believe in the benefits of there being a regular large-scale car show in the Selwyn District, as well as what it does to support local charities.

We meet monthly from March to October (and more frequently as we get closer to the event), and hold a debrief - typically in late January - to calculate the proceeds from the event and allocate these to the charities which have applied for a share of the funding.

While we have allocated substantial funds to a single large non-profit in our early days, our focus has transitioned to supporting some of the smaller, lesser-known causes and 'spreading it around' a bit more. In addition to Selwyn Women's Issues, we have also assisted CanBreathe, local Toy Libraries, local Men's Shed groups, Selwyn Safer Families and Selwyn Parenting Network, The Cancer Society Rolleston, Moral Compass Trust, Riding for the Disabled, Darfield Food Bank and Ellesmere Scout Group to name a few. We ask our charity applicants to partner with us to assist on the day as volunteer assistance is key to helping the event run smoothly.

To date, we have donated over $100,000 to a variety of non-profit causes across the five events we have been able to hold (2021 was cancelled due to COVID restrictions), and we look forward to continuing this event for years to come.

OUR HISTORY

Selwyn Motor Fest originated in 2017, being the brainchild of our Patron John Winchester. Driving past the site of the proposed St. John Ambulance station. It displayed their funding progress and St. John seeking community support to complete it.

John was inspired by the request and felt a need to assist them in achieving their goal. Speaking with some mates, they coined the idea of hosting a large vehicle show in Rolleston with the proceeds going towards the Station project. The team liaised with local district Councillor Craig Watson (who happened to be John's neighbour) and together with a group of interested locals, they held regular meetings to bring the event together. It is an open event; any vehicle with wheels and a motor was welcome to enter the show.

Selwyn Motor Fest 2017 was a stand-out success with hundreds of vehicles on display and thousands of walk-in guests. They raised over $20,000 for St. John's new Ambulance Station.

Because the show was such a success, the committee was motivated to run the event again in 2018. Despite a wet day, Selwyn Motor Fest Inc. was able to donate $17,000 to the Canterbury Westpac Rescue Helicopter. 2018 brought a change to our organisation as well: To formalise the organisation's purpose as a non-profit, we became a Registered Incorporated Society in 2018.

From there it has become an annual event on Selwyn's calendar, raising over $100,000 towards local non-profit organisations in total. 2019 saw the retirement of John Winchester as Chairperson and we welcomed Committee member Tracey Walker to the Chair position. John has remained actively involved in the event planning.

In more recent years, our fundraising focus has shifted to supporting some of the smaller non-profits in our community and our annual proceeds are shared around a selection of not-for-profit organisations that are focused on services for the betterment of the wider Selwyn community and its residents.