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Story: Wairarapa places

Scarecrow Festival

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Scarecrow Festival

The annual Gladstone Scarecrow Festival began in 1998 when locals came up with the idea to raise funds for the local school. Each November the fields around the settlement are dotted with carefully crafted scarecrows of all descriptions, including satirical renditions of public figures and politicians. The festival attracts hundreds of people.

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Private collection

by Colin Hicks

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How to cite this page

Ben Schrader, Wairarapa places – Carterton, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/12018/scarecrow-festival (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ben Schrader, published 2 March 2009, updated 11 June 2015.