My husband and I have trekked out to the NZ Fitness Expo every year that it’s been held (with the exception of last year as I was heavily pregnant and on the verge of popping!), so we’re long time fans of the event. I’m a personal trainer working in the fitness industry and the husband is constantly training toward new gym goals so there’s always something relevant for us to check out. We were on a time limit so couldn’t see as much as we’d have liked, but we left Miss E with a babysitter and went to this year’s expo at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds to take a look.
What is the NZ Fitness Expo?
Held in Auckland each year, the NZ Fitness Expo is New Zealand’s largest health and fitness event which showcases the latest relevant products, fitness trends, industry experts and career info. Aimed at everyone from the dedicated fitness enthusiast to those just starting out, there are also free seminars, live competitions, and training demonstrations to get you inspired, informed and motivated.
Adult tickets at the door cost $20 with a discount for purchasing in advance online, and a 2-day pass also available.
What was on show?
The NZ Fitness Expo ran over Saturday 9 – Sunday 10 July, and as we were there on the Sunday afternoon we stopped to take a look at the NZ National Record Breakers Championships who were doing benchpress, the NZ Fitness Model Search, and the NZ Arm Battle (little-known relevant fact, my wedding night finished up in a number of the male guests taking part in an impromptu arm wrestling competition…).
Other events on display included the NZ Strongman Championship, Les Mills group fitness demonstrations, the NABBA (Natural Amateur Body Building Association) Auckland Championships and the NZ Kettlebell Sport National Championship.
All the stands were in one room and featured brands such as Canterbury, the NZ Institute of Sport, Pics Peanut Butter, Em’s Power Cookies (I’ll be featuring an interview on my blog with Em soon!), and Industrial Athletic.
We only really did a quick zip around the room because of time constraints, but stands of interest for me included:
- PranaON – a range of natural vegan supplements new to New Zealand and free from additives, preservatives, soy and gluten. We invested in a 3kg tub of Rich Chocolate Power Plant Protein (tastes pretty delish, quite sweet, seems to mix a little thicker than your average protein powder).
- Fitwear – a fitness clothing brand that started out small in Palmerston North back in 2012 and has grown onwards and upwards ever since. Their clothes are way cool. I semi-permanently live in stretchy pants and their latest collection was on show featuring a particular pair of vivid turquoise leggings I now have my eye on…
- Arbonne – notably because a friend of mine was the exhibitor, Arbonne has become popular overseas for their premium botanically-based cruelty-free beauty products which seem to be pretty legit. Mainstream beauty products can contain a lot of chemicals and added nasties so this is great if you care about what goes on/into your body.
The verdict
Thinking about going to the NZ Fitness Expo next year? Set aside space in your diary if you want to get some new workout gear or check out some supplements. I often buy things online rather than in-store when possible, so I found this a good chance to try out supplements before buying, and feel the fabrics of some of the clothing I’ve been thinking about purchasing.
The real special stuff at the expo though is the live competitions and the seminars. Suss out the timetable in advance before you go and make sure you’re there for the events you’re interested in.
Image / NZ Real Health