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New Zealand’s only dog grooming festival for 2026 will be hosted in Tauranga this week, and invites Bay of Plenty residents to get a glimpse of the world of preening and caring for their precious pets!

GroomFestNZ will be held on October 3-4 at Classic Flyers in Mount Maunganui, offering a weekend of education, competition and connection for professional groomers, pet owners and the wider BoP community.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind event because we don’t have any grooming competitions in New Zealand this year,” said owner of Katikati-based The Groomers Shop, Rachael Bell-Fleming.

She’s organised the event with Tauranga dog groomer Helen McCauley, who owns Love That Dog Grooming and Clip Sharp.

GroomFestNZ organisers Helen McCauley with ‘Phoebe’ and Rachael Bell-Fleming with ‘Russy’ at Classic Flyers, where their event will be held October 3-4. Photo /Kelly O’Hara

“Helen and I are dog groomers, so we decided to create our own festival to get Kiwi groomers together and have that networking and community feeling because many of us work alone,” Bell-Fleming said.

However, the ladies had opened the event to the wider public to create awareness of the industry and how to care for canines.

“So many people have dogs now, especially since Covid-19, and grooming is an unregulated industry. I think creating this awareness and opening it to the public to see is positive – it will show the effort that goes in behind the scenes,” Bell-Fleming said.

The two-day festival will have a range of dog-related demonstrations, competitions and products and services to watch and learn about, with 27 vendors on-site.

Think behaviour and handling techniques, plus a daily judge-run live demonstration on how to maintain dogs at home with the correct tools and techniques.

A daily dog trick and agility show and kids’ activities will entertain. A chill zone with seating will allow festival-goers to relax, an onsite cafe will fill hungry tummies, plus a wellness zone of local vendors will offer seated massages, a sound healer and much more!

Upstairs, groomers will enjoy seminars and demonstrations to upskill and build confidence in their profession.

Plus, a Canine Runway contest will open a public quiz night on Saturday, October 3, at the event.

“Canine Runway is a fun event with the theme ‘Take flight’ – people will dress themselves and their dogs in matching costumes, pick music and walk the runway with their best friend! It’s going to be so cute!”

GroomFestNZ co-organiser Rachael Bell-Fleming with her dog ‘Russy’.

Dog groomers, industry people and the wider public can purchase quiz tickets.

The competition ring will run the dog grooming competition with seven classes – Terrier, Gun Dog, Doubles (two groomers working on one dog), Salon Freestyle, All Other Pure Bred, Poodle and Model Dog (mannequin grooming).

Each class will have a beginner, intermediate and master level and strict rules to keep judging fair. Prizes will be awarded to each class-level winner and a Best in Group.

“Best in Group winners will be judged to find the Best in Show – the event’s major award – announced Sunday evening, with a cash prize of $1000.”

Judges are Blake Hernandez from America, and Kiwis Wendy Drummond and Cathy Wallace. More than 30 groomers from across New Zealand and Australia had entered the competition – many in more than one class – so there will be plenty of action to watch, Bell-Fleming said. “One girl has entered every single class!”

Bell-Fleming said the competition will be an incredible achievement for those involved. “Some competitors will be fresh home from the Worlds in Belgium – so if you’re in the competition ring or on-stage with them that’s pretty cool!”

She said all ages are welcome at the festival but need to be respectful of competitors and dogs in the competition ring. “No dogs will be allowed at this event – please leave your own doggies at home”

Festival entry and quiz tickets are for sale online at: https://events.humanitix.com/groomfest-nz-2026