Shows are conducted by local bird clubs throughout NZ during the months of May to July. The budgerigar section is one of many at these shows and is divided up firstly by Novice and Champion sections. Novices exhibit until they have gained 10 points through wins and then have to exhibit in the Champion section.
The sections are further divided into Current Year Closed Ring (CYCR) and Any Age. The CYCR class refers to the dated and numbered closed ring placed on the bird when a chick in the nest issued by the Society on the 1st of August each year (but available throughout the year). Only birds wearing the CYCR ring issued in your name can be shown in the CYCR class. The current year refers to the show year not the calendar year. You may exhibit any bird in the Any Age class and it does not have to have a ring nor bred by you. In total this gives four sections.
Within these four sections are a number of classes determined by colour and/or markings. All four sections have the same number of classes. Each class though has a different number and this depends in addition to the four sections, whether the bird is a cock or a hen.
There is a breed standard setting out what structurally the perfect bird should look like and also what all the different varieties or mutations should look like plus disqualifying points.
Winners of each class then compete with each other for best CYCR Novice, CYCR Champion, Any Age Novice and Any Age Champion and then those winners compete for Best in Show. There is often a Best 5 or Best 10 birds overall lineup as well.
All this information is contained in a Yearbook normally issued December-February.