Six Finalists to Compete for 2024 Young Grower of the Year National Title

24 September 2024, NZ: Six of the country’s top young horticulturalists will put their skills up against one another in the national Young Grower of the Year final in Hastings next month.

Finalists from the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson, Central Otago and Pukekohe will compete in a series of challenges at the Tōmoana Showgrounds on October 9.

These include machinery operation, nutrition and fertigation, innovation, integrated pest management, health and safety, agrichemical stewardship and horticulture biosecurity.

The winners will be announced at the annual gala dinner at Toitoi: Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre on October 10, where finalists also take part in the Ballance Leadership panel and FMG speech competition.

HortNZ acting chief executive Michelle Sands says the Young Grower of the Year event and the regional competitions, which are run independently of the national final, play an important role in supporting the next generation of industry leaders.

“The regional organisers who host and run the regional programmes do a great job and it’s very exciting to see such a high calibre of talented young people coming through these to compete for the national title.

“HortNZ takes great pride in hosting the national final in different parts of the country every year and we appreciate the support we receive from growers and our sponsors.”

The 2024 regional winners are:

1. Pukekohe: Jamie Wells, an agronomist with Balle Brothers.
2. Bay of Plenty: Lilah Rosenfeldt, a trials specialist for Zespri International
3. Gisborne: Pip Terekia, a trainee orchard manager at Apata Group
4. Hawke’s Bay: Grace Fulford, a quality and compliance manager for T&G.
5. Nelson: Farrah Richards, a horticultural apprentice with Fairfield Orchards
6. Otago: Luke St John, the Fortune Fruit Company

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