He said more that 350 entries were received for the competition to design a billboard.
"We were inundated with drawings from all over the Bay of Plenty," he said.
The competition was divided geographically, with a first prize offered for entries in the wider Te Puke and wider Katikati districts.
The competition theme was The Kiwi Summer.
"A lot of drawings from this school were incredible and a lot from other schools were just amazing," said Dave.
After narrowing down the contenders, the help of Devcich & Co, the company responsible for a number of Apata's previous billboards, was sought to find the best.
"What we were looking for was something that was just going to pop on the billboard — not to say others didn't pop, this one just popped more."
It was the first time Apata has run the competition, but it won't be the last said Dave.
"My daughter actually came up with the idea and it has been incredibly successful. We've had an absolute ball going through them. We've seen kiwifruit wearing Speedos as they lounge about on lilos, and kiwifruit in bikinis playing beach volleyball."
As well as the prize of having her drawing made into a billboard, Baldeep was given her own framed version, $300, plus $1000 for her school.
Second and third prizewinners respectively were Grace Bragg and Matt Luford, both 11, and both pupils at Paengaroa Primary School.
In previous summers, Apata's billboards have featured holiday themes such as Baywatch-inspired jet-skiing kiwifruit, and sunbathing kiwifruit with tattoos on their butts.
