Erin Atkinson, 29, a technical advisor for Apata Group in Te Puke, has been named the Bay of Plenty's 2017 Young Fruit Grower of the Year.
The runner-up award went to Danni van der Heijden, 23, from Trevelyan's Pack & Cool, making it the first time in the competition's history that women have taken the first two places. Aaron Wright, 26, from EastPack, was awarded second runner-up.
After a day-long competition last Saturday at the Te Puke Showgrounds, which saw six competitors battle it out in a series of practical and theoretical challenges, they came together at a gala dinner at ASB Stadium on Wednesday evening for a final faceoff, which included a speech and quizz competition.
Ms Atkinson was awarded a cash prize of $1500 and an all-expenses paid trip to compete for the national 2017 Young Grower of the Year title in August. "I'm looking forward to competing at the national final and will be stepping up my preparation over the next few weeks," she said.
Mike Chapman, chief executive of Horticulture New Zealand, which runs the national competition, said the event developed skills and fostered leadership.