FMG Young Farmer of the Year: Gareth McKerchar wins Aorangi regional final

Gareth McKerchar is the Aorangi Young Farmer of the Year.

Ravensdown agri-manager Gareth McKerchar has been crowned the Season 56 Aorangi FMG Young Farmer of the Year.

The announcement was made on Saturday evening, after two days of fierce competition in Kurow.

Now, the Pleasant Point young farmer gears up to take on six other regional finalists at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final, held in Hamilton in July.

The weekend’s event was one of seven regional finals happening throughout Aotearoa between February and April.

Details of the challenges that would be thrown at them at the Aorangi event were kept secret from the 20 determined contestants.

“I’m stoked to get the win, my goal was to take out the trophy and earn a spot at the grand final,” McKerchar said.

“I had been studying in the lead-up to the weekend and gave it all I had, so it’s satisfying to see hard work paying off.”

As an agri-manager at Ravensdown, McKerchar serves the Waitaki Valley-Ōmarama-Twizel area.

His competition debut came after joining the Pleasant Point Young Farmers Club last year.

“I’ve been involved in these events before, assisting with modules,” he said.

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“After a few years watching contestants, I thought, ‘I can do this!’”

The farmlet challenge stole the spotlight at the Aorangi final.

Contestants dedicated time to craft a miniature farm set-up, including erecting fencing using a medley of fencing techniques, swinging a gate, plumbing a trough and k-line irrigator and planting a shelter belt.

Aorangi Young Farmer of the Year winner Gareth McKerchar enjoyed competing in the farmlet challenge.

McKerchar said he enjoyed the challenge.

“It meant you could slow down and focus on producing work that you knew you were good at.”

Seeing his name at the top of the leaderboard going into Saturday night’s buzzer quiz, McKerchar adopted a cautious approach to safeguard his position.

“Seeing my name at the top was motivating, but one wrong answer reminded me to tread carefully.”

He was also aware of runner-up Samuel Allen.

“I wasn’t sure how far behind Sam was, so I opted to play it safe”.

Allen, 28, is also a member of the Pleasant Point Young Farmers, making his debut in the competition.

Marcus Frost, 29, representing Five Forks Young Farmers, secured the last spot on the podium.

Third place went to Marcus Frost (left), while Gareth McKerchar was first and Samuel Allen placed second at the Aorangi Young Farmer of the Year regional final.

Now in its 56th year, the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition is dedicated to showcasing the very best talent in New Zealand’s food and fibre sector.

McKerchar said he was looking forward to competing at the grand final and would be using his network to upskill and build his knowledge.

“It’d be great to visit the Waikato Bay of Plenty region and brush up on my knowledge of the area.

“It’s a diverse region so we could be tested on anything.

“I’m lucky to have a strong network around me and I’ve already had offers of people keen to help me prep.”

Aorangi Junior Young Farmer of the Year and AgriKidsNZ winners

James Clark and Jack Foster took out the Aorangi Junior Young Farmer of the Year title for the third year in a row.

For the third year in a row, James Clark and Jack Foster, of Mount Hutt College, were unbeatable, taking out the Aorangi FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year title for 2024.

Ella Hole and Shelby Henson, of Geraldine High School, placed second in the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year Competition.

Meanwhile, the Duntroon School AgriKidsNZ team made up of Leah Wilson, Olivia Strachan and Greer Neal, all 11, were the 2024 Aorangi AgriKidsNZ Champions.

Runner-up and third in the AgriKidsNZ contest were George Lash, Edward White and Henry Pottinger, all 12, of Longbeach School, and Jack France and Arthur Redfern, both 12, and Henry Phillps, 11, of Waih School.

They have also been invited to July’s Young Farmer of the Year grand final.

New Zealand Young Farmers chief executive Lynda Coppersmith said this year’s grand final was shaping up to be one of the best yet.

“Every year, we continue to be blown away by the calibre of our FMG Young Farmer of the Year contestants, from our AgriKidsNZ participants through to those vying for the regional FMG Young Farmer of the Year title.

“Their knowledge, skills and passion for the industry are impressive, and certainly leave us excited for the future of our industry.”

Coppersmith praised the hard work of those behind the scenes.

“We simply couldn’t do it without the tireless work of our committees and volunteers.

“These are people who support us year in, year out, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has played a part.”