It has been a long time coming.
After six years of competing in the Junior Young Farmers of the Year competition, South Otago twins Zoe and Millar McElrea have finally taken the top prize.
The 18-year-olds from Milton have been competing since the age of 12.
Millar, who attends John McGlashan College, said this was their third year competing as a team, but altogether they had been in six grand finals.
“Between the two of us, we have won the regional final for six years now,” Columba College pupil Zoe said.
“We just never managed to win the grand final.
“It was nice to finally get it.”
The duo said in previous years they had not been able to give the preparation work required for the competition “110 per cent” because of school and sports.
However, this year was their final chance to secure the junior title.
“This year it was definitely more like ‘we are going to make an effort and put in the work’,” Zoe said.
The competition required the pair to undertake a series of tasks, including a one-hour exam, a written essay, a maths section, short and multi-choice questions, a speech, a full day of practical farming sections and an intense buzzer quiz.
“We did a lot of practice for [the buzzer quiz]. We had, like, 2000 practice questions.
“But, yeah, they are always going to ask things that you haven’t studied for,” Zoe said.
The twins were planning to attend university next year, so “it was a good send-off”, Millar said.
Mum accuses Education Ministry of breaching its own criteria.