Tasman Young Farmer of the Year, Nick O'Connor. Photo / Supplied
Tasman Young Farmer of the Year, Nick O'Connor. Photo / Supplied
The chair of one of New Zealand Young Farmers’ biggest clubs has been crowned the Tasman FMG Young Farmer of the Year.
Lincoln Young Farmers club chair Nick O’Connor is originally from Westport and is currently finishing his Bachelor of Agriculture at Lincoln University.
The 20-year-old was announced as the winner of the Tasman Young Farmer of the Year on Saturday evening, after spending the day competing in a range of practical and theoretical challenges at the Amuri A&P Showgrounds.
He will compete in the Grand Final in Timaru in July.
O’Connor went into the regional final aiming for a top-three position but ended up securing the winning spot ahead of fellow Lincoln Young Farmers member Archie Woodhouse by half a point.
The head-to-head contests were a major highlight, as contestants, working side-by-side, had just 30 minutes to install a strainer post, identify six plants, run to the end of the field, strop down a large truckload of hay, sprint back to the start and finish off by blowing up a balloon, tying it off and popping.
“The head-to-heads were the best part of the day, going flat out and giving it your all was really fun,” O’Connor said.
“They were the perfect amount of challenge, and you had to be a bit strategic in deciding whether you were going for speed or quality.”
O’Connor was excited about the Grand Final and was taking time to enjoy his win before planning out his preparation approach.
“At this stage, I will be talking to as many people as I can from across the industry, and I know I need to work on the quality and speed of my fencing.”
Nick O'Connor competing in the head-to-head at the Tasman Young Farmer of the Year regional final. Photo / Supplied
He will be competing against six other regional winners from throughout New Zealand, including Taranaki Manawatū’s Mac Williams, Waikato Bay of Plenty’s Emma Poole, East Coast’s Patrick Crawshaw, and Otago Southland’s Hugh Jackson.
The Aorangi and Northern representatives are yet to be decided.
Meanwhile, the next generation of young farmers also took part in Saturday’s competition, with Michael Blunt and Zander McCloy from St Bede’s taking out the title of Tasman FMG Junior Young Farmers of the Year.
The Gumboot Gang made up of Jack Wells, Lara Stubbs and Sophie Robinson from Tihiraki North Loburn School were the Tasman AgriKidsNZ winners.
Blunt and McCloy said they enjoyed the practical challenges within the competition, especially the fencing module.
“Our favourite part of the day was the fencing module, it’s always good to have some practical challenges in there,” Blunt said.
Tabitha White and Mikayla Molloy from Rangi Ruru Girls’ School placed second in the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year Competition.
Runner-up and third in the AgriKidsNZ contest were Team Bossy Bulls made up of Huw Cotching, George McLane, and Toby Hamilton from Seddon School and The Oinks made up of Fred Maher, Liam Underwood and Manawa Doonan from Seddon School.
They have also been invited to July’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final.
New Zealand Young Farmer Board Chair Jessie Waite said this year’s Grand Final was shaping up to be one of the best yet.
“We’re starting to get a glimpse of the impressive array of skills and talent coming through with the next generation of young farmers. There’s so much happening right now in the primary sector with science, innovation and new technologies. The future of farming is certainly bright.”
Waite was thankful for the support of volunteers and sponsors who continued to back the event, year after year.
“The contest wouldn’t be what it is today without them. There’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes – from coming up with ideas for the competition to supplying the equipment needed on the day and helping with the set-up of the event. We’re so grateful to everyone who has played a part”.
