From no farming background, to being in charge of a multimillion dollar dairy business, Athol New, perhaps audaciously, turned his attention to the country's oldest and arguably most prestigious agricultural competition and won.
He made it back to back wins for his adopted Aorangi Region last weekend in the 48th edition of the event.
The second young man to achieve well this week has been 21-year-old rally car driver Mike McLean from Dannevirke, who attended last week's Elite Motorpsort Academy at Otago University.
The week-long intensive training camp takes the best young drivers in the land and attempts to equip them, not with driving skills, but with everything else young drivers need to make it in the cut-throat business of motorsport.
Past attendees read like a who's who of Kiwi motorsport, with the likes of Emma Gilmour, Brendon Hartley, Shane van Gisbergen, Mitch Evans, Richie Stanaway... the list goes on.
Mike's story is particularly interesting insofar as he's already been a professional sportsman, representing his country on the international squash stage as a teenager. But realising he'd effectively sacrificed his teenage years to pursue his squash career, he decided to throw in the towel and try his hand at his other great love, rally driving.
His father, who runs top dressing company, McLean Ground Spread, was an avid driver himself and the young Michael would often sit in the co-driver's seat.
The tables have now turned and the apprentice is vying to become the master, with Dad now in the passenger's seat.
With agriculture a part of his upbringing, it wasn't an outlandish stretch for Mike to help finance his burgeoning career by picking up a handpiece and joining Paewai-Mullins Shearing; after all fitness and a good work ethic are two essential ingredients for a successful motorsport career.
Like New, McLean's work ethic is clearly evident and besides his father he's also got a rally mentor second to none in the form of New Zealand's only ever WRC winner Hayden Paddon.
The Rally Argentina winner has taken an active interest in McLean's career and provides assistance wherever and whenever he can.
Whether it's choosing agriculture as a way of life, or using it to further careers in other fields, New Zealand farming has a rich history of achievement and with a concerted effort to make it a more 'academic' endeavour in High Schools, there's every chance McLean and New will be just the tip of the iceberg.
