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Award alumni Andrew - pick of the crop

To celebrate the 21st year of the Young Horticulturist of the Year, we are taking a look back on how the competition has shaped some of its winners and finalists. This includes Andrew Hutchinson, Head Grower – Cover Crops, at T&G Fresh. Andrew won the YHOTY in 2016, and says the competition was integral to his career success. He reflects on being a YHOTY alumni, and his career thus far.Andrew Hutchinson’s years of study towards a dream job working in horticulture were almost derailed by the ...

Wrapping up 2025 - December Newsletter

Jake Linklater named supreme winner of the Young Horticulturist of the Year 2025

Canterbury nursery manager Jake Linklater has won the prestigious Young Horticulturist of the Year tonight, having excelled in an intensive two-day competition.This is the second year in a row that a Young Plant Producer of the Year has gone on to take out the supreme trophy.The judges praised the 29-year-old for his high level of skill and his ability to see things through a broad lens.Jake also took out the Bayer Best Practice Award for being the highest point scorer in the practical challenge...

Plant producer nurtures a love for nature

What skills are nurtured, and what are second nature? For Jake Linklater, you need to nurture nature. That is why he loves working as a plant grower.The 29-year-old Cantabrian knows from experience that you need to learn to love plants.“I don't think people are born passionate. But I don't think I've ever met an owner of a nursery business that isn't passionate about what they do, which is pretty cool,” he enthuses. “There's a lot of good characters within the nursery industry that are wi...

Sky’s the limit for high-achiever Jordan

An office job has never appealed to New Arborist of the Year, Jordan Sutherland.Weekends growing up always involved tramping, mountain biking and making the most of the Canterbury countryside with his parents. So much so that Jordan initially wanted to be a Department of Conservation ranger.That was until an arborist was needed at work, prompting a career re-think.“I stumbled into this really. Being an arborist wasn't really a career pathway in school.“I worked with an arborist when I was a ...

Grace thrives on the fruits of her labour

If there was a silver lining in the tragedy that was Cyclone Gabrielle, for New Zealand Young Grower of the Year, Grace Fulford, it was the tremendous sense of community and seeing first-hand what good leadership looks like.Grace was working for T&G (Turners & Growers) Global in her home region, when the cyclone ravaged Hawkes Bay in 2023 – and it was a steep, but powerful, learning curve for the quality and compliance manager.“One of my biggest takeaways from the cyclone is the leadership w...

Career pivot bears fruit for Nina

Nina Downer will always be grateful to her high school teacher Mr Barker. If not for him she wouldn’t be doing the job she loves.The then 15-year-old had always thought she would become a veterinarian until she realised the job would need her to euthanise animals, something she couldn’t face. So her New Plymouth Girls High School teacher recommended viticulture.“I had never really seen grapes before, never seen vineyards. So it was something completely new,” the Young Viticulturist of th...

River pours his heart and soul into amenity role

The heart wants what the heart wants – and River Foster knew that he wanted to be working outdoors, not in cardiology.So he gave up his intended career path to becoming a cardiac physiologist, diverting to become an amenity horticulture apprentice instead.“This is where I belong in this part of my life,” the 28-year-old Cantabrian says. “I have a degree in Human Anatomy and Physiology. I worked at Ōtautahi Hospital as a phlebotomist and then a cardiac technician. They were looking to nu...

Budding florist Jade sets sights on France

Jade Bedel has turned her foraging hobby into forging a successful business – evolving her love of flowers into Willow and Sage Botanics. Now she offers sought-after wedding florals and popular floristry classes.Self-taught and self-employed, the Young Florist & Flower Grower of the Year takes pride in how far she has come since Covid lockdowns, when she would pick flowers around her parents’ rural west Auckland home.“I started picking some bunny tails from the beach and kind of illegally ...

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Courtney Chamberlain - Fruitfed Supplies Leadership Award Report

Courtney Chamberlain pushed herself out of her comfort zone on a recent Outward Bound course with help from the Fruitfed Supplies Leadership award she won at our 2022 competition. The award recognises the finalist who demonstrates outstanding leadership during the competition.Leadership was shown in many ways during the course, says Courtney. “Leadership to me is not always taking charge, but forming connections with those around you, to help when needed and to support people in a way that is ...

Congratulations to all our 2024 finalists!

Our five finalists were already national winners of their respective horticultural sector competitions before coming up against each other to compete for the title of Young Horticulturist of the Year.Judges noted the high calibre of talent this year leading to an incredibly tight competition. Everyone was left guessing until the end to find out who was going to take out the overall title. Here are the full results from the 2-day finals competition held at Karaka Bloodstock in South Auckland on 3...

Anna England wins 2024 Young Horticulturist of the Year

Anna England of Amberley, North Canterbury, has been named the 2024 Young Horticulturist of the Year. Speaking after winning the coveted Young Horticulturist (Kaiahuone rangatahi o te tau) title at the finals in Karaka last night, Anna said her feeling of disbelief over the win quickly turned to one of “great excitement.” Her partner, parents and employers were all there to share the moment.Anna represents the Young Plant Producer sector and works as a sales co-ordinator for Elliott’s Whol...

Introducing Tai Nelson- Young Viticulturist

It may have happened more by accident than design, but Tai Nelson has a job worth raising your glass to. Tai is vineyard manager at Soljans Estate Winery in Kumeu, and he is the young viticulturist finalist at this year’s Young Horticulturist Competition.After finishing his schooling in Albany, Tai travelled and studied hospitality management at Auckland University of Technology (AUT). For 18 months post- qualification he worked in an Auckland restaurant. Then an opportunity came up at Soljans...

Introducing Craig Scott - New Arborist

It can be said, Craig Scott jokes, that his perspective of the world is an interesting one given he’s so often high above ground, or way down below.Craig – who represents the arborist sector in this year’s Young Horticulturist Competition  – may work primarily as an arborist, but he’s also a caving guide. And he’s set to add canyoning guide to his resumé soon too.Currently Waikato based, with the intention of moving to Tasman Bay, Craig jokes he’ll be a “north islander tran...

Introducing Anna England - Young Plant Producer

An interest in organics and backyard permaculture has led Anna England to her place of employment.The journey did include a few byways, like time to spend a few years in Wellington gaining a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Information Systems, and then some overseas travel. Back in her home town in Taranaki, Anna made the decision to head to Christchurch to add to her qualifications, this time at Lincoln University where she studied horticulture.“I got my diploma in horticulture as I was intere...

Introducing Kyla Mathewson - Young Amenity

Kyla Mathewson feels she’s one of those rare creatures – a person who has scored the dream job, one which she can’t imagine swapping out.Kyla is a curator of the geographic collection at Dunedin Botanic Gardens. She will represent the Young Amenity sector at this year’s Young Horticulturist Competition.Born and raised in Reefton, on the South Island’s west coast, Kyla grew up surrounded by rain forest, which she suspects directly influenced her decision to study ecology.The study has b...

Introducing Taylor Leabourn, Young Grower

If there’s a prize for the Young Horticulturist competition finalist with the healthiest diet, Taylor Leabourn is arguably a strong contender.Afterall, during his work hours as produce lead at SKU Ltd in Wiri, he is surrounded by bananas… grapes, oranges, melons and pineapples. Suffice to say, potassium and vitamin C levels are high amongst Taylor and his growing family. He and his wife, Bianca, are expecting their first child in January. Taylor, who will represent the Young Grower sector ...

Young Horticultural finalists gather in lead up to competition finals

Five skilled young people will this year compete for the coveted title of New Zealand's 2024 Young Horticulturist of the Year.The five - representing different horticultural sectors - met this week for an orientation day in the lead up to the Young Horticulturist finals, to be held in Karaka, Auckland at the end of October.The five finalists are Craig Scott of Hamilton, Kyla Mathewson of Dunedin, Tai Nelson of Kumeu, Taylor Leabourn of Pukekohe, and Anna England of Christchurch. They represent t...

December 2023 Newsletter

Welcome to our December 2023 NewsletterThe 2023 Young Horticulturist CompetitionThe Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture Education Trust, are thrilled to announce Meryn Whitehead as the winner of the 2023 Young Horticulturist Competition! Also, a big congratulations to all our 2023 Finalists, they were exceptional in this years’ closely contested Competition.Finalists from left to right: Meryn Whitehead (winner), Lydia O’Dowd, Caleb Washington, Tahryn Mason, Jason Gwynn, Sarah Ewe and...

Meryn Whitehead wins 2023 Young Horticulturist of the Year title

Nelson orchardist Meryn Whitehead has won the coveted title of New Zealand Young Horticulturist of the Year.Meryn battled it out against six other competitors - representing various horticultural sectors - during a two-day final held in Karaka this week.The 29-year-old is a team co-ordinator at Vailima Orchard, a fourth-generation, family-owned business with more than 200 hectares of apple orchards stretching over the Tasman District’s Waimea plains.Speaking after being announced the Kaiahuone...

Local Florist amongst impressive young horticulturists competing in Karaka

She’s fought fires, established an “unruly” floristry business, and next month she’ll battle it out against the great young guns of New Zealand’s horticulture world.Ramarama’s Sarah-Lee Ewe will represent the Young Florist/Flower Grower sector at the New Zealand Young Horticulturist final, to be staged in Karaka on November 7 and 8.Sarah-Lee owns a floral and styling business called Faux & Thorn – The Unruly Fleuriste, although all things floral have not formed her entire working l...