The South School Drafters in their Viking gear outside the Speights Ale House in Timaru.
The South School Drafters in their Viking gear outside the Speights Ale House in Timaru.
To be 12th out of 180 AgriKids teams from throughout New Zealand was a great effort from the South School Drafters, according to competition co-ordinator Isobelle Hobbs.
After progressing through the East Coast regional competition the South School Drafters found themselves among 21 other finalists at the national final inTimaru at the end of last term.
At assembly on Friday South Principal Mr Snell said he was proud of all the boys who practised the principles important to the school. He also thanked teacher Mrs Murphy for organising, coaching and accompanying the team to Timaru.
All three boys - Quinn Stead, Cody Rowley and Tawera Rautahi - said it was a huge step up from the regional finals, and all four modules had challenges.
The South School team with their power-point presentation at their assembly. From bottom to top: Quinn Stead, Cody Rowley and Tawera Rautahi.
They could not find the key to start the motorbike for a while in the mechanical module and when it came to measuring fish to see if they were illegal or illegal, Quinn Stead knew only undersize or oversize from his experience living in the Chatham Islands.
Highlight for the boys was the march up the main street of Timaru in their Viking clothes. Special guest at the assembly was Isobelle Hobbs New Zealand Young Farmers Teenag and AgriKids competition co-ordinator, who presented Tawera Rautahi with his AgriKidsNZ Competitor of the Year trophy. She told the assembly the competition wasn't even close.
"Tawera's work ethic, leadership within his team and attitude throughout the competition were streaks above the rest," she said.
A full assembly, parents and families watched the presentation.
His nomination by all eight judges in the regional finals was the first in her memory. A large group of parents and friends - including Peter Noble-Campbell representing the ADB Williams Trust, the team's chief sponsor, joined students to celebrate their achievements.
