Ward shows fruits of his labour

Craig Ward will represent Bay of Plenty at the Horticulture New Zealand Young Grower of the Year competition next month.

Craig Ward has come a long way since helping his parents out labouring on their Katikati avocado orchard as a youngster.

The 26-year-old Apata Group technical manager will represent the Bay of Plenty next month at the Horticulture New Zealand Young Grower of the Year competition after staving off seven other competitors for the regional title.

Mr Ward said horticulture was always on his radar after spending three years at Ag First in their kiwifruit testing lab, while he was still at high school.

That experience made an impression and "ended up tipping me towards kiwifruit over other industries".

"I was impressed with the level of leadership and vision it had and how Zespri and the packhouses always had a plan for the future. So looking from the outside, it showed that it wasn't going to be a dead-end industry; you could go places as it would keep changing and evolving."

Mr Ward, who also has a Massey University Bachelor of Applied Science and Post Graduate Diploma in Agriscience and Horticulture, returned to the family orchard after his studies before taking up a role with Apata.

The industry was a great option for graduates, he said, and almost all of his class had secured jobs quickly.

"I had friends that studied in fields of business banking and that sort of thing and they ended up doing jobs completely unrelated to their degree for a year or two until they could find something relevant."

He said he would be up against it at the national competition, but Mr Ward was ready to give it his best shot. "I know that the national competition will be an even bigger challenge than this one, but I feel well prepared. To be honest I'm just looking forward to getting stuck in, doing my best and seeing what I can learn from the other competitors. Most of us work with different produce so it will be interesting to see which skills are the same and which are different," he said.

"I would definitely recommend this competition to any young fruit growers. It's a great way to push yourself in all elements of the job and you get the chance to meet some really supportive people who can help you with your career."

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc president Neil Trebilco said the competition was an opportunity for young fruit growers to showcase their talent.

"This has been another excellent demonstration of the talent we have here in the Bay of Plenty and the wider region including Northland. There are some tremendous opportunities in the fruit growing industry and we are delighted that this group is taking advantage of them and also encouraging other young people to consider a career in this sector."

In the regional event Simon Bowker, 28, from EHC Orchard Management, Te Puke, was second and Aaron Hokopaura, 24, from Aongatete Coolstores Limited, Katikati, placed third.