Local winner local hope in national grower finals

Lisa Arnold, Hawke's Bay Young Fruit Grower of the Year for 2018. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

The first woman to win the Hawke's Bay Young Fruit Grower of the Year will be helping create a bit of history when she takes her shot at national honours next month.

The Young Grower of the Year finals, with other regional Young Fruit Grower of the Year winners up against Young Vegetable Grower of the Year winners, will be held in Napier for the first time, on August 21-22, drawing profile to the event on Marine Parade, where the prizegiving dinner will be held at the War Memorial Conference Centre.

It'll be a big moment for regional final winner Lisa Arnold, a 27-year-old Bostock NZ orchard operations assistant who was born in Hastings, went to high school in Gisborne and who now lives in Napier, and for the sector which wants to bring its national conference to the Bay but struggles to find a suitable venue.

The Hawke's Bay competition started with practical and theory tests at the National Horticultural Field Day at Hawke's Bay Showgrounds Tomoana in Hastings last Thursday and ended with speaking component at an awards function the following night.

Mr Apple NZ foremen Tom Dalziel and Anthony Taueki were second and third respectively in a competition which had record entries, at a time of increasing apprentices and other training in the industry, although just eight were able to compete in the event.

Also the first from an organic operation to claim the regional title since 2011, Arnold said: "It's a real privilege to represent young women and organic growers in our industry. I'll be preparing for the national contest here in Napier in August, and plan on reaching out to different areas of the industry to broaden my horizons before the final."

After leaving school in Gisborne she studied for a Bachelor of Science at Victoria University of Wellington and said this week it had been great to be able to build a career around organic-grown apples, having from a young age had a passion for organic growing and sustainability instilled by her parents.

She competed in the HB Young Fruit Grower contest for the first time last year, learning enough from taking fourth place to know what she needed to do to win this year.

As extra strings to her bow, she is manager of the Bostock NZ Karamu Stream restoration project manager, while in her "spare time" she's a beekeeper, with about 30 hives stationed in the orchards.

She said she looks forward to meeting other contestants chosen from similar regional events, and who will be all aiming to claim the fruit growing sector's place at the national Young Horticulturist of the Year in Pukekohe and Auckland on November 7-8.

HBFGA president Lesley Wilson said the competition continues to show the quality of young people entering the horticulture industry.

"Lisa has a bright future ahead of her, and shows that there is an influx of clever young people into growing," Wilson said.

The Young Fruit Grower of the Year competition was the biggest of several events at the Field Day, among others being the inter-worksite Tug o' War for a trophy first presented more than 90 years ago.

T&G had five of the record 12 entries, and claimed bragging rights for 2018 with a team named Puke Perms.