"Over that time, I have got a huge amount out of it because of the amazing work that all of the conveners have done in organising those events," he said.
"I wanted to do my small bit to help provide that same opportunity for the next group of competitors to learn some new skills and test the ones they already have."
His mind is set on how to best the competitors' skills and abilities, rather than trying to work out how to get around the tests himself.
"We want to create an event that is engaging for the audience and the competitors and ensures that we have the best possible competitor representing the East Coast at the Grand Final who has the ability to bring the title home."
New Zealand Young Farmers chief executive Lynda Coppersmith said the competition improved every year, even with Covid-19 challenges.
"We've already exceeded last year's entries across the country, despite the fact that entries for a number of district contests are still open."
Coppersmith said season 54 will test competitors to see "who's up for it'".
"All of our volunteers and conveners right across the country have created some incredible challenges so far, with regional final season expected to take that to another level."
Coppersmith said all events would strictly follow the Government's event guidelines at the time.
FMG Young Farmer of the Year 2022 East Coast regional final results
East Coast North
1st - Hugh Banks
2nd - Aiden Smith
3rd - William Hobson
4th - Ben Gordon
East Coast South
1st - Josh Wilkinson
2nd - Mark Wallace
3rd - Samantha Thomson
4th - Fergus Casey
