"The opening ceremony kick starts what is a massive three days for all our contestants and their supporters, staff, volunteers and sponsors.
"It's a fantastic showcase of what the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Contest Series Grand Final brings to each town it visits annually, celebrating our best Young Farmers and the future of the industry."
Thursday also marked the first day of challenges for the three-day Grand Final.
Fourteen FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year teams completed an exam as part of their contest tasks and would also take part in a networking event on Thursday night with the Contest's family of sponsors.
The seven FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Finalists completed their Technical Day, featuring a range of challenges including a strategic business exam and a human resources task to assess their leadership and management skills.
After previously submitting their Market Innovation Challenge reports, they also presented a 20-minute presentation to three judges, before judges quizzed them in a ten-minute question and answer session.
The market innovation challenge was a 12-week project featuring a hypothetical 120-hectare farm near Kaikohe.
The Grand Finalists had to create a new product or service to supply into a new market from the property, to demonstrate innovation and entrepreneurship.
They also submitted and were interviewed on a community footprint project; a three-minute video of each contestant acknowledging the importance of involvement and leadership in rural communities.
Part of the judging criteria included wellbeing, their NZYF involvement, their own advocacy for a cause and their input into their local community.
The New Zealand Young Farmers Tournament Series have also been completed at a range of locations throughout the city with the winners announced last night at the Norwood NZYF National Awards at Semenoff Stadium.
