The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

FMG Young Farmer of the Year regional finals a success

The Country
20 Apr, 2022 10:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Otago Southland FMG Young Farmer of the Year Alex Field setting the bar high with the first regional final on February 12. Photo / Supplied

Otago Southland FMG Young Farmer of the Year Alex Field setting the bar high with the first regional final on February 12. Photo / Supplied

The FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final is in sight, with all regional finals now finished and competitors selected.

There are 98 contest series competitors heading to Whangārei to battle it out for the top awards this July.

They are made up of seven Young Farmer of the Year grand finalists, 14 FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year teams (comprising 28 competitors) and 21 AgriKidsNZ teams (63 competitors).

For the first time in several years, all seven Young Farmer of the Year grand finalists are based on farms.

Waikato Bay of Plenty's Chris Poole, Tasman's Jonny Brown, Otago Southland's Alex Field and Taranaki Manawatū's David Reesby are all dairy farmers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Meanwhile, Northern's Tim Dangen, East Coast's Mark Wallace and Aorangi's Tom Adkins are based on sheep and beef farms.

Held across three days in Whangārei from July 7 - 9, the Grand Final will be action-packed with hundreds of people expected to be in attendance.

The Grand Final also coincides with the New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) AGM, Norwood National Awards and NZYF Tournament Series finals.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

NZYF chief executive Lynda Coppersmith said the regional final season had been "an absolute success".

"To have travelled across the country during the Omicron outbreak and held seven great regional finals with minimum disruptions and selected all our incredible competitors – all with no outbreaks at our events – is a testament to our exceptional teams and volunteers who put this contest together and their dedication and resilience."

Coppersmith said NZYF went further than "just implementing Government guidelines" to keep people safe.

Organisers reconfigured the event layout with different entry and exit points for spectators and competitors across all three levels of the contest.

Masks were also mandatory, competitors had to wear gloves and there were "multiple other mechanisms" in place to protect hosts and competitors moving through modules, Coppersmith said.

"Our conveners, volunteer teams and sponsors went above and beyond to make the events the best they could be, some working with extremely minimal boots on the ground as isolation rules kicked in."

The Contest Series would not be possible without its "amazing volunteers and the hard hours, blood, sweat and tears they put into organising each event," Coppersmith said.

"Our conveners, committees and those who raise their hands on the day are the life and blood of FMG Young Farmer of the Year, and to say thank you and we appreciate you won't ever be enough to recognise their work."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

From 'golden goose' to wastewater site: Farm plan sparks debate

20 May 06:05 PM
The Country

How a Kiwi mother and daughter are transforming hygiene with wool

20 May 06:01 PM
Premium
Opinion

Opinion: When farmers say ‘trust us’, should we believe them?

20 May 06:00 PM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

From 'golden goose' to wastewater site: Farm plan sparks debate

From 'golden goose' to wastewater site: Farm plan sparks debate

20 May 06:05 PM

The Pain Farm in Martinborough is the proposed site for a wastewater disposal facility.

How a Kiwi mother and daughter are transforming hygiene with wool

How a Kiwi mother and daughter are transforming hygiene with wool

20 May 06:01 PM
Premium
Opinion: When farmers say ‘trust us’, should we believe them?

Opinion: When farmers say ‘trust us’, should we believe them?

20 May 06:00 PM
Northland divers start New Zealand-first elimination work on invasive seaweed

Northland divers start New Zealand-first elimination work on invasive seaweed

20 May 05:00 PM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP