FMG Young Farmer of the Year regional finals set to kick off under red light

2021 FMG Young Farmer of the Year Otago Southland regional finalists competing in a head-to-head competition. Photo / Supplied

The FMG Young Farmer of the Year Contest Series regional finals kick off this Saturday in Waimumu.

The Otago Southland Contest Series regional final is going ahead under the red light Covid Protection Framework with a 100-person limit and My Vaccine Pass requirements.

It was exciting to be able to continue to host events with clear Government guidelines in place, New Zealand Young Farmers chief executive Lynda Coppersmith said.

"Over the last two years the Contest Series has been seriously impacted by Covid but our teams have done an amazing job of pivoting with different alert levels, restrictions and all the different scenarios that have arisen."

This contest season was different because there was more certainty and measures in place to allow events to be run while keeping communities, spectators, staff and competitors safe with vaccine pass checks, masks and outdoor hosting, Coppersmith said.

Usually the three levels of the contest – FMG Young Farmer of the Year, FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year and AgriKidsNZ– run at the same regional final.

However, under the red traffic light system, each event is being run separately and capped at 100 people.

Meanwhile, the FMG Young Farmer of the Year evening shows are also capped at 100, with limited tickets on sale until the country moves out of red restrictions.

The events will also be live-streamed on the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Facebook page so everyone can tune in to be part of the action, despite the capacity limits in place.

"The spirit of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest series can and will shine through any red light," Coppersmith said.

"We're hoping this season will run relatively uninterrupted and finish with the best FMG Young Farmer of the Year standing on the podium."