More young Kiwis need to roll up their sleeves and help save New Zealand's environment, says the Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture Education Trust.
The trust said in a statement getting young New Zealanders into horticulture careers needed to be given considerable urgency following last month's warning from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) that New Zealand's economic growth model is approaching its environmental limits.
Chairwoman of the trust's Young Horticulturist of the Year 2017 Competition, Elle Anderson, said she hoped the OECD's warning would make more young people choose to make a difference with a career in horticulture .
"Horticulture offers a career that makes a real difference to both this country's environment and economy. If, however, horticulture is to develop as this country's premier economic activity, then we need a lot more bright young talent to make it happen.
"We know that millennials as a generation want to make a difference in the world. They want work that is meaningful, and that is motivated by a strong 'reason why'. They are also high-tech, high touch focused - all of which are demands and expectations that horticulture can amply deliver on."
