Talented teen siblings take TeenAg titles in Kerikeri

Niamh Walton and Archer Walton won the hotly-contested TeenAg event on Saturday.

Two talented siblings have taken top honours at the Northern TeenAg Regional Final in Kerikeri.

Niamh Walton and Archer Walton won the hotly-contested TeenAg event on Saturday.

Niamh is a pupil at Whangarei Girls' High School and Archer attends Whangarei Boys' High School.

The event saw 28 teams clash on the Kerikeri Domain.

Hannah Nichols and Jackson Nichols, from Dargaville High School, took second place.

Both teams have qualified for the TeenAg Grand Final in Invercargill.

Raniera Whiu, Jake Hainsworth and Jack Barton-Smith from Kamo Intermediate School won the fiercely-contested AgriKidsNZ contest.

That event saw 36 teams tackle fun challenges testing their practical and theoretical skills.

"That's the most competitors we've seen in both contests for some time, which is awesome," said competition co-ordinator David Highsted.

Benjamin Clunie, Danny Sturge and Elly Reid from Okaihau College placed second.

Kaylie Nicholas, Aaron Harrison and Kaiya Browning from Kamo Intermediate School were third.

All three teams have qualified for the AgriKidsNZ Grand Final in Invercargill.

"The aim of the event is to get kids excited about a career in the primary industries," said David.

Both national finals will take place alongside the prestigious FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final in July.

TeenAg and AgriKidsNZ are a key part of the work being done by NZ Young Farmers to attract students into the agri-food sector.