The Eastern Bay will host the Waikato-Bay of Plenty regional final of the New Zealand Young Farmers Season 58 later this month.

Event convenor Shanice Young, from Te Puke Young Farmers, is bringing the competition to the Eastern Bay on Saturday, March 28, making the most of the facilities at Racecourse Park Events Centre and the Awakeri Events Centre.

Eight contestants will battle it out in an action-packed event to determine who will represent the region at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final, to be held in July in New Plymouth.

The practical competition at Race-course Park (formerly the Te Teko Racecourse) runs from 8am to approximately 1.45pm and is free and open to the public.

There will be food trucks on site, along with fundraising raffles and the Rural Support “Ute Snap, Share & Win” competition running throughout the day.

The evening event starts at 5pm at the Awakeri Events Centre, with tickets available on the New Zealand Young Farmers website.

The event includes a quiz and prizegiving, with tickets covering dinner and dessert. Entertainment will follow the formalities.

Final scores from the practical and theory components are combined to determine the overall winner.

The eight finalists earned their places after competing in district contests in November, where around 30 contestants from across the wider Waikato and Bay of Plenty region went head-to-head, with the top eight progressing to the regional final.

This year’s finalists are Jimmy Cleaver (Hauraki Young Farmers), Andrew Wards (Te Kawa West Young Farmers), Cam Clayton (Morrinsville Ngarua Young Farmers), Charles Wainwright (Piarere Young Farmers), Edward Roskam (Piarere Young Farmers), Stephen Brunskill (Hamilton Young Farmers), William Evans (Piarere Young Farmers) and Michael Stobie (Hamilton Young Farmers).

This year’s contestants are all in their 20s, with Young Farmers open to those aged 16 to 31. Competitors come from a wide mix of backgrounds – not just dairy farming – including banking and other rural sector roles.

Contestants won’t know what’s coming – and that’s all part of the challenge.

They will face a “farmlet” and a series of practical modules that could include anything from sheep, beef and dairy to bees or horses. The aim is to test real-world agricultural skills across multiple sectors.

Alongside the main event, the day will also feature the AgriKids and FMG Junior Young Farmer competitions.

Designed specifically for primary and high school students, these events give the next generation the chance to showcase their farming skills, knowledge and innovation in a fun, hands-on environment.

AgriKids teams, made up of three primary or intermediate-aged students, will tackle practical challenges tailored to their level, while FMG Junior Young Farmer teams of two high school students will face more advanced modules mirroring aspects of the senior competition.

The FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year teams will compete across seven modules during the day, with the top five progressing through to a face-off quiz. From there, the top two teams overall will advance to the grand final.

AgriKidsNZ competitors will also take part in seven modules, with the top seven moving through to a face-off. The top three teams will move on to their grand final.

“It is exciting to see competitors coming through from primary school age right up to 31-year-olds,” Ms Young said.

“It highlights the strength and depth of talent within the rural sector.”

Te Puke Young Farmers, which has been running for around 90 years, is organising the event and hopes bringing it back to the Eastern Bay will encourage farmers and supporters in the district to get involved again.

Following the challenges of Covid, membership in parts of the region had dwindled, but numbers are now growing strongly.

For rural communities across Waikato and the Bay of Plenty, March 28 promises to showcase the talent shaping the future of New Zealand agriculture.

Tickets for the evening show can be purchased online via the New Zealand Young Farmers website – www.youngfarmers.co.nz