A new contest for young Central Otago fruitgrowers should be good for the industry, as well as the participants, Summerfruit New Zealand president Gary Bennetts says.
''We're certainly supporting it and I think it'll be a great incentive for young people in the industry to upskill,'' he said.
The inaugural Central Otago Young Fruit Grower contest will take place at the Otago Polytechnic Cromwell campus on May 27.
The six entrants will vie for a $1500 cash prize and the right to represent the region at the national final, in Christchurch on August 12 and 13. The competitors are Jonathan Bates (22),
Hollandia Orchard, Earnscleugh; Adam Low (24), McIntosh Orchards, Earnscleugh; Jack Gilchrist (21), Willowbrook, Roxburgh; Michael Harland (23), Fortune Fruit Company, Cromwell; James Huffadine (23), Parkburn Management, Cromwell; and Damien Febery (29), MA Orchards, Timaru. They will complete challenges to test their core skills.
