Ian Douglas (29), after missing out last year, has secured a spot at the contest grand final to be held in Auckland later this year.
Douglas, Whangarei Young Farmers Club, prepared harder for this year’s northern regional final, winning earlier this month at Barge Park Showgrounds.
“I mostly prepared for the evening show by working on my general knowledge skills,” he says. “Being an all-rounder is important, but you also have to be quick on the buzzer.”
He had to battle it out with his employee Jamie Lang, also from Whangarei Young Farmers Club. “We get on pretty well. I taught him everything he knows, so it wasn’t much of a competition.”
Douglas against seven other contenders including David Kidd, Helensville Young Farmers (2); Benson Horsford, Whangarei (3); and Charlie Barr, Whangarei (4).
Douglas’ prize pack was valued at $9000, including cash ‘components’ from ANZ and AGMARDT, a Lincoln University scholarship, fertiliser from Ravensdown, Silver Fern Farms retail products and a Honda XR125 farm bike.
Prizes for the runners up included cash from ANZ, Ravensdown products, a Honda water pump and power equipment from Husqvarna. All entrants may apply for one of seven Lincoln University study scholarships worth up to $4000 each.
Also competing at the Barge Park Showgrounds in the TeenAg regional final Kamo High School students who won the top three spots. Team Why Not’s (Brendon Frost and Antony Clarke) were first followed by the Kam Boys (Andrew Martin and Ethan Carter); third place went to the Mozzhawks (Aidan Hawker and Sam Moscrip).
The AgriKidsNZ competition was won by Country Bro’s made up of Cara Doggett, Michaela McCracken and James Logue from Rodney College. Second place went to The Mean Green Farming Machine from Okaihau School (Jonty Morgan, Buster Carr and Jacob Cook), followed by Waioneke 1 from Waioneke School (Tyler Ross, Hamish Holst and Christopher Hill).
The top three teams from TeenAg and AgriKidsNZ are invited to Grand Final in Auckland on May 17.
