James Blair Named 2026 Young Grower National Champion
James Blair, an agronomist for AS Wilcox and the Pukekohe regional champion, has won the 2026 Young Grower national title.
The Government yesterday announced its Fit for a Better World plan aimed at boosting primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade.
Horticulture NZ (HortNZ) says the horticulture industry’s future-focused strategies align well with what is proposed in the plan.
“Horticulture is already well into the journey that has been identified and proposed in these reports, and this journey will continue,” says HortNZ President, Barry O’Neil.
New Zealand’s horticulture industry is now worth more than $6.39 billion annually, employing approximately 60,000 people.
“We are encouraged to see that the proposal identifies a key opportunity to accelerate the horticulture industry’s development, which fits perfectly with our own work.
“That said, we realise that growers and horticulture’s governance groups have not been part of the Primary Sector Council’s work on developing Fit for a Better World.
“As a result, over the next few months, we will be discussing with them the approach to implementation the horticulture industry can jointly take with government,” said O’Neil.
