Luke St John Wins 2026 Central Otago Young Grower Competition
Trainee orchard manager Luke St John has won the Central Otago 2026 Young Grower regional title.
Five entrants competed in the competition, covering modules such as irrigation, first aid, tractor and machinery work, pest and disease, spraying and weed management, and biosecurity.
Originally from France, Durand, age 28, was a young backpacker when he first came to New Zealand, picking fruit in the Teviot Valley.
He then moved to Clyde to work for Cherri Global, where today he works as their Clyde-Roxburgh sector manager, overseeing a 50ha block of cherries, in a role he has been in since 2017.
“I put in a lot of study in the lead-up to the competition, because you just don’t know what you’re going to get,” he says. “Having a strong mathematics background really helped me in the irrigation section.”
Durans says he entered the competition this year because he enjoyed his experience in the 2022 competition.
“It was fun. The competition was different this year with different questions,” he says. “I learnt a lot about myself, and I met plenty of people I would have spoken to otherwise.”
Kris Robb, chair of the Central Otago Growers’ Association (COGA), says he’s proud of all the competitors for putting themselves forward.
“I’m also appreciative of all the work that took place in the background to this significant industry event,” he says. “COGA is passionate about this young grower event and is encouraged by the talent coming up through the Central Otago region.”
Durand will compete at the national Young Grower of the Year final in Pukekohe on 4-5 October. He will compete against five other regional finalists and says he hopes to gain a lot from competing in the national final.
