Thursday, 15 August 2024 14:55

Canterbury Clash of the Colleges debut at the Ashburton A&P Show

Written by  Staff Reporters
The event supports youth studying Horticulture and Agriculture, creating opportunities for partnership and connection within the education and employment sectors throughout New Zealand. The event supports youth studying Horticulture and Agriculture, creating opportunities for partnership and connection within the education and employment sectors throughout New Zealand.

The third annual Canterbury Clash of the Colleges is set to make its first appearance at the Ashburton A&P Show.

Established by the New Zealand Rural Games Trust, this event supports youth studying Horticulture and Agriculture, creating opportunities for partnership and connection within the education and employment sectors throughout New Zealand.

Event organisers have partnered with the Ashburton A&P Show to bring the 2024 Canterbury Clash of the Colleges, said general manager Daniel O'Regan.

“More than 300 students from across Canterbury competed in last year’s Clash, and we hope to see similar participation at the Ashburton A&P Show.”

Ben Stock, president of the Ashburton A&P Show, highlighted the event's importance, saying it is all about encouraging the next generation into the food and fibre sectors.

“Our region is New Zealand’s food basket and it’s essential we support the next generation into the sector.

"We're excited to welcome students and their families from across Canterbury, the West Coast and North Otago to the 2024 Clash of the Colleges. This event allows teens to improve their skills and have a lot of fun doing it. It's a chance for them to come together, learn, compete, and network."

Clash of the Colleges is a fast-paced, amazing race-style competition that offers students hands-on experience in various aspects of the rural sector. Teams of four will complete 16 hands-on modules within one and a half hours, all run by experts and members of local Young Farmer Clubs.

Modules include Artificial Insemination, ATV Safety and Wheel Change, Tree Identification, Attaching an Insulator, Break Fencing, Irrigation set up, Offal Identification, Feeds and Weeds, Drenching, Mussel Buoy Knot Tying, Handpiece Setup, Wool Identification, Gumboot Throwing, Sulky Racing, Thoroughbred Racing, Springer Horse Riding, and more. This year, the scoring system has been adjusted so that physical modules like gumboot throwing and sulky racing will receive participation points only. Daniel O'Regan mentioned that this change focuses on essential skills needed in food and fibre, creating a more even playing field for boys' and girls' teams.

Tangaroa Walker from Farm 4 Life, an agri-edutainment creator with over 340,000 followers, will emcee the event, which is scheduled for November 1 & 2 2024 at the Ashburton Showgrounds.

Schools can register here.

More like this

Let the games begin!

New Zealand's largest celebration of rural sports athletes and enthusiasts – New Zealand Rural Games - is back for its 10th edition, kicking off in Palmerston North from Thursday, March 6th to Sunday, March 9th, 2025.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter