Youth take centre stage at East Coast Farming Expo 2026
There's a special sort of energy at the East Coast Farming Expo, especially when it comes to youth.
Despite much of the infrastructure around roads and bridges still underway, or in some cases, put in the “too hard” basket, locals were attending the event with a great deal of positivity, particularly as dairy, beef and sheep prices were now in ascendency.
While the Expo was a chance to see the latest machinery and tech for agriculture, or a chance to quiz industry advisors, it also offered a chance to catch up with old friends for a chat and a cold drink.
A packed seminar marquee tackled the issues of the day, with a range of speakers on day one including Dr John Roche, chief scientific officer for MPI, discussing emerging genetic technologies, while Cara Brosnahan, the principal scientist for Animal Health Research at Beef + Lamb NZ looking at facial eczema and on-farm parasites.
Day two quickly hit the 30-degree mark on the thermometer by midmorning, with a large crowd learning about drench resistance, followed by the topic of “Wild About Wool” with panellists discussing how to add value to a crop that continuously seems to sit in the doldrums. The speakers included John McWhirter, CE of Wools of NZ, Dan Norman of Big Save Furniture and National Fieldays Innovation Awards winner Maddie Foote from Iona College, who built a clever wool cladded study pod.
The biggest buzz during the second day was the Rural News Cadet Challenge, fought out by eight teams of three from schools and colleges throughout the Hawke’s Bay and East Coast.
Arriving without any pre-warning what their challenge entailed, the teenagers watched a demonstration of how to bone a leg of lamb by Vaughan McNabb from Affco, followed by rural butcher Taiamai Corker mincing the meat to make sausages using natural skins.
Given 90 minutes to complete the task, the teams were also presented with a table of herbs, spices and flavourings to tempt the tastebuds, when blended with the sheep mince to create the “perfect” snarler. They were tasked to produce an accompanying side dish, with salads, citrus and, of course, the staple East Coast ingredient sweetcorn, both dishes to be presented for tasting to three esteemed judges.
Certainly a hive of activity for the 90 minutes, with a few “oh bugger” moments and some “interesting” flavours presented, a close battle saw the young ladies of Woodford House School in Havelock North take the overall honours. Their prize included the Competition and Individual trophies, accompanied by a plain envelope, which we understand held a substantial cash reward.
The winners, Hannah Newman, Sophie Storrar and Chloe Williams, would certainly have a big smile on their faces on the arduous trip back west, alongside a better understanding that putting some good sausages on the dinner table is not just about a dash into a New World or Pak’n’Save store!
