The RNZIH Education Trust are underway with planning for the 2023 Competition and are currently reaching to the supporters and new supporters as we gear up for another great Competition!

2023 Support

If you are interested in finding out more on how you can be a supporter of the Competition, please let us know. We have re-branded some of our sponsorship tiers to reflect the differing levels of support. We can’t run this valuable Competition without the support from businesses in and around the industry.  A big THANK YOU to our community of supporters for their ongoing support!

Here we have a few words from one of our Partnering Sponsors:

“Fruitfed Supplies is well aware of the need to educate and bring new emerging talent into the horticulture industry. NZ needs far more young people in this industry, we need more people to make a career out of Horticulture, and we definitely will require more leaders in this industry into the future. This Competition is a great way to promote horticulture as a career, while also giving contestants the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and share experiences with like-minded people. Fruitfed are proud to be part of such a great Competition!” – Duncan Fletcher; National Manager, Fruitfed Supplies (as pictured below with 2022 Winner Regan Judd)

*Pictured; Duncan Fletcher with 2022 Winner Regan Judd

RNZIH Education Trust AGM

This is set for Friday 19th May, all are welcome so if you are keen to come along and be part of the team, please register your interest with our Event Manager today.
The 2023 Grand Final dates have been set for:

• Day 1: Tuesday 7th November 2023

Business Components Day @ New Zealand Bloodstock Centre, Karaka, Auckland

• Day 2: Wednesday 8th November 2023

Practical Components Day @ New Zealand Bloodstock Centre, Karaka, Auckland

2023 Young Horticulturist Grand Final Awards Dinner

Wednesday 8th November 2023 @ New Zealand Bloodstock Centre, Karaka, Auckland

The Young Horticulturist of the Year Awards Dinner is attended by the seven 2023 finalists, a wide range of industry suppliers and sponsors as well as the main sector organizations (representing the horticultural industry), growers, employers, friends, and family supporting the finalists, a total of at estimate 250-300 guests.

It is the only horticultural industry event to bring together the whole industry to celebrate the achievements of young people employed in horticulture throughout New Zealand

2023 Competition Prize Pool

We are excited to be able to offer over $30,000.00 worth in prizes this year which includes a combination of cash, professional development, products and goodie bags.

Professional Development Day 2023

On Tuesday 9th May we look forward to seeing our 2022 finalists again as we host them for our post Competition Professional Development Day at the Auckland Botanic Gardens.
This Professional Development Day encourages cross-sector networking opportunities and further development of leadership skills and connections with the finalists.
We are looking forward to catching up with our seven 2022 Finalists and seeing what they have been up to since the November Competition.

2023 Young Horticulturist Competition – Orientation Day

This is the launch for the 2023 Competition for the 2023 Sector Finalists. We look forward to welcoming our new finalists at the Orientation Day which will be held on Tuesday 5th September at the Auckland Botanic Gardens.

Sector winners come together for a one-day Young Horticulturist Orientation Day and then complete a written business project and a Market Innovation Project, in their own time over an eight-week period.

We are looking forward to receiving all Nominations by 31st August ahead of this.

The Young Horticulturist Competition Aims

•  To identify young people in the horticultural industry with leadership potential• To foster and encourage the development of leadership capability in these people to meet future industry challenges.
• To foster an insight into world class marketing, global supply chains, new products, new technologies and business models, through activities in the competition.
• To encourage sector winners to seize new opportunities and new challenges and use them in a learning and self-development process.
• To raise awareness of the role of horticulture in the NZ economy
• To raise awareness of potential career paths in the horticultural industry.
• To encourage communication and appreciation of common interests between sector groups.
• To encourage and develop collaborative leadership.

There are up to seven horticultural sectors represented in the Young Horticulturist Competition.

Each sector association runs a competition to identify who will represent their sector at the Grand Final of the Young Horticulturist Competition, held in November each year. It is estimated about 80-100 young people, under 30 years of age and of a high caliber from a wide range of backgrounds, will contest these various sector competitions annually.

In the eighteen years the Competition has been running, the Young Horticulturist Competition has had a positive influence at all levels, supporting and growing the capabilities of young people as well as uniting the various horticultural sectors and leading suppliers to address a major industry issue – attracting a growing number of young people to view horticulture as a viable career.

Posts of photos, videos and news regarding our finalists and sponsors are promoted on the Young Hort Facebook page and through Instagram on a regular basis.

Please visit and follow our page for updates on www.facebook.com/YoungHortNZ

On the Young Horticulturist website www.younghort.co.nz

You can contact Leanda and the team anytime on: event.manager@younghort.co.nz or (09) 2947129 or (027) 4280826

The Competition is managed by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture Education Trust.