50 Years Young

Celebrating  50 Years of the NZ Young Farmers’ Competition, this book tells the story of a unique event that draws on the traditions of heartland New Zealand.

The Young Farmers awards have tested the mettle of New Zealand men and women on their farming and agribusiness skills. Today, the competition attracts 300 contestants each year to demonstrate everything from fencing to accounting.

Beginning with the first regional final in 1969, broadcast live from a hall at Lincoln College, with a bemused sheep on the stage, it showcases today's tech-savvy young farmers using technology to shape the future of NZ billion-dollar farming. industry

About the author: Kate Taylor grew up on a farm in west Otago and has been a journalist since she left school, starting with radio and moving into print when she returned from her OE in 1996 to work for the then Hawke's Bay Herald Tribune. She left what became Hawke's Bay Today in 2000 when her daughter was born and she has been a freelance journalist, administrator and event manager ever since. Kate, her husband Thomas and their children Sarah and Lachlan live on a small farm at Takapau in Hawke's Bay, where she is an active member of the local fire brigade.