Amelia Marsden has won the Nelson 2025 Young Grower regional title after going head-to-head with five other young people to compete for the Nelson Young Grower title.
Amelia, 29, who is the Kiwifruit manager at Willisbrook Orchards in Brightwater, pitched her skills against five fellow contestants to take the title on 19 June, with the practical day competition held at Thomas Brothers Ltd Orchard in Riwaka followed by the evening awards dinner at the Rutherford Hotel in Nelson.
She will now go on to compete against six other regional winners in Horticulture New Zealand’s national Young Grower of the Year competition, to be held in Christchurch in September.
Runner-up in the Nelson competition was Tasman Valley Young Farmers chair Georgia Steele, who has also transitioned from dairy farming to horticulture and works for JS Ewers in irrigation and tractor operations.
Third place went to Caleb Aarsen who is currently studying towards a Diploma in Horticulture at Lincoln University.
