Motueka High School students Zac Walker and Brooklyn Hovenden were tightly strung in the best possible way at last Wednesday's annual South Island Secondary Schools Fencing Competition.
The Year 10 and Year 11 students were the only local team in the event, which this year was held in the field beside the Riwaka Hotel.
Run by the Fencing Contractors Association New Zealand alongside its annual conference, the competition tests entrants on speed, accuracy, technique and the quality of their finished fencing work. It also helps provide a pathway into the fencing industry.
Zac and Brooklyn reached the finals after a strong performance in the heats, running two wires with eggs and tensioners between wooden posts.
Although Geraldine High School claimed the top placings, the Motueka High School pair won the award for best first-time entrants.
Both students live on lifestyle blocks and, while they reckon they are involved in "the whole lot" of farm jobs, neither had extensive fencing experience before entering the competition.
Local fencing guru John Noakes helped fill some of those gaps before the event, giving the pair tuition in knots and fencing techniques.
"They're keen as, and they're the future for the fencing industry," he says.
The students were also given some pointers by 2026 Tasman Young Farmer finalist Bryce Win, who visited them before the competition.
Speaking from his own experience in the national Young Farmer competition, the Dovedale local says he encouraged the pair to strike a balance between working quickly and working neatly.
He also reminded them that "things might not always go to plan but just to roll with the punches".
