With so many people across our horticultural community impacted by the Cyclone, our immediate focus needs to be on rebuilding businesses and livelihoods. For this reason, the HBFA committee has decided to postpone our 2023 YFOTY competition. We hope this gives businesses, growers and students some additional time to focus on the immediate issues at hand.
The committee did consider a cancellation of the 2023 event, however, there was unanimous agreement that it should proceed. It was noted that some of our young horticulturists are feeling uncertain about the future of their studies and their careers in our industry – we see the staging of the 2023 Young Fruit Grower of the Year as a way to address these concerns by sending a strong signal that the industry is getting back on its feet.
The new date for the event is the 10/11 August, and we look forward to working with our contestants, judges and sponsors to make it a big success.
It you have any questions about the event, please don’t hesitate to email marketing@hbfa.co.nz
