New Zealand Horticulture Conferences 2025

New Zealand Horticulture Conferences 2026

If you're interested in partnering with us for the 2026 conferences (location, dates and venue to be confirmed), please contact events@hortnz.co.nz.

The Young Grower of the Year is an annual competition to find the best young fruit and vegetable growers in New Zealand.  The competition provides exceptional professional development and networking opportunities. 

Young growers from around the country compete in regional heats, testing their knowledge and practical horticultural skills.  The winners of each of the regional competitions go on to compete in the national final.

Find out more here.

 

The 2025 national final

Bay of Plenty technical lab manager Phoebe Scherer has won the coveted 2025 Young Grower national title. Phoebe who works for Apata in Tauranga, is also the Bay of Plenty regional champion. The 29-year-old competed against six other regional winners in a series of challenges at Lincoln University in Christchurch on September 10-11. Read about Phoebe's success here.

Click here to view highlights of the 2024 competition.

Horticulture industry awards

HortNZ presents a set of awards annually to recognise outstanding contributions and achievements in New Zealand's commercial fruit and vegetable growing industry. 

Click here to find out more