AgriKids off on national adventure

Three teams of South Marlborough students will test their farming know-against the rest of the country in the forthcoming AgriKids national finals.

AgriKids is the primary school competition for eight to 13-year-olds for the Young Farmer of the Year competition, and the Tasman region’s three teams all qualified from South Marlborough for the FMG Young Farmer of the Year finals in Invercargill over July 4-5, 2025.

Regional champion team The Oinks - Fred Maher, Manawa Doonan, and Liam Underwood, runners up The Agristags - Flynn O’Connor, Otis Norton, and Henry Molineux, and bronze medalists The Cattle Girls - Emma March, Isabel Pitts, and Ward School’s Madi Lunn - have been preparing and fundraising for their trip to the deep south.

Seddon School teacher Jacqui Ayres says the rural learning opportunities align with their allround education and allow kids to shine outside of the classroom.

“We’ve been a part of AgriKids for six or seven years, just getting kids out there exploring what’s available in agricultural industries locally from an early age and positively reinforcing many of our kids, many from farming backgrounds and encouraging what they know already,” Jacqui says. I’m really pleased we’re seeing more girls putting their hand up and entering too, including The Cattle Girls who have qualified because farming life doesn’t discriminate.

“The community here are 100 percent behind our kids, because they can appreciate the shared learning and passion of our students for what they do too and hope to see them represent South Marlborough well.”

The teams have been connecting with their local community to gather votes. They are looking forward to the team events and will be using knowledge from both school and home to impress in the national competition.

“I’m really excited about the race off, because we can work as a team to complete fun tasks,” says Manawa Doonan, whose first memory on the farm is drenching deer but enjoys spending time with his dad on the farm and vineyard.

“The regional event was really fun and a good experience, and I like helping my parents with drenching, shearing and mustering with the neighbours,” says Cattle Girl Emma March.

“My first memory on the farm was driving with my dad on the quadbike while in a front pack.”

The Agristags are doing a quiz that each family writes up each week, while the Cattle Girls and the Oinks are helping their families more on the farm.

“The kids have been doing lots of preparations both at school and home, but we run days for all our students where they go to local operations or have business exhibitions come to them to show them what they do, and what rurally based opportunities there are,” says Jacqui. “It’s not cheap to get three teams to Invercargill, but you’re giving kids the opportunity to shine in something they know, out of the classroom.”

Support the AgriKids competitors and vote for team Tasman at www.fmg.co.nz/campaigns/regionoff/tasman

Special thanks to the sponsors

Sounds Air

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