Top of the North first stop for TeenAg Competitions 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 05/02/13

Top of the North first stop for TeenAg Competitions 2013
Teenagers from all walks of life, from all over New Zealand, are being encouraged to enter the nationwide TeenAg Competition as it enters its third year. Nearly 300 students competed at Regional Finals throughout New Zealand in 2012 and the Competition is shaping up to be even bigger and better in 2013.

The first Regional Final takes place in Whangarei at the Barge Park Showgrounds on February 9th alongside the Northern Regional Final for the ANZ Young Farmer Contest and the AgriKidsNZ Competition. Competitors don’t need to belong to a TeenAg Club to enter the Competition and entry is free.

The TeenAg Competition is a programme run by New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) and is modelled off the ANZ Young Farmer Contest. Students compete in teams of two to complete a diverse range of fun and educational modules that are based on real life scenarios.

“The modules teach students about a diverse range of agricultural practices and the associated career opportunities as well as being designed to test their knowledge in a competitive and fun format” said NZYF TeenAg Project Leader Josie Hampton.

The top seven teams on the day progress through to the Race-Off where they race against each other to complete a sequence of activities in an agriculturally themed obstacle course.

“The Competition caters for everyone; from a teenager that has grown up on a sheep farm right through to someone who’s barely stepped foot on a farm before. Some will enter because they have their eye on Grand Final whereas others enter because they love the rural way of life,” said Ms Hampton

TeenAg Clubs are set to surge forward in 2013. At the end of 2012 there were 522 Members and over 35 Clubs situated in High Schools around the country with many more in the pipeline.

TeenAg Clubs are an introduction to becoming a fully-fledged NZYF member. There are great leadership and personal development opportunities within TeenAg; “members are given the responsibility to run professional meetings, become an office holder in their Club and also to organise events, speakers and social activities that reflect their interest in agriculture” said NZYF Extension Manger Duncan Trotter.

Mr Trotter adds that TeenAg Members do not need to be off a farm or even have a rural background; they just need to have a love of the land and an interest in agriculture.

Also new to the mix in this year’s competition series is the sponsorship of CLASS Harvest Centres. NZYF is thrilled to have CLASS Harvest Centres on board supporting the TeenAg series alongside
Beef + Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ, Ministry of Primary Industries and Telford.

Grand Final is taking place in Auckland on May 17th. The top three teams from each Regional Final are invited to attend the pinnacle event on the TeenAg Calendar and compete for the National title.

ENDS

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