Rhiannon Morrell wins 2025 Gisborne Young Grower title

Rhiannon Morrell has won the Gisborne 2025 Young Grower regional title.

Rhiannon, who is a member of the technical team for apples at Craigmore Sustainables, pitched her skills against seven fellow contestants to take the title on 18 July.

She will now go on to compete against six other regional winners at the national Young Grower of the Year competition in Christchurch in September.  

Rhiannon, aged 25, was born and raised in Gisborne and began her career in the sector with LeaderBrand six years ago, working with vegetables.

“I was planning to head south to university but I really needed a full time job in the meantime - then I found I really enjoyed horticulture, so I stayed,” she says.

“I moved into a few different jobs in horticulture but apples is what I enjoy the most.

“My job involves a lot of data collection and metrics to help make informed decisions about the trees. It’s the nitty gritty stuff and I really enjoy that there is something new every day.”

Rhiannon has gained the NZ Certificate in Primary Industry Skills (Horticulture) Level 2, and NZ Certificate in Horticulture (Fruit Production) Level 3 and is now studying for Level Four through Primary ITO

“There’s lots of on-job and off-job training opportunities,” she says. “My manager is also very supportive and had been encouraging me to enter the Young Grower competition for a couple of years.

“I really had to push myself because I was very nervous about the public speaking part of it. I’m glad I agreed to enter though. The competition was great and everyone is so supportive that it really wasn’t bad getting up there and speaking in front of everyone.

“I think one of the important things about Young Grower is that it stretches young people in the sector and encourages you to push yourself further. I had to really push myself out of my comfort zone, and I’m glad I did. I think it also opens a lot of doors for you.

“It also helps raise awareness of horticulture to other young people. I think there is a perception that it’s all just about outdoor work. That’s certainly part of it and people really enjoy that. However, if you want to do other things, there are so many other opportunities.

“I would really like to see more high school students coming along to find about the sector and all the different career options that are available. I’d encourage them to, because they may very well find something they will enjoy.”

Rhiannon says that in the future, she hopes to progress to working in pip fruit technical management.

“That’s my goal –  I want to push myself as far as I can go.”

Runner up was Matt Davies, assistant manager at Davies Contracting in Gisborne, where he plays a key role in vineyard management, machinery operation and crew leadership.

Matt completed an apprenticeship with Thompsons Horticulture  and has gained Levels 3 and 4 in Horticulture Production, studying through Eastern Institute of Technology.

The competition celebrates the success of young people in the industry as well as encouraging others to consider a career in horticulture.

Regional organisers host and run the regional competitions independently, with Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) hosting the final in a different part of the country each year.

Entry is open to both commercial fruit and vegetable growers from across the regions, up to the age of 30.

HortNZ chief executive Kate Scott said the competitions play an important role in highlighting the wide variety of different career opportunities in the industry.

“This is the last of the seven regional Young Grower competitions for the year and now we can look forward to the grand final in Christchurch in September with another very high calibre group of finalists.

“The regional Young Grower competitions and the national Young Grower of the Year final could not happen without the commitment of so many industry professionals across the country who give up their time to help organise them.

“Thanks to their dedication we can celebrate the skilled young people, like Rhiannon and Matt, who are pursuing careers in the sector.

“Their skill, passion for the industry, the qualifications they have gained and the career progression they have achieved are a great example to other young people who may be considering  a future in horticulture.”