Bay of Plenty's top young grower Chris Clement has placed second in the national Young Grower of the Year competition held in Pukekohe.

Andrew Hutchinson from AS Wilcox & Sons in Pukekohe won first place and third place went to Jack Gilchrist, a fruit grower from Roxburgh.

Chris Clement of Te Puke placed second in the national Young Grower of the Year competition. Supplied Photo.

Chris, who works at Apata Group at Te Puke, won the Bay of Plenty Young Grower competition last month. After a day of activities in the national competition, where he competed against four other regional winners, he placed a very close second to Pukekohe vegetable grower Andrew Hutchinson.

Run by Horticulture New Zealand, chief executive Mike Chapman says it is encouraging to see the depth of talent demonstrated at the competition.

'We look forward to seeing how Chris and his fellow competitors progress their careers in our vibrant industry.”

Chris, 30, works in Technical Operations for Apata Group in Te Puke. He entered the kiwifruit industry in 2008 after studying for a Bachelor of Science majoring in Horticultural Science at Massey University. Chris returned to postharvest last year, following 2.5 years at Kiwifruit Vine Health where he worked with packhouses and supported growers impacted by PSA.

'It was a tough competition but I really enjoyed it. There are some smart people here and it's opened my eyes to opportunities across the industry,” says Chris.

During the national competition the five finalists competed in a series of practical and theoretical challenges to test the skills needed to run a successful horticultural business. They also participated in a leadership panel discussion, before delivering a speech in front of the judges at the dinner event, where the three top placings were announced.

Mike says the aim of the competition is to foster excellence amongst young growers and future-proof the $5 billion horticultural industry that exports 60 per cent of total production to about 124 countries.

'Many of our current horticultural farm and orchard owners will be retiring in the next 15 to 20 years so we need good succession plans in place. It is heartening to see so many young talented horticulturalists out there who are our future industry leaders,” he says.

Andrew Hutchinson from AS Wilcox & Sons in Pukekohe is the 2016 Young Grower of the Year. Supplied Photo