Bay of Plenty's Young Fruit Grower of the Year Joel Wanhill is heading to Auckland this week to compete for the National Young Grower of the Year title.

The 24-year-old orchardist and part-time Bay of Plenty Polytechnic horticulture student is excited about representing the Bay and the prospect of further refining his orchard skills.

Joel Wanhill on a cherry picker outside Baypark.

'I'm looking forward to a whole new challenge and the experience I will gain from it.”

Held in Auckland, the annual national competition sees four contestants battle it out undertaking practical, business and innovation related activities before being assessed for their leadership qualities in the Balance Leadership Panel.

The winner of the competition not only walks away with an award on their CV but also a trophy and a $4,000 cash prize.

Joel loves his job on the orchard and says he fell into the kiwifruit industry when he started picking kiwifruit as a holiday job.

'I really enjoy the outdoors and the practical challenges that present themselves every day.

'I'm working on an 18 hectare kiwifruit orchard out at Te Puke owned by Ken and Helen Edkins. Their support has been really great.”

Joel intends to complete his horticulture studies at the Polytechnic and has his eye on managing an orchard in the next few years.

'Polytech has been great and as I move forward I know what I've learnt will come in very handy.”