FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 19-05-2011
Grand Final tickets on sale tomorrow
Tickets will go on sale tomorrow (May 20th) for The National Bank Young Farmer Contest Grand Final to be held in
Masterton from June 29th to July 2nd.
The most visual of the events will be the Practical Day at the Solway A Show grounds on July 1st where the public will get to see the Contestants compete in a variety of exciting agricultural
Challenges for just a gold coin donation.
The next day sees the 2011 Televised Grand Final Evening Show at the Wairarapa College Auditorium and the Celebration
Ball at the Masterton War Memorial Stadium. Tickets for the Evening Show are $50 or a combined Evening Show and
Celebration Ball ticket is available for $120 (tickets to the Celebration Ball can only be purchased in conjunction with
an Evening Show ticket) from the Contest website (www.youngfarmercontest.co.nz) or by phoning 0800 YF GRAND.
The seven Grand Finalists have each won their respective Regional Finals to earn the right to compete for the Young
Farmer Contest Champion title and over $60,000 worth of prizes that goes with it.
The Grand Finalists are Whangarei’s substation technician and soon-to-be dairy farmer Shane Munford representing the
Northern Region; Rural Bank Manager Tim van de Molen from Hamilton, representing Waikato/Bay of Plenty; Woodville sheep
and beef farm manager Mike Croad from the East Coast; lower order sharemilker from Eketahuna, Cam Brown who will
represent Taranaki/Manawatu; Dunsandel sharemilker Cole Groves from Tasman, Pendarves dairy manager Will Grayling from
Aorangi and sheep stud stock manager Hayden Peter representing Otago/Southland.
The week starts with an official opening on June 29th at 12.30pm where the public and the media will have the chance to
meet the seven Grand Finalists.
There’s an early start for the Contestants on Thursday 30th June with the Technical Day at Brancepeth Station. The
Technical Day will draw on all their theoretical skills (this day is closed to the public).
Later that evening the contestants will be required to deliver a speech at the Awards Dinner, which they have prepared
during the day, to an audience at the Copthorne Hotel and Resort, Solway Park. Tickets to the Awards Dinner are $90 and
guests are encouraged to wear fancy dress relevant to their place of origin to celebrate the rugby mania that will hit
our shores later this year.
Friday July 1st will see thousands of people gather at the Solway A Showgrounds to see the Contestants battle it out in the Practical Challenges. AgriKidsNZ, TeenAg and NZ Young Farmers
events will also be held during the Practical Day along with live demonstrations, food vendors and trade displays to
entertain the people of the Wairarapa and surrounding regions.
Earlier that morning the AGMARDT Agri-business breakfast will be held at the Copthorne Hotel and Resort Solway Park
where topical farming issues will be discussed with some well-respected presenters The topic for 2011 is overseas
ownership; tickets for the breakfast are $30.
On Saturday, Contest-goers will have the opportunity to take part in the Wairarapa “Then and Now” Bus Tour which will
give attendees an in-depth understanding of the history of the region.
However, it will be at the live televised Grand Final Evening Show in the Wairarapa College Auditorium that the real
excitement will take place. The 2011 Contest Champion will be announced and then celebrations will move onto the Grand
Final Celebration Ball at the Masterton War Memorial Stadium.
ends