Melissa van den Heuvel, 25, has won the Young Grower of the Year for 2021. She is an avocado grower services representative at Apata Group Limited, based in the Bay of Plenty.
‘It was great to be part of this competition and get to know my fellow competitors. We’d all like to thank the sponsors and HortNZ for giving us this opportunity,’ says Melissa.
HortNZ President, Barry O’Neil, says "supporting young people and encouraging more of them to join our industry is critical to our industry’s continued success and growth, in what is the new normal: life affected by Covid. At times like these, having a cause and taking time out to celebrate it is even more important than it was before."
The national final was held at the Lower Hutt Events on 20 and 21 October, following all Alert Level 2 health and safety protocols.
