Four years on, the FMG Region-off continues to prove that while champions are crowned, the real winners are the communities behind the regions.
This year’s competition, which sits alongside the FMG Young Farmer of the Year, saw the East Coast take out the top spot and a total of 20,000 points earned through challenge participation and voting across the seven Young Farmers regions.
The Region-off is built around the Farmstrong Five Ways to Wellbeing — take notice, connect, give, keep learning and be active. Over the six weeks leading up to the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final, AgriKids, Junior and Young Farmers earn points through public voting and community projects, helping strengthen both their wellbeing and make a meaningful difference in their local communities.
This year’s entries earned points through more than 30 hours of fencing, 776 food items donated and support provided to 20 local farmers across New Zealand communities.
The Region-off champs were named at this year’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand final which was held from 2-4 July in New Plymouth. This is the second time East Coast has taken out the win, finishing a staggering 1,000 points ahead of 2nd Place, Otago Southland. East Coast managed to collect a total of 5,762 points, including 1,810 points from Region-off challenges and 3,952 in voting.
Alongside provincial glory, the winners receive $5,000 for a charity of their choice, plus $1,000 for each level of the competition to help continue to develop their skills as young farmers.
East Coast Young Farmers have chosen Rural Support Trust Tararua as the recipients of this year’s prize money. The local Young Farmers members and Rural Support Trust came together at an event in Hastings this week to celebrate the win and handover the prize money.
Rural Support Tararua Coordinator Jane Tylee said,
“We’re incredibly proud of Ed Laver and the East Coast team. We followed their journey throughout the competition and loved seeing the passion and commitment they brought to it, so we were absolutely thrilled to see them named this year’s Region-off winners.
“We’re also hugely grateful that they chose Rural Support Tararua as their nominated charity. We rely heavily on donations and funding to continue supporting farmers, rural families and people across our rural communities, and $5,000 is a significant contribution that will help us continue to be there when rural people need us most”.
East Coast Young Farmer of the Year winner Ed Laver was at the event to share his reflections of the Region-off win,
"The Region-off competition is a great showcase of how our community gets behind the Young Farmers Competition. People weren’t just voting to support me — they were voting to show that the East Coast is proud of our region. Winning the FMG Region-off was pretty special, and I’m proud that the Rural Support Trust gets to share this award. The Trust does incredible work supporting rural communities in our region, so it felt like the right charity to support.”
“I’ve attended events run by Rural Support and have really benefited from being part of a wider group and a strong community. Their support creates a sense of belonging — not just in the good times, but when things get tough as well”.
FMG’s Head of External Events and Sponsorship Charlotte Cooley said “The FMG Region-off has grown into something much bigger than a competition between regions.”
“The votes we see each year aren't just about regional pride, they're a reflection of the passion people have for their communities and their commitment to making them great places to live, work and thrive. And seeing a total of 20,000 points earnt, the most we have ever seen, shows just how willing our Young Farmer communities are to give back where and when the can".
