James Blair Named 2026 Young Grower National Champion
James Blair, an agronomist for AS Wilcox and the Pukekohe regional champion, has won the 2026 Young Grower national title.
“We don’t want the earth, we just want our share of it,” he says.
Chapman says the report was commissioned to provide hard data to help shape the national policy statement (NPS) on versatile land and high class soils. Minister for the Environment David Parker is in full support; he said earlier this year that he is particularly troubled at the extent of urban growth on irreplaceable highly productive land.
Parker is promising to curb the loss of Pukekohe’s prime growing land as Auckland expands.
Chapman applauds the support of Parker and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor who recently visited Pukekohe. He says the report data will enable HortNZ to help shape the NPS and make submissions to the Auckland Council on the Pukekohe issues.
“This report is a proxy for the rest of the country, so we can roll this out right across NZ because the NPS will apply across the country,” Chapman told Rural News.
“Anywhere in NZ you will find this problem. I was in Carterton, Wairarapa, recently and they also have the problems of losing great land to houses. There needs to be a balance struck and the NPS will set that balance.”
Chapman criticises local councils who ‘don’t get’ the seriousness of the problem. HortNZ is working on educating councils to ensure their plans provide for fruit and vegetable growing.
Chapman says urban sprawl causes growth in roading and other infrastructure which also consume large tracts of high quality land. And as Auckland spreads out infrastructure costs rise.
Also consuming large areas of high-quality land are lifestyle blocks.
“These have grown by 10% in the last few years and they really restrict commercial growing,” Chapman explains.
“Lifestyle blocks should not be anywhere near highly productive land because you have reverse sensitivity – the problems of people coming from towns thinking the country is quiet and tranquil. In reality, the rural area is a factory where people need to harvest at different times and to be able to fertilise and till their fields.”
Chapman says growers NZ-wide back the report and its recommendations as Pukekohe-type problems also occur in other regions.
