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.
"This report highlights the expansion in urban areas (a 10% increase between 1996 and 2012) and the accompanying loss of some of our most versatile land,” he says.
HortNZ has been talking to Government about this issue in Pukekohe, near Auckland, as well as other prime growing areas for fruit and vegetables.
Some of this soil is unique, particularly the volcanic soils around Pukekohe where vegetables can be grown all year in a frost free environment.
This area feeds a lot of New Zealand, notes Chapman.
"We believe the valuable growing soils - which are often termed elite soils - should be protected by central Government policy. We can’t afford to keep losing these soils if we want to continue feeding New Zealand their favourite fruits and vegetables.
"We couldn’t agree more with this statement in the report: ‘Land is fundamental to human life, and central to the environmental system we depend on. The decisions we make and the actions we take affect not just the land, but also water, oceans, air and atmosphere, and the life they support.’
"Many horticulture businesses are run by inter-generational families who are natural custodians of the land. They have a vested interest in ensuring they have a business to pass on to their children and grandchildren, just as it was handed on to them.
"We acknowledge that the report cites some instances where horticulture is outside the soil quality indicators they used, but would also like to point out a lot of work is underway to mitigate soil erosion and run off.
"Many growers spend large sums of money on long-term riparian planting plans to protect waterways on their properties and enhance the environment.”
Chapman says work is underway on a national scale to combat soil degradation, including the Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) project underway called Don’t Muddy the Water, focused on keeping soil on the land where it belongs: out of waterways. The project, which started three years ago, quantifies the relative effectiveness of the best management practices for reducing sediment and phosphorus loss.
