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Joshua Irving
A Lincoln University student is set to become the first person to contest both the Young Viticulturist and the Young Winemaker national titles in one year.
Joshua Irving, who is doing a Bachelor of Viticulture & Oenology (Honours) with a dissertation on the impacts of elemental sulphur on wine quality, is the 2026 Ormond Nurseries North Canterbury Young Viticulturist of the Year and the 2026 Tonnellerie de Mercurey North Canterbury Young Winemaker of the Year.
Having competed in the Young Viticulturist competition last year, he worked on his weaknesses, ensuring he was better prepared for each segment this time around.
Having taken that title there was nothing to lose when he set off for Central Otago for the Young Winemaker regional competition, he says, noting that his field of study, including lab work, gave him a strong foundation.
"I knew that the theory and the science side of things would be a strength, and playing into that definitely worked.
There's some intense work ahead, preparing for two finals on two consecutive days in August, he says.
"But I see it as a great opportunity and am excited to seize it."
The finalists in the 2026 Ormond Nurseries Young Viticulturist competition, to be held at Escarpment in Wairarapa on 26 August are:
The 2026 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year will be held at Foley's The Runholder in Martinborough on 25 August.
Joshua will compete against Nick Lamain, Isabel Estate Winemaker from Marlborough, and the North Island regional winner, with that event held after this magazine went to print.
The winner of each final will be announced at the New Zealand 2026 Celebration Dinner at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre on 27 August.
Canterbury farmer Andy Macfarlane has been appointed to the board of AgriZeroNZ, the public-private partnership designed to accelerate the development and deployment of emissions reduction tools for New Zealand farmers.
Waikato dairy farmer Danielle Hovmand has been named the primary sector's top emerging leader.
Joshua Irving has been named the 2026 Ormond Nurseries North Canterbury Young Viticulturist of the Year.
New Zealand’s wine industry produces around 100,000 tonnes of grape marc waste annually, while the forestry sector generates over five million tonnes of wood residue.
A young man just five years out of his Lincoln University degree already has his foot in the door of farm ownership, as equity manager of a large new dairy conversion now taking shape in Mid- Canterbury.
