Lydia O'Dowd, head propagator at Rolleston's Southern Woods Nursery, has won the prestigious 2023 Young Plant Producer of the Year title.

O'Dowd pitched her skills against four other finalists, with the winner announced following the finalist's speeches at an awards dinner in Christchurch on July 19.

O'Dowd says she was more excited than nervous going into the competition.

"I've just been really looking forward to putting my skills to the test, gaining more experience and meeting other people in the industry my age that are passionate about what they are doing."

The competition took place at Lincoln University over two days, where the five finalists were tested on their skills in finance and dispatch, biosecurity, plant propagation and identification, tool maintenance, agrichemical use and irrigation.

O'Dowd, who is passionate about sustainability and finding alternatives to agrichemicals, says she found a career in horticulture almost by accident.

"I was studying something else at university and not enjoying it, so I just took a random paper to fill in the year, which happened to be plant biology."

O'Dowd decided while university wasn't for her, she realised she had a deep interest in plants and set about travelling the country, gaining experience in the horticulture industry wherever she could.

"I worked on vineyards, orchards, potato farms and that kind of thing.

"When I was ready to settle back in Christchurch, I got a job at a nursery and realised I'd bound my place.

"It's just been all go from there."

O'Dowd has worked at Southern Woods Nursery for three years and has completed certificates in NZ Horticulture in Nursery production.

Along with her trophy, Lydia has won a 12-month programme of mentorship, plus a $4000 fund to advance her career in plant production.

She plans to complete a Diploma in Primary Industry Business Management, allowing her to gain the skills to step into a management position within the plant production industry, with a long-term goal of owning a horticulture business.

"I'd love to own my own native nursery one day and contribute more to the restoration of our natural environment in New Zealand," O'Dowd said.

For now, though, O'Dowd has her sights on the Young Horticulturist of the Year Award in Auckland this November, where she will compete against finalists from the entire horticulture sector, vying for a prize pool of more than $20,000.

The Young Plant Producer 2023 runners-up were:

·      Ellen Ballantine of vegetable breeding company Enza Zaden in Puni, Auckland

·      Cameron Hay of commercial plant nursery, Ardmore Nurseries in Cleveland.

·      August Von Reiche of medicinal cannabis research and development company Helius Therapeutics in East Tāmaki, Auckland

·      Jake Linklater of non-profit native nursery Nova Natives in Templeton, Christchurch

by Claire Inkson