March 21 2018
Made in Selwyn
Avon City Ford Your Local Dealership
Cnr Main South Rd and Epsom Rd, Sockburn | CHRISTCHURCH | 03 348 4129 or 0800 655 551 Rangiora Service Centre | 78 Ivory St | 03 313 7059
avoncityford.com
12,514 copies distributed weekly to Rolleston, West Melton, Darfield and districts
Couple to compete in Young Farmers final u by Mike Isle
P3
Passion for photography pays off
Hunter Benbow’s passion for photography received a boost …
P6
Lincoln student Russia bound
Despite being a newly-crowned national clay target shooting champion, Lincoln University sports scholar Kristy Havill’s …
P7
Royal Event status for 2018 Oxford Show
The main objectives of the Oxford A&P Association are to bring town and country together …
A Selwyn couple will go head to head in a battle for household bragging rights in the Tasman regional final of this year’s Young Farmer of the Year contest. The Tasman regional final of the 2018 FMG Young Farmers Competition is being held at Innovation Park in Templeton on April 7, with a prize pool of $21,000 up for grabs. Partners Vanessa Robinson (24) and Martin Bates (29) live on a 140 hectare farm in Charing Cross where they contract milk 360 Jersey cross cows for Martin’s parents. Vanessa also juggles that job with being a farm solutions manager at LIC in Canterbury, while Martin is also a qualified builder, having built among other things the cowshed they currently milk in. The pair met three years ago as members of New Zealand Young Farmers Dunsandel branch. This will be the first regional final for Vanessa and Martin. Both have previously competed in district contests. The pair say they are looking forward to competing against each other, though they both know they are up against some strong competitors. Martin believes that being a couple may in fact be one of their strengths, when it comes to the competition. “I guess I may be a little more experienced on the practical side than Vanessa. But she is stronger on the theory. So, we help each other out when training for the competitions,” Martin said. Vanessa, whom Martin freely admits is better at the bookwork, spends the
p Vanessa Robinson and Martin Bates, the closest of competitors
evenings throwing questions Martin’s way, while during the day Martin returns the favour by taking Vanessa through general maintenance and other farming duties. The couple’s path to the final is vastly different, yet in one aspect remarkably similar.
Vanessa was born in Papakura in the North Island and her interest in farming stemmed from spending holidays on farms owned by her aunts and uncles. She gained a bachelor of agriscience and a master of science from Massey University. continued on page 3 …
Plumbing Electrical Gasfitting Drainlaying
We’ll arrive within 30 minutes of the arranged time or the first hour of labour will be free.
Phone us 24/7 on 0800 30 35 30 or visit www.foleys.co.nz