The New Zealand Agricultural Fieldays’ Rural Bachelor of the Year returns for its seventh year.
Eight finalists will be selected for the popular competition, which takes place during Fieldays at Mystery Creek Events Centre from 14 to 17 June. Finalists have their farming skills, attitude, and all-round charisma put to the test during a series of rural-themed challenges, including fencing, cooking, wood splitting, dog handling, and health and safety.
The winner walks away with a prize pack worth more than $20,000 along with the coveted Golden Gumboot trophy.
Last year’s Fieldays Rural Bachelor of the Year, Paul Olsen, says he entered because his mates encouraged him and he had “nothing to lose”.
The potato and dry stock farmer from Opiki in Manawatu said the week was full on, exciting, and filled with opportunities.
“The socialising and networking opportunities are huge. I met a great bunch of blokes and ladies, and we still keep in touch,” Olsen says. People’s Choice winner, Australian Angus stud farmer Rob Ewing, agrees. “I thought it’d be a great opportunity to do something I’d never done before, and it turned out to be the best thing I’ve ever done.”
He says it was his “great yarns and practical jokes” that secured him the People’s Choice title, but he wasn’t out there to win.
This year’s competition kicks off on 12 June with the Farmlands Road Trip. Starting in Auckland, the eight finalists will make their way across Auckland, Waikato, and the Bay of Plenty, visiting rural Farmlands stores on the way and taking part in activities and challenges.
Once Fieldays officially starts on 14 June, the finalists will take part in daily challenges with the winner announced at the official prize-giving on 17 June. Two titles are up for grabs again – Rural Bachelor of the Year and People’s Choice Award.
Applications are now open in the Fieldays Rural Bachelor of the Year competition and close on March 31.
About Fieldays Rural Bachelor of the Year
Partnered by Farmlands Co-operative, the Fieldays Rural Bachelor of the Year competition is a standout feature of the annual NZ Agricultural Fieldays. To enter, all applicants must be New Zealand or Australian residents, single, and employed in the rural industry. This year’s winner will receive a prize pack that includes a Suzuki King Quad 750 4WD, $2000 Swanndri voucher, $2000 STIHL voucher, $1000 Skellerup voucher, and the Golden Gumboot trophy.
For more information visit fieldays.co.nz/enterruralbachelor.