Figuring out which body parts in plastic files came from which animals, rendering emergency first aid to an injured friend and measuring a stag’s antlers to calculate a Douglas Score were among the challenges facing the 80 competitors who took part in AgriKids and TeenAg events at Paeroa.

The Returners of Matamata Intermediate: Stephen Turner, the patient, and team mates Abel and Jerom de Wilde tackle the first aid challenge at the AgriKids contest at Paeroa.

Cheered on by enthusiastic family, teachers and friends, the teams also completed a series of fun races to finally decide the winners.

Isabelle says the popularity of AgriKids and TeenAg is growing.

“So far this year we’ve had three regions hit full capacity, which is 96 AgriKids and 64 TeenAg’ers.

“The members we currently have are definitely majority rural kids, however we’re trying to put in initiatives to get more urban kids involved as we have a huge jobs opportunities in the agriculture industry in New Zealand and it is the exposure from a young age into the different aspects on offer that we hope will start to make a positive difference.

“As an urban girl originally from Wellington this is definitely a focus and passion of mine,” says Isabelle.

There is definitely a strong connection between the numbers of entries and whether a school has a passionate teacher or parent behind the competition.

“It is extremely crucial for school support, especially at the AgriKids level because everything is organised and implemented by the teachers and parents.

“If we want to make a difference with agriculture in New Zealand, these programmes and competitions are a fantastic starting point because it creates a spark of interest and passion in the kids and teens which creates a ripple effect through their schools and communities.”