Twenty-eight-year-old Mairi Whittle has won the Rural Catch title at Fieldays 2018. Formerly known as Rural Bachelor of the Year, at this year’s 50th annual Fieldays bachelorettes joined the bachelors for the first time in the re-named Rural Catch competition.

Mairi took home the title, Renae Flett, aged 32, won the Farmlands Choice award, and the People’s Choice Award went to Lilly Newton, 21, leaving the bachelors trailing behind.

Mairi was brought up on a hill country sheep and beef farm in Taihape. It’s hardly surprising that she studied for a BCom (Ag) at Lincoln University, moving into rural banking for five years, then spending two years travelling and working overseas. She currently works as shepherd on a hill farm in Taihape.

Entering the competition apparently wasn’t an idea of her own making.

“My girlfriends just want to marry me off,” says Mairi. “I’ve always been busy doing my own thing; that’s probably why I’m still single. There was an ultimatum of this or ‘Married at First Sight’, so this seemed the better option as I’m a rural girl.”

Mairi was a little sceptical at first, but it helped that she knew fellow contestant Berny Hall quite well.

“After the first couple of days, we all relaxed and started to have fun,” says Mairi. “As we all got to know each other it became more about having a good time, rather than being competitive.”

Mairi competed in challenges including culinary skills, dog handling, fitness, All Terrain Vehicle skills, health and wellbeing, chainsaw skills, tractor driving, fencing, rural finance, and problem solving, to prove her mettle against the other finalists.

She was blown away by the support of her home town of Taihape, the gumboot capital of the world, where she has now returned with the prized Golden Gumboot trophy. Work-wise, the future holds a change for Mairi, as she will soon be taking over the management of the family’s 600ha sheep and beef farm in Taihape.

The burning question is whether Mairi has been inundated with requests from suitors?

“There’s been a few messages, but I’ve not really had a chance to look into them yet!”

All may not be lost though; there could be a small plot twist. On the last night Mairi suggested to fellow finalist and friend, Berny Hall, that if they were both single by the next Fieldays, they should get together…we are watching this space!