The Hinds Young Farmers club has been crowned club of the year by The New Zealand Young Farmers association.

Former chairperson Abby Cook said the award had been “her ultimate goal” when she got the position in 2022.

“I remember [the] Morrinsville Ngarua [club] was nominated as well. And they do so much for the community and I thought, ‘there’s no way’.”

The club received the award at the Young Farmer of the Year ceremony, beating out over 60 clubs nationwide.

Hinds Young Farmers has 30 registered members, including eight club executives, Cook said.

They’ve run a ball, quiz nights, speed dating and an Aorangi region-wide day of fun with the Gumboot Games in the last year. Outside of the big events, the club goes out for casual drinks on a Friday.

Cook said the events are a way for young farmers to schedule in time to get off the farm and take some time for their mental health and social battery.

“We really push it, especially around winter and calving, because our club is quite dairy strong. Just popping into the pub for an hour to see people makes you feel a lot better.

“I took a lot of pride in seeing new people come along, and seeing them come back again. I took it as a sign that they enjoyed themselves.”

The club helps the community too, having done a planting day across the Ashburton River, a Movember quiz fundraiser and having spoken to teachers at Geraldine High School about farming pathways.

Cook said the award is proof of the positive influence the club has had on previous generations of farmers.

“My employers were really involved in Young Farmers when they were of that age. So if I had to ask to leave at lunchtime and go to a school, they’d be like ‘yep, that’s fine’.

“In my mind, when a club’s run really well, there’s a community that’s fostered and the club supports the community as well.

“Yes, it was a lot of work but it didn’t feel like a lot of work, because I could just ask my neighbours to use their back paddocks, and everyone will usually say yes.”

Olivia Caddick took over from Cook as club chairperson for 2024.

By Anisha Satya