Landscaping talent recognised at Young Horticulturist of the Year

Young professionals representing arboriculture, plant production and amenity horticulture have showcased their skills through the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition

Marlborough viticulture technician Anna Kelland was named the 2026 Young Horticulturist of the Year following two days of technical, practical, business and sustainability challenges.

The annual competition, organised by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture Education Trust, brings together emerging talent from six sectors – viticulture, plant production, arboriculture, fruit and vegetable growing, floristry and flower growing, and amenity horticulture.

Among this year's five finalists were arborist Dane Sales, plant producer Clayton Hart and amenity horticulturist Meg Spittal, whose work spans tree protection, nursery propagation and public garden management.

Amenity horticulturist recognised for presentation

Meg Spittal, a collections curator at Auckland Botanic Gardens, won the Craigmore Sustainables Best Presentation Award, receiving $1,500.

The 27-year-old has worked at the 64ha gardens since 2023, where her responsibilities include caring for plant collections and helping identify species suited to Auckland's climate.

Spittal said maintaining public gardens required a broad range of technical skills and ongoing learning.

“People sometimes think that gardening jobs are easy. There is a lot of technical knowledge. You're always learning. I'd be a fool to say that I've done my apprenticeships, and now I know it all.”

Plant producer earns innovation award

Clayton Hart, a 27-year-old propagation specialist at Auckland's Rainbow Park Nursery, claimed second place in the Woolworths Innovation Project Award, receiving $3,000.

Hart has spent a decade working in horticulture, including roles at native plant nurseries before moving into commercial plant production.

At Rainbow Park Nursery, he initially worked as a glasshouse supervisor, overseeing irrigation, pest and disease monitoring, potting and crop management, before progressing into propagation.

His work now involves controlled growing environments, including automated misting systems and sensors that regulate temperature, humidity and shading.

“Different crops in different stages need different types of light at different intensities. You're always fine-tuning things, especially in propagation.”

Arborist focuses on protecting urban trees

Auckland arborist Dane Sales represented the arboriculture sector, bringing a particular interest in native tree conservation and protection during urban development.

The 31-year-old has worked as a climbing arborist for Treescape and a monitoring arborist for Arborlab, overseeing tree protection measures on construction sites, including root pruning and retention.

Sales is developing a guide to identifying native tree roots, with the aim of helping arborists and contractors protect trees during development work.

His unpublished guide, Native Tree Roots of Aotearoa New Zealand, currently covers 14 species, with plans to expand it to approximately 50.

“It will help arborists identify what roots belong to which native tree – hopefully improving tree preservation outcomes for trees on or adjacent to development sites,” he said.

“They won't have to send a sample off to a lab for identification. They won't have to trace the root back to the tree and cause more damage.”

Sales has received funding from the Waikato Botanical Society to continue the research at Waipahihi Botanical Gardens in Taupō.

Arboriculture offers opportunities for young professionals

Young Horticulturist of the Year has also provided a platform for other emerging arborists, including Canterbury's Jordan Sutherland, who qualified for the 2025 national final after winning Young Arborist of the Year.

Sutherland entered the industry after working alongside an arborist while employed as a park ranger. He began an apprenticeship with Tree Tech in July 2022 and progressed to become a second climber, before taking on responsibility for running his own crew.

His work has included tree planting, young tree maintenance, pruning, removals and power-line clearance – demonstrating the variety of practical skills required in arboriculture.

“I love what I do...It's mainly on the tools. We do a lot of planting and young tree maintenance, removing trees, pruning trees and power line clearance,” he said.

Sutherland, who had previously considered becoming a Department of Conservation ranger, said arboriculture offered opportunities to progress into consultancy and tree assessment work.

“There's potentially avenues to go into consultancy. I can definitely see it being my career for life.”

Supporting the next generation

Competition Chair Shaun Trevan said the 2026 event was among the closest in several years, reflecting the quality of the finalists.

“The competition identifies and celebrates high-potential young professionals who are contributing to the future of horticulture and provides mechanisms to continue to develop their skills and knowledge and provide opportunities to broaden their networks,” he said.

Young Grower Phoebe Scherer finished runner-up overall, while supreme winner Kelland also collected the Innovation Project, Industry Knowledge and Sustainability awards.

More than $50,000 in scholarships, travel grants and cash prizes was awarded across the competition.

All five 2026 finalists will be invited to participate in professional development during 2027, including leadership profiling and training in team management.