Rico Mannall from Southern Woods Nursery was declared winner of the Young Achiever title for 2019 at the NZPPI conference in Christchurch.
The Young Achiever competition recognises excellence in the nursery industry. Three finalists, Rico, Ezra Alexander from Nga Rakau Nursery Auckland and Jacob Rados from DOC Native Nursery Motukarara, competed against each other over two days in events including a range of practical activities, an interview, and a speech at the NZ Plant Producers’ gala dinner.
Rico, 28, is the Business Development and Marketing Manager at Southern Woods in Christchurch, with degrees in Commerce and Arts from the University of Canterbury.
Southern Woods general manager, Gareth Mitchell, said, “The whole team at Southern Woods are very proud of Rico for taking out the NZPPI Young Achievers Award for 2019.
“Rico is an incredible young individual and an integral part of the management team here at Southern Woods. His eye for detail and his passion for plants are traits he applies to everything he does.
"But this isn’t his only achievement - Rico achieves a lot every day at Southern Woods and is a great role model for our young staff. With approximately one third of the Southern Woods team being under the age of 30, Rico’s success this year (along with Devin Westley’s Young Achiever Award in 2018) is a great motivation for our young team members to step up and have a crack at future awards.”
Rico will represent the nursery and garden industry in the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition, in November, managed by the RNZIH Education Trust, where the Grand Final offers a prize pool of more than $35,000. And following this, Rico can enjoy his Young Achiever prize of a 5 day trip to Melbourne, taking in a visit to the 2020 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.
For more information:
New Zealand Plant Producers Incorporated
nzppi.co.nz