2026 Ahuwhenua Trophy Horticulture Competition - Judging process

JUDGING PROCESS

First Round Judging

Initial judging of this competition will occur during late January/early February 2026 when the finalists will be selected.

Prior to judging, the entrant will be contacted to make arrangements for the property visit. This visit will take up to three hours and will include a tour of key features. The judging will relate solely to the orchard or vegetable garden business. The Chair (or other elected representative), Supervisor and Manager are required to meet with the First Round Judges at the beginning of the visit. It is important to allocate your time wisely and to demonstrate clearly to the judges how your orchard or vegetable garden meets the judging criteria outlined below.

Each finalist will hold a field day. Guidance and financial assistance are provided to finalists to assist in staging the field day.

Finalist Judging

The judging to select the winner from the finalists will take place in late March/early April.

The process involves:

  • The judges meet with the Chair and other members of the governance team on the day prior to the field day. The orchard or vegetable garden Advisor/Consultant or Manager may participate at owners’ discretion. This meeting will focus on governance, management and financial aspects and will include a farm visit. 
  • Judges continue their assessment through the field day and the content and standard of presentation during the field day will be taken into consideration.

Judging will be based on:

  • The efficiency with which the property is run relative to its potential.  This will not be based solely on financial measures such as profit per hectare or return on business capital. These measures will be taken as a guide but consideration will also be given to other factors such as:
    • The physical resources available to the grower (e.g., local climate, soil types, water, location etc)
    • Stage of development, financial structure.

Financial results where:

  • Profit will be determined by the calculation of the operating profit per hectare, that is gross income less working expenses. Interest, development, capital expenditure, drawings, dividends, and taxation are not included in the calculation of operating profit.
  • Financial performance will be determined from annual financial statements for the three years ending at balance date in 2025.

The effectiveness of the growers’ governance procedures and initiatives, in areas that include:

  • The adoption of innovative systems and reinvestment in the business
  • The pursuit of sustainable management strategies including the up-skilling of all personnel
  • Keeping up to date with new growing methods and ways to monitor performance
  • The level of recognition given to kaitiakitanga and ngā tikanga Māori in the operation of the enterprise.

CONSIDERATIONS

The organisers note that in recent times a number of new measures have been introduced to assess the performance of orchard and vegetable gardens, and other businesses. These include:

  • Triple Bottom Line Reporting which focuses a business on its economic value, added or lost, as well as environmental and social value. Entrants are encouraged to outline their efforts in these areas to the judges during their visits.

  • Cost of Production Analysis – calculating the cost of production per unit of output. This encourages the setting of goals for improved performance and allows comparisons to be made between different types of horticultural businesses.

  • Innovation – is the orchard or vegetable garden looking at innovative technology, processes, tools or practices or embracing new technologies that result in real financial improvements.

The judges will also look for best practice in relation to people management and career development.

A consideration in this regard is the extent to which the governance team and management encourage staff participation in the Ahuwhenua Trophy Horticulture Competition where staff meet the competition entry criteria.

Judging Criteria

Criteria Percent Factors to be Taken into Account
Governance and Strategy 20%
  • Demonstrate how the governance structure provides strategic direction and articulates the vision and strategy of the business.
  • Show how governance ensures effective oversight of management, and safeguards the organisation’s long-term sustainability (goals, monitoring performance, risk management, legal and ethical compliance, stakeholder interests).
  • Provide clear articulation of the tangible returns and benefits of the strategy and business to shareholders.
  • Show how tikanga Māori is applied to guide aspects of the strategy and values.
Social, Community, Ngā Tikanga Māori 20%
  • Describe how the business contributes to, and participates in, communities of interest (whānau, hapū, iwi, marae, wider local community).
  • Outline how kaitiakitanga and other te ao Māori values are applied across all criteria categories.
  • Demonstrate the governance and management team’s awareness of opportunities to connect with the wider industry (share knowledge, partner for impact, develop strategy, build networks, access support).
  • If there are cultural or historical sites of significance on the whenua, show how they are preserved.
Management and Performance – Financial Performance
Financial Performance 20%
  • Show clear understanding of the organisation’s financial performance, budgeting, variance reports and KPIs in place to monitor financial performance.
  • Explain what non-financial benchmarks are used and why.
  • Show consistency over the last 3–5 years in wealth creation for asset base growth, including leveraging the asset base for further capital investment.
  • Show strong net profit per ha against comparable sector or crop benchmarks.
  • Demonstrate that sustainable financial models are in place.
Commitment to Sustainability and the Environment 15%
  • Clearly show what environmental plan is in place, incorporating tikanga Māori concepts and indicators where appropriate, and its relationship to schemes such as NZ GAP EMS or similar.
  • Describe practices in place to restore or preserve te taiao, including contributions to the wider region as part of kaitiakitanga.
  • Demonstrate that best practices meet or exceed comparable horticultural sector standards, with examples and active measurement.
  • Demonstrate commitment to relevant industry Codes of Practice (soil, water, atmosphere, agrichemicals, GHG reduction, wellbeing of people and te taiao).
  • Show commitment to and leadership of relevant sector best practice (e.g. apple futures, kiwigreen, waste elimination).
Market Focus 10%
  • Demonstrate that the produce grown meets or exceeds market specifications and customer expectations (e.g. 70% TAG 1), document success and quality rates from harvest.
  • Outline growing systems and product standards/processes in place to support achievement of these standards, including product traceability.
  • Show that consumer demands are monitored and understood, and that the produce grown delivers to these standards.
Human Resource and Health and Safety 10%
  • Provide evidence that people and employment policies and practices support employees and the community, including contributions and benefits.
  • Outline employment contract conditions and provide evidence of regular reviews, performance feedback, training pathways and manaakitanga.
  • Provide evidence of an active and positive health, safety and wellbeing culture that builds staff engagement and continuous improvement.
  • Demonstrate ‘Employer of Choice’ approaches going above and beyond to attract and retain staff.
  • If relevant, show how the organisation supports RSE staff and integrates them into the organisation.
Innovation 5%
  • Show what innovation approaches are in place for the organisation.
  • Describe how mātauranga Māori is applied to create innovations alongside other knowledge systems.
  • Describe how innovation is important to strategy and the current/future success of the business.
  • Outline collaborative partnerships being developed for innovation.
Total 100%


JUDGING DISCRETION

Judges will make their decisions based on a number of factors including the points allocated in the judging criteria set out above. Accordingly, entrants need to demonstrate – both in written material supplied and in their presentation on the day – that they are performing in relation to the criteria set out in the table above.

Feedback will be given by judges to entrants on the strengths and weaknesses of the horticultural business based on the information provided and their assessments on the days of judging.


INDEPENDENCE OF JUDGES

Before the judges are appointed, they are required to declare any potential conflict of interest.

Where possible the judging panel will be made up of persons who are not participating in the competition but, where this is not feasible, a judge shall not participate in judging of a property where he/she has interests associated with an entry. Likewise, judges shall not participate in the judging of the winner if they have an interest in one of the finalists. The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Contact Info

Ahuwhenua Trophy Office 6.3 Level 6, Berl House 108 The Terrace

info@ahuwhenuatrophy.maori.nz

Quick Links

© 2020 Ahuwhenua Trophy.