Jake Linklater of Nova Natives in Canterbury's Templeton has been named Young Plant Producer of the Year 2025. Photo: SUPPLIED
A young, award-winning plant producer says while plant production is critical to the success of both primary industries and domestic gardens, he believes the sector's "good mahi" goes under the radar.
Lincoln University conservation and ecology student Jake Linklater won the prestigious Young Plant Producer of the Year award in his hometown of Christchurch last week.
Linklater has been the nursery manager at Nova Natives in Templeton, near Ōtautahi, for the past three and a half years and has worked in plant production for more than five years.
"I came from experience in landscaping and arboriculture before this, and every time I went and visited a nursery, I always thought that would be such a cool job," he said.
"So when landscaping was finished for me and my boss ran out of work, I went sideways in horticulture and went into nursery production.
"I haven't really looked back since."
Nova Natives sells native plants to nurseries, farmers, commercial landscapers and community groups for restoration projects.
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Unlike the majority of nurseries, which were privately-owned, Nova Natives was a social enterprise for Nova Trust that ran addiction treatment and recovery programmes.
"The pool of money that we do generate goes back into the trust as a whole and helps run the programme here through our drug and alcohol rehab programme," Linklater said.
He said it was a rewarding experience.
"It's always nice, and it's good to give a lot of them life and employment skills as well. And getting them up and moving physically, because a lot of them haven't really had routine in a number of years, so it all helps. And that circles back around."
Linklater and four other finalists faced two days of practical challenges, testing skills in finance, biosecurity, plant propagation, identification and more, based on a points system.
Winning the contest, hosted by the International Plant Propagators' Society and organised by New Zealand Plant Producers, will see Linklater go head-to-head with winners across industry contests in viticulture, growing, aboriculture and more in November for the overarching Young Horticulturalist of the Year contest.
They will be vying for a prize pool worth more than $20,000.
So he said it was a big year ahead.
"I'm looking forward to meeting people from the other sectors and hopefully doing my sector proud, because I believe we're one of the most underrated horticultural sectors in the industry," he said.
"We lay the groundwork for all the other sectors as well, producing the plants before they get planted out in their vineyards or out in their gardens.
"I believe we do a lot of good mahi that goes under the radar."
The award came with 12-month mentorship support and a $4000 fund towards advancing his career in plant production.
Finalists included first runner-up Kirsten Phillips-Ong of Northland, second runner-up Johnnie Clay of Christchurch, then Auckland's Ezra Alexander and Kerikeri's Yuong Chaiyaklang.
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