Contest Rules

These Rules and Conditions set out the eligibility for entry into the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest. The promoter and organiser of the Contest are New Zealand Young Farmers.

English is the official language of the Contest. FMG Young Farmer of the Year, and Young Farmer of the Year Contest are registered brand marks of New Zealand Young Farmers.

A. Definitions

• Contest means the competition referred to as FMG Young Farmer of the Year Contest, including District Contests, Regional Contest and Grand-Final Contest.
• Contest Officials or Officials means the Contest Sub-Committee, their representatives, District, Regional and Grand-Final Committee members and NZYF Events Team
• Contest Sub-Committee means the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Sub-Committee of the NZYF Board and Principal Sponsor representative.
• Contest Year or Contest Season means the period 1 October 2023 – 30 September 2024.
• Contestant means an affiliated member of New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) entering the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest.
• District or District Contest means the contests in the relevant districts.
• Family means spouse, de-facto partner, sibling or stepsibling, child, or stepchild.
• Grand-Final means the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand-Final.
• NZYF Event Team means the team appointed by NZYF to run the relevant Contests.
• Principal Sponsor means FMG.
• Practical Day means day one of Contest which includes all the hands-on competition plus technical elements such as a project, interview and an HR challenge.
• Regional Final means the final Contest in the relevant region of New Zealand.
• Sponsor means the Contest Family of Sponsors.
• TeenAg means the network of NZ Young Farmers clubs in high schools across New Zealand.
• Material Health Condition means a directly relevant and important condition of the contestant’s body causing illness or other medical problem

B. Eligibility

1. To be eligible the Contestant must:

1. Be an affiliated member of NZYF at the time of the contest and age 16-30 as of the 1st of October that Contest Season.
2. Enter the District Contest for the District that their membership is associated with. Exceptions to this rule are where a District Contest is announced ‘Open’ or via approval of the NZYF Event Team.
   Note 1. h)
3. TeenAg members are eligible to enter the District Contest, however, if they wish to progress through to Regional Final, they will be required to upgrade their membership to become a full NZYF member ahead of the Regional Final commencing.
4. Have not previously contested a District Contest within this Contest Season in another district or region.
5. TeenAg members can compete in FMG Young Farmer of the Year if they are over 16 years of age.
6. If the TeenAg member makes it to the Regional Finals, they must purchase an NZ Young Farmers membership and compete in the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Regional Final and be unable to compete in that season of FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year.
7. If they do not make it through to the Regional Finals of FMG Young Farmer of the Year, then they may compete in FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year.
8. Have not won a previous Grand Final of the Contest.
9. Have not contested a Grand Final of the Contest more than once.
10. Adhere to the closing date of entry. These are not negotiable.
11. Apply for consideration of an exemption to any of the eligibility rules to the NZYF Event Team no later than 14 days before the District Contest commences.

2. The Contestant:

1. Must have an email address.
2. Contestants aged under 18 years of age must have parental or guardian consent to participate.
3. Must be competent in the use of and aware of health and safety hazards related to using ATVs,chainsaws and other motorised or petrol-operated machinery. The Contestant may ask for guidance if not competent in these areas, noting points may be adjusted accordingly.
4. Will be liable to repair or replace at their own cost any equipment which is being used in a manner for which it was not designed or intended resulting in damage.
5. Contestants enrolled in tertiary education can only enter one district contest in one region per contest season, and once you are eliminated from the contest in that region you cannot enter into another region during that current contest season.
6. Must provide proof of identity such as a New Zealand Driver’s License, Passport or Birth Certificate upon request.
7. Must attend all health and safety briefings and wear approved PPE where and when appropriate and as directed by Contest Officials and WorkSafe. The supervisor of the relevant module has the power to stop a Contestant at any time. All instructions must be followed.
8. Must disclose to the NZYF Events Team in writing to events@youngfarmers.co.nz at least seven days before first registering to compete in the Contest if they have been charged, waiting on the outcome of a pending charge, or convicted of a criminal offence within the last seven years.

3. None of the following will be eligible to compete any further than District level or Day 1 of the Regional Contest. The following may only enter to compete once registrations have closed and if capacity allows. The following are not eligible to  place or collect prizes: 

1. Contest Sub-Committee members;
2. Members of the organising committees for any of the District, Regional or Grand Final;
   and
3. NZYF staff

3a. At the discretion of the NZYF Contest Sub-Committee, the following will be eligible to compete in the contest if the relationship to rule 3 above is disclosed and the conflict of interest is appropriately managed: 

1. Family members and partners of Contest Sub-Committee members;
2. NZYF board members not involved in the contest;
3. Family members and partners of NZYF staff and board members;
4. d) Family members and partners of District, Regional, or Grand Final organising committee members.

C. Wellbeing and Safety and Liability

1. The Contestant assumes all risk of personal injury, property loss and damage.
2. The Contestant competes at their own risk and is expected to use their best judgement when deciding to attempt a task. NZYF will provide a safe competition that meets WorkSafe Health and Safety guidelines for all modules and tasks. As per point deduction guidelines, Contestants who attempt modules and tasks in a potentially unsafe or dangerous manner may incur point penalties.
3. Contestants are required to disclose any material health condition being a mental or physical condition that could impair their ability or affect other Contestants’ ability to safely participate in the Contest.
4. Should a Contestant develop a material health condition during the Contest Year, they must advise NZYF Events Team in writing as soon as practical. NZYF can request medical clearance from a Registered Medical Professional to be provided before the contestant competes in any Contest activity.
5. Where a Contestant has a material health condition, they are required to:
   a) Obtain professional medical advice from a registered practitioner and provide to NZYF documentation supporting their clear understanding of the risks.
   b) To use common sense and avoid taking unnecessary risks.
6. Where the Contestant has obtained medical clearance in relation to a material health issue, NZYF will:
   a) Respect and support the rights of Contestants who wish to continue competing.
   b) Encourage and support contestants to obtain and act on professional medical advice regarding their continued participation in the Contest and when to stop.
   c) Notwithstanding sections 5 and 6, the NZYF Events Team or Contest Officials may, in its sole discretion, determine, based on a Contestant’s circumstance/performance if they are fit to continue with the Contest.

D. Conditions

1. The Contestant agrees they will not conduct themselves in any way that may bring the Contest, Contest Sponsors and /or NZYF into disrepute, this includes, but is not limited to social media. A determination of what constitutes misconduct is in the sole discretion of the NZYF management and/or Contest Sub-Committee and may result in entry revocation, disqualification or point penalties.
2. Contestants may be subject to a social media audit, to be completed by a third-party organization and at the expense of NZYF. Should evidence be found of historical social media posts that may publicly bring the Contest, fellow competitors, NZYF or Sponsors into disrepute or if the post is deemed defamatory (in the sole discretion of NZYF) then the contestant will be asked to remove the post immediately. Failure to do so could result in disqualification or point penalties.
3. The Contestant agrees that the NZYF Event Team, sponsors, officials, and media can use images, photographs, video and film footage taken during the event. Furthermore, you will be available for publicity purposes, including interviews and other types of promotion.
4. The Contestant agrees that no direct communication shall be entered into with any judge, member of the media, Sponsors or Officials including organizing committee members. Any correspondence should be directed in the first instance to the NZYF Events Team in a letter, private email or verbal conversation but must not be conducted via social media with respect to a dispute.
5. The Contestant agrees to the rules, regulations and directions expressed or implied by the NZYF Event Team, sponsors and officials. A breach of these Rules and Conditions may result in the withdrawal of their entry, disqualification or point penalties and any benefits thereof.
6. During the Contest season, Contestants are obliged to wear sponsored and branded clothing as directed by NZYF. Contestants wearing apparel displaying logos of those not previously approved by the NZYF Event Team are not permitted. The Contestant will be asked to remove unsuitable apparel. Any additional non-contest clothing must be pre-approved in advance of wearing to official events by the NZYF Event Team. Failure to adhere to this section may result in disqualification or point penalties.
7. The Contestant agrees to be bound by the judge’s decisions. The judge’s decision is final. No correspondence is to be entered into with any of the NZYF Event Team, Official or judge. Contestants can request written feedback from judges via the NZYF Events Team.
8. NZYF reserves the right to extend, change, postpone or terminate the Contest at any stage.

E. Contest Details

1. If a Contestant elects to withdraw from a Regional Final, they must advise NZYF Events Team in writing immediately or no later than four (4) weeks from the date they have received notice of a place at the Regional Final. If a withdrawal is within four (4) weeks of the Regional Final occurring, then the vacancy will not be replaced unless approved by the NZYF Events Manager.
2. If a competitor elects to withdraw from Grand Final, they must advise NZYF Events Team in writing immediately or no later than the last Regional Final is completed. If a withdrawal is received ahead of the last Regional Final being completed, then the place to compete at the grand final will be offered to the second-place getter from the Regional Final. If the second-place Contestant is unable to compete, the vacancy for that region will not be replaced.
3. In the Head-to-Head section of the Regional Final and Grand-Final, Red Flag Judges will use their discretion to issue red flag stand-down penalties for any safety infringement considered to be putting the contestant or any other person(s) in danger. This includes infringements that may have been omitted from the briefing. The first three(s) safety infringements each receive a 30-second stand down. Any further safety infringements will incur a one-minute stand down.
4. The practical venues for Regional Final and grand final are strictly out of bounds for Contestants in the week before the Contest.
5. The Contestant agrees to arrive at the practical day venue of the Regional Final or Grand Final no later than the time notified and will compete in all aspects of both the practical day and evening show. If the Contestant does not attend either the practical day or evening show and has not satisfied the NZYF Event Team requirements, the Contestant will refund NZYF all reasonable expenses relating to their non-participation.
6. The Contestant will not communicate with any member of the public regarding contest challenges or content during the event. Contestants risk disqualification or points penalties, as per the points deduction guidelines if it has been deemed, in the sole discretion of NZYF, that the Contestant has gained an advantage through breach of this rule.
7.  The NZYF Board delegates the responsibility and governance of the Contest to the Contest Sub-Committee. All decisions made by the Contest Sub-Committee are final and binding on all Contestants. National rules set by the Contest Sub-Committee supersede any other Contest rules developed by individual Districts and/or Regions.

F. Grand Final

1. A criminal background check will be completed for all Grand-Finalists Contestants at the expense of NZYF.
2. Airfares to the Grand Final where practicable for the Contestant and a support person, shall be paid for by NZYF when the contestant needs to drive more than four hours to the location of the Grand-Final venue. This also applies to the previous year’s Grand-Final winner and their partner.
3. Accommodation and meals are paid for by NZYF during Grand-Finals as outlined in the Grand-Final Contestant Guidelines.
4. In the event of a tie at the completion of the Contest, the contestant with the highest score in the Practical Day will be deemed the winner. In a situation where the scores are still tied it will fall back to the exam scores.
5. All Grand-Final Contestants within 12 months of the Grand-Final of Contest Season shall:
   a)   Make themselves available for the purpose of promoting future Contests and, if required, for marketing or promotional purposes for the Contest Sponsors in consultation with the NZYF Events Team.
   b)   The winner of the Grand Final will be required to make themselves available for marketing or promotional purposes without payment, at a time agreed to by both the Sponsor and the winner, within 12 months of winning the Contest. The Sponsor will meet any associated travel and accommodation costs.
   c)   Unless approved in writing by the NZYF Team, Grand Final Contestants shall not endorse or lend their name to other advertisers’ products for a period of 18 months from the fate of the Grand Final.
   
   

G. Prizes

1. Prizes are to be accepted as awarded by the Sponsors and are not redeemable for cash.
2. Prizes awarded by the Sponsors are not to be negotiated for an alternative prize.
3. Prizes and/or endorsements other than those provided by Contest Sponsors are not to be accepted without consent from the NZYF Events Team.
4. All prizes must be redeemed, or arrangements made with the Sponsors or NZYF Events Team within six months of the date of the Contest and within New Zealand only.
5. The winner must retain ownership of any prize(s) for a period of at least 12 months following receipt. Failure to do so may result in the loss of prize(s).
6. NZYF shall use their best endeavours to ensure that the Sponsors provide the prize(s) they have agreed to but shall not be held liable should any Sponsor change the prize(s) originally offered or fail to supply the prize.
7. NZYF will not be liable to any person in any way in relation to this Contest or the prize (including but not limited to personal injury) except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law. NZYF is not responsible or liable for any loss suffered by any person in the event that the prize becomes unavailable for reasons beyond NZYF’s control.

H. Privacy

1. The Contestant acknowledges and agrees that NZYF may request, use, collect, store and share their personal information in line with NZYF’s privacy policy. The Contestant also acknowledges that NZYF sometimes uses external systems to gather registration information (such as Humanitix) and that personal information gathered by these external systems will be shared with NZYF. NZYF accepts no liability for the error, fault or omission of these external systems. You may access your information upon request by contacting the NZYF Events Team at events@youngfarmers.co.nz.

NZYF reserves the right to end any competition or amend the rules at any time.

Failure to adhere to these ‘Rules and Conditions of Entry’ can result in point deductions or disqualification. This is at the NZ Young Farmers Events Team's discretion. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact: events@youngfarmers.co.nz