Eight men from New Zealand and Australia will be putting their agricultural, culinary, and mechanical skills to the test vying for the Golden Gumboot, plus around $20,000 worth of prizes in the Fieldays’ 2016 Rural Bachelor of the Year competition.
Competition entries for this year have opened at fieldays.co.nz rural bachelor and are closing on April 15, 2016
The competition kicks off with a road trip June 13-14, from Auckland to the National Fieldays at Mystery Creek – with activities along the way to give them a taste of what to expect from the four-day event.
Once at Fieldays, the bachelors will be pushed to their limits and outside their comfort zones to divide the men from the boys while showcasing the depth of talent offered by the New Zealand and Australian rural sector.
Fieldays’ 2015 Rural Bachelor of the Year and the people’s choice winner Toby How says a friend “sternly suggested” that he enter.
“Initially, I didn’t take the application very seriously so it was a shock when I got the call saying I’d made it into Rural Bachelor,” says How.
“It was a great week – I’m very competitive, so the contest was right up my alley. It was my first time to Fieldays; it was well organised, and we were so well looked after – it great fun,” he says
“I’d definitely recommend it to anyone considering entering. It puts you out there but is great fun, and not only are you fully kept for the week, but there is the opportunity to win up to $20,000 worth of prizes,” says How.
“I’d usually struggle to make that for a week of work,” he says.
For Glen Hammond, this year will be a fourth of involvement in Rural Bachelor – he competed in 2013 and chaperoned the team ever since.
“Competing in Fieldays Rural Bachelor is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I recommend,” says Hammond.
“It’s a fun-filled week surrounded by like-minded people who are passionate about the rural sector,” he says.
It’s an excellent a chance to showcase your ag skills and meet some single ladies along the way. There’s no better way to spend a week away from the farm,” says Hammond.
