Matamata excels at Agri Kids event

Putting together beehives, fitting docking rings and interpreting weather data was all in a day’s work at the Agri Kids Competition last Saturday.

Matamata was very ably represented, with seven teams of three from Matamata Primary, Matamata Intermediate and Te Poi Schools travelling to Taupo to compete.

They were among 15 teams to compete for the Waikato and Bay of Plenty title in the children’s section of Young Farmer of the Year.

The children were kept busy with a series of eight fiveminute modules that included putting together a milking cup assembly, identifying animal breeds and fitting a bridle on a model horse.

From there, eight teams qualified for the head-to-head final including two of the Matamata teams and a trio from Te Poi.

The final challenge was a race along a course full of challenging tasks that called for quick thinking, teamwork and accuracy.

Along the way, teams had to nail together and put up a sign, fill a leaky pipe with water, lasso a model horse and complete a jigsaw puzzle, among other things.

The three local teams missed out on a placing but Matamata Primary teacher Sue van de Molen said the children had done extremely well.

‘‘We all had a fantastic time,’’ she said.

Her son Tim van de Molen, a former Te Poi lad, was Young Farmer of the Year last year and was there to help cheer the kids on.