“I never took horticulture as a subject at school or uni but I was always interested in growing things,” says Danni, who grew up in the city with three brothers, and shared an interest in gardening with her father – Frans van der Heijden – in particular.

The 24-year-old, who is an avocado services staff member at Trevelyan’s Pack & Coolhouse in Te Puke, is 2018’s Bay of Plenty’s Young Fruit Grower, winning the competition – the second female to do so – as well as taking out five individual challenge awards up against five fellow contestants, last month.

“We had a massive garden when I was younger and we’d just grow whatever we liked – radishes, carrots, gherkins, cucumber – whatever was in season,” says Danni, who finished school and started off studying all of the sciences at Waikato university but ended up focused on biology and chemistry – gaining a Bachelor of Science majoring in two subjects.

Passion

“So with a science background and a real interest in growing things – I guess that’s where my [passion] stems from,” says Danni.

She competed against EastPack regional manager Aaron Wright, 27, DMS avocado manager/production manager Hamish McKain, 27, Trinity Lands Kiwifruit Orchard assistant production manager Levi Smith, 22, Seeka Ltd Orchard Manager Rishi Preet Singh, 28 and Apata Group Ltd quality controller Rochelle Kerkmeester, 26, in a series of challenges, testing their skills and ability to run a successful orchard, at Te Puke A&P Show on February 10.

Then each competed in a speech competition discussing future disruptors to horticulture at the awards dinner on February 15, where Danni was announced the title winner. EastPack’s Aaron Wright placed second and Hamish McKain of DMS came third.

After university Danni travelled overseas, then worked for Watercare in Auckland. “Then the job at NZ Avocado – part of the Avocado Industry Council – came up.”

Moving to Tauranga for the role, she worked for the AIC “in research and development, supporting all of the trials and running a new cultivar project”.

But Trevelyan’s lured her with the opportunity to learn exciting new techniques to grow avocados.

“I was interested in the role at Trevelyan’s because of the new techniques needed for it. So the nursery is what drew me, but also the trials on orchards and getting to help people grow avocados better.”

Helping growers

Today she’s been with Trevelyan’s, where she uses data and technology in new ways to help growers, for 13 months.

“I work in the nursery, do most of the clonal work and develop new techniques and ways of doing things, I do a lot of the reporting and mapping and use QGIS to find new ways to report things to growers, I do trials on orchards and go out and look at different things and help growers out on their orchards, I also do some grower services.”

And in many instances she’s communicating with people twice her age on how to grow their crops and in turn their livelihoods. Danni says she enjoys helping growers find new ways to get better results, and that the respect go both ways.

“At Trevelyan’s I do anything to do with avocados that need’s doing – because we have a very small team so there’s a lot of different things. And I work closely with AVOCO, the exporter, on a range of research projects.”

What does she like most about her job? “Seeing the results of what I do. Like in the nursery I can see what happening with the plants, a technique that is working, out on orchards I can see changes to growers’ crops.

“So just seeing changes in front of my eyes.”

Trevelyan’s avocado manager Daniel Bernie says Danni works well on her own or as part of a team. “She gets on well with people and has a great personality.”

Daniel says Danni has done extremely well to win the BOP Young Grower 2018 title – and her team at Trevelyan’s will support her as she heads to the national competition. “She’s a very talented individual and the horticultural industry as a whole are fortunate Danni chose this field to make a career out of.”

Redemption

Last year Danni entered the competition but missed out on the top prize by half a point to fellow contestant Erin Atkinson. “She deserved to win it – she did really well,” says Danni, who entered the first time because not many women were involved. This year it was for redemption.

“Just talking to people – everybody kept asking if I was going to enter again so I thought I probably needed to.”

One of her growers, Jeff Roderick, lent his tractor and mower, his orchard manager’s time and a strip of land to practice.

“He allowed me to mow a few bays on his orchard – they weren’t mowed the nicest,” laughs Danni.

She also borrowed a fellow staff member’s chainsaw to pull to bits to prep for the challenges ahead.

“A few people at work were showing me how to pull it apart.”

Receiving $1500 for her win, she’s also won an all-expenses paid trip to Napier in August, to compete for the 2018 national Young Grower of the Year title.

“I’ve done some things I’ve never done before – so definitely learnt some new practical skills.”

And her career goal? “I want to make a difference in the industry, I’m just not sure how I’ll do that at this stage.”