A group of Whangarei high school students has won the top award in the Enterprising Primary Industries Career challenge on how to attract young people into working with bees.
The competition requires students to identify different careers within the primary industry sector and market them to their peers.
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy presented the Year 10 students from Huanui College the award for their entry 'Bee in the Scene'.
Holly Cook said her group used social media to engage its target audience of 14 to 18-year- olds to highlight the range of jobs available including bee keeping, microbiology and bio-chemistry.
"A few of our fellow classmates were doing horticulture and looking at orchardists and things like that and we were just thinking ... that wouldn't happen if it weren't for bees and animals.
"Dairy wouldn't be as successful if it weren't for the bees and the pasture pollination ... When you look at most things you find in your supermarket, you can relate it to bees."
Huanui College also came first in the dairy category with an entry showcasing the varied careers in the industry.
