A Lake Hāwea landscaper has won New Zealand Young Landscaper of the Year.

Tama Ritter, operations manager for Queenstown landscaping company Southern Landmarx, collected his award at the Landscapes of Distinction Awards in Christchurch over the weekend.

Southern Landmarx directors Jaye and Joe Nutting paid tribute to the “hard work and determination” Tama showed in winning the national title.

“We’re all extremely proud of him after he came to us seven years ago knowing nothing about landscaping, but he’s worked his way up from an apprentice to the top,” Jaye said.

Tama, 28, said he loved the transformative effect of landscaping and the variety of the job.

“I love landscaping because it isn’t just one skillset, it’s such a wide variety of work. Each project has new and interesting challenges. 

“You take a ‘blank’ landscape around some awesome houses and then the visual aspect of what we add is huge. It’s like dressing the house so it’s shown off to its full advantage, maximising the landscape and its surrounds.”

Tama said the competition, which included a day of practical tests, a speech and interviews, up against 12 other competitors, was “a bit nerve wracking and daunting.”

He won two Outstanding Achievement awards in Career Development and Communications before being named the overall winner at the gala dinner presentation.

“It was such a surprise to hear my name being called out and it still hasn’t really sunk in, to be honest,” he said. “But I see it as confirmation of how far I have come in the industry, and it’s the cherry on top of all the hard work over the years.”

Southern Landmarx won two gold medals in landscape construction and landscape horticulture for its Clutha River Views entry, as well as a silver for design. It also earned a gold medal in landscape construction for its Dunstan Vista residence along with two silvers for design and horticulture.

The annual Landscapes of Distinction Awards, hosted by the Registered Master Landscapers New Zealand, showcase the very best in professional landscaping practices in the country.

PHOTO: Supplied