Jack Haddon has lived in the Franklin area his whole life, attending Bombay Primary and then Pukekohe High School. He currently lives on his parent’s lifestyle block in Bombay with his parents and younger brother.
He is currently looking after the daily operations of the Balle Bro’s Brassica Team (Balle Bros is one of Potatoes New Zealand Growers) where they grow cabbage and cauliflower. This involves everything from planning seeding schedules, coordinating, and carrying out planting, organizing side dressing and chemical application as well as eventually coordinating harvest of the crop and transport back to the packhouse where it is sent out fresh to markets around New Zealand.
Jack enjoys the wide range of tasks you are able to complete within the role. He says, no two days are the same and with growing vegetables being so greatly influenced by the weather, it definitely keeps you on your toes. It might be trying to get through knee deep mud in the winter or attempting to irrigate dry and dusty paddocks in the heat of summer.
In his free time, Jack enjoys going to the gym as well as hanging out with friends and taking his dog, Koda for walks. Jack also is working on his car and takes it out for weekend drives.
His friends would describe Jack as, never sitting still and always up for a fun time. Jack would also like to think that they would say that he is hardworking and always able to be there for them.
He says he is most proud of competing both years (2024/2025) in the Pukekohe Young Grower of the Year competition and getting 2nd and then 1st. “It was an awesome and fun experience where I got to meet great groups of people.”
A personal goal that Jack has and has been saving for the last four years, is to purchase his first home. Since he first left school, he has had this goal and has saved a set amount weekly towards it.