Mr Darling, who helped establish the Darling family-owned Moorpark and Mulberry Orchard, in Cromwell, won the title after the annual competition at Otago Polytechnic’s Central campus in Bannockburn on Friday.
Mr Darling is a third-generation orchardist and a fourth-year law student at the University of Otago.
Six young orchardists took part in the competition, including challenges such as pest and disease identification, tractor maintenance, fertigation and first aid.
Mr Darling will now compete in the national Young Fruit Grower of the Year competition in August.
Runner-up in the Central Otago competition was Jonathan Bates (25), a foreman for C. and J. van der Voort, in Roxburgh, and third was Sam Hobbs (25), an orchard manager at Hobbs Family Partnership Orchard, also in Roxburgh.
