Fieldays: Hillary Scholar wows crowds at Fieldays

Former Mt Maunganui College head prefect Luke Van Veen is working up a sweat at the Agricultural Fieldays in Hamilton this week as he chops and saws his way through a stack of logs, in between his university exams.

Luke was selected earlier this year as one of 47 new Hillary Scholars at the University of Waikato for his achievements in timbersports. He has represented New Zealand as part of three national U21 teams since he was 15. Timbersports involves sawing and wood chopping events and Luke has excelled in both categories.

He is displaying his skills at Fieldays this week alongside the University, which is a strategic partner of the national event.

With chips flying, Luke took just a few minutes to polish off his first log to great applause from spectators. The “underhand” cutting method, where the axeman stands on top of the log, is Luke’s current specialty, although he also competes in standing cut events and single and double saw events.

While the New Zealand competitive circuit is finished for the year, Luke is in training for a competition in Adelaide in September where he will compete in 26 different events over eight days.

“Fieldays is great training for me,” says Luke, who would normally be chopping wood in his back yard a few nights per week as well as strength building at the gym every morning. He says a lot of the wood lined up for him this week is dry, which makes it tougher to chop.

Luke first got involved in the sport when he began at Mt Maunganui College in Year 9. Former axeman Cliff Hughes had introduced the College to the sport a few years earlier and began coaching students. Luke was at first intrigued with the unique sport but soon became hooked as he became more competitive. He still views Cliff as his mentor.

“I really enjoy the challenge of timbersports; you never know what type of log you’re going to get and have to work out how you’re going to approach each one differently. It’s a great part of New Zealand culture,” he says.

The Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship Programme awards scholarships to academic high achievers who show significant leadership qualities and also excel in sport or in the creative and performing arts. The scholarships provide full university course fees while studying at Waikato, comprehensive support for the recipients’ academic, sporting and/or arts activities and additional support in leadership and personal development.

Luke is in his first year at the University of Waikato studying a Bachelor of Management Studies. He is at Fieldays on Thursday and Friday. Look for the flying wood chips at the University’s outdoor exhibit. The University also has a site at the premier feature stand.

For more Fieldays interviews, visit our Video Gallery.