Simon Upton urges cross-party consensus on New Zealand environmental goals
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton is calling for cross-party consensus on the country's overarching environmental goals.
With Stage V emissions regulations coming into force across Europe, Valtra has taken the opportunity to include some new features on its updated models.
These models include the N Series (3 models; 145-201 max hp), T Series (6 models; 180-271 max hp) and the S Series (6 models; 300 to 405 max hp).
Engine changes, focused on meeting stricter emissions regulations, follow AGCO Power’s philosophy of after-treatment only. A new unit, tucked away under the right corner of the cabin, creates a slim-line exhaust that can hardly be seen past the A-pillar.
The smallest Valtra tractors to receive this change are the N4 series with the updated four-cylinder, 4.9-litre engine.
The latest N134, N154 and N174 models are fitted with a single air-bag version of the Aires pneumatic front suspension. The dual airbag version has been fitted to six-cylinder T-series models for a few generations.
Valtra T4 series tractors are fitted with 6.6-litre or 7.4-litre, six-cylinder engines. With the change to Stage V, Valtra has dropped the T144 from its ANZ line-up. However, the company has bolstered its range with the addition of Tier 3 (non-SCR) T154, T174E, T194 and T234 models with Powershift transmissions.
Other new features, common to both series, include the front linkage position display through the SmartTouch terminal, and new tyre choice options that now include Bridgestone and Continental, plus some new options from Mitas, Michelin and Trelleborg.
Lower-spec Hitech and Active variants can now be optioned with an auxiliary SmartTouch ISOBUS terminal and the AGCO Common Electronic Architecture (CEA) Valtra Guide system, which is used in the Versu and Direct models.
The S4 range, Valtra’s highest horsepower offering, has also undergone some changes with the move to Stage V engines. S4 tractors come in black, and they combine the 8.4 litre AGCO Power engine with the AGCO CVT transmission and the SmartTouch user interface.
Like its smaller siblings, the after-treatment system is located under the right side of the cab at the expense of the fuel tank, countered by an increase in capacity of the left side fuel tank. This redesign includes new stairs and handrail, a more accessible toolbox, and a new battery box.
Valtra will continue to offer the S4 with the option of a non-SCR Tier 2 engine. It uses an older version of the turbocharging system and does not produce the additional 30 hp of boost of the Stage V engine versions.
Graduates of a newly-updated Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) course are taking more value than ever from the programme, with some even walking away calling themselves the “farm CFO”.
Meet the Need, a farmer-led charity, says food insecurity in New Zealand is dire, with one in four children now living in a household experiencing food insecurity, according to Ministry of Health data.
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) says it is backing aspiring dairy farmers through a new initiative designed to make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking easier.
OPINION: While farmers are busy and diligently doing their best to deal with unwanted gasses, the opponents of farming - namely the Greens and their mates - are busy polluting the atmosphere with tirades of hot air about what farmers supposedly aren't doing.
OPINION: For close to eight years now, I have found myself talking about methane quite a lot.