Top CNH Dealers Named as NZ Firms Shine in Awards
The most outstanding CNH dealers from across Australia and New Zealand for the past year have been revealed, with two New Zealand dealerships amongst the major winners.
Case New Holland Industrial (CNHI) – parent company of the New Holland, Case IH and Steyr brands – has announced it is to buy out Raven Industries in the US.
The deal said to be worth $2.1 billion, with projected annual earnings by the new subsidiary of €400 million by 2025.
Besides agricultural technology – the key driver for the CNHI acquisition – Raven also operates in the polymer film engineering sector, delivering waterproof membranes and liners for construction and agriculture. It also manufactures lighter-than-air platforms such as weather balloons. The latter might give a hint towards CNHI’s plans, with the increasing importance of aerial imagery coming to the forefront in the crop management sector.
Within the agricultural sector, Raven is well known, particularly in North America and Europe, for providing field computers, steering, guidance and height control products. It also produces flow control valves for directing chemical injection into sprayer lines, as an alternative to the more traditional method of relying on pre-prepared tank mixes.
Raven is also well established within the autonomous guidance sector with its ‘OMNiDRIVE’ and ‘OMNiPOWER’ products.
The former replaces the driver in a conventional tractor – making it suitable, according to Raven, for applications like calling up chaser bins to unload combine harvesters, before taking the load back to a predetermined parking area.
OMNiPOWER takes the form of a robot, without the need for an operator. It is described by the company as “a self-propelled power platform that can accept a range of implements like sprayers or spreaders, allowing it to perform multiple tasks during the farming seasons”.
Meanwhile, the deal will require regulatory approval before it is completed, with finalisation expected by the year end.
Horticulture New Zealand says proposed changes to the Plant Variety Rights Act 2022 will drive innovation, investment and long-term productivity.
More than 1200 exhibitors will showcase their products and services at next month’s National Fieldays, with sites nearly sold out.
Despite difficult trading conditions for European machinery manufacturers brought about conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, alongside the United States imposing punitive tariffs, Italian manufacturer Maschio Gaspardo, has seen turnover increase 12% in 2025 to €390 million (NZ$775m) with a net profit of €11.2 million (NZ$22.3).
New Zealand innovation company Techion, best known for its animal diagnostics platform, FECPAK has signed an exclusive strategic partnership with Farmlands to bring independent animal health disease intelligence to its customers.
Zespri says it welcomes the recently signed Western Bay of Plenty Regional Deal, describing it as an important step towards supporting growth in the region and for New Zealand's kiwifruit industry.
Troubled milk processor Synlait has lost its third chief executive in five years.

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