Fieldays hold out the begging bowl
OPINION: When someone says “we don’t want a handout, we need a hand up” it usually means they have both palms out and they want your money.
The German cultivation and seeding machinery maker Lemken is chasing more business in New Zealand.
It set up a subsidiary in mid 2018 to support its business in New Zealand and Australia. This is to give new dealers and customers in NZ a more direct link to the company, better technical support, a wider choice of tillage and seeding equipment and greater access to demonstration machines.
Lemken managing director and sales manager Robert Wensing says the move will be crucial to Lemken’s growth and will help develop the company’s partnerships with local dealers.
“We have begun establishing our new dealer network,” Wensing said. The first dealers are Te Aroha Tractors, Te Aroha, and Tractor Repairs and Spares (TRS) in Renwick, Seddon, Richmond and Hawke’s Bay.
“We expect to make further announcements regarding new dealers soon,” said Wensing.
New Lemken products will be launched in NZ later this year, Wensing said. These will include the Rubin 10-disc cultivator with larger discs than the Rubin 9 it replaces, a symmetrical disc layout and much improved overload protection.
Other releases will include the Diamant 16 plough and Solitair 23 front-mounted, air-seeder.
Lemken will be at site A15 at Fieldays.
With the current situation in the European farm machinery market being described as difficult at best, it’s perhaps no surprise that the upcoming AgriSIMA 2026 agricultural machinery exhibition, scheduled for February 2026 at Paris-Nord Villepinte, has been cancelled.
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Jayna Wadsworth, daughter of the late New Zealand wicketkeeper Ken Wadsworth, has launched an auction of cricket memorabilia to raise funds for I Am Hope's youth mental health work.
As we move into the 2025/26 growing season, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) reports that the third quarter results for the year to date is showing that the stagnated tractor market of the last 18 months is showing signs of recovery.
DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown is urging dairy farmers to participate in the 2026 Levy vote, to be held early next year.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling for nominations for director roles in the Eastern North Island and Southern South Island electoral districts.

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