Friday, 31 July 2020 10:14

New faces and challenges for association

Written by  Staff Reporters
New TAMA president Kyle Baxter. New TAMA president Kyle Baxter.

With Covid-19 effectively cancelling the annual meeting of the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA), this year’s event was conducted by teleconferencing.

The annual meeting is normally held at the National Fieldays.

John Tulloch, who has headed TAMA for the past two years, has made way for new president Kyle Baxter of Norwood. He will be backed by new vice president Alistair Tulloch of the Power Farming Group. Also elected to the management group were Josh Vroombout (AGCO), Brian Matchett (Piako Group) and Tim Brown (Southland Farm Machinery).

“The relevance of TAMA is now even more important as we move through these challenging times,” Baxter says. “This has already seen us move away from just reporting monthly sales figures, to working closely with government and other industry bodies to play our part in the primary industry’s recovery of the New Zealand economy. 

“Over the last few years, we have welcomed new members from the machinery retailing sector. That means TAMA can speak as a united voice in areas such as apprenticeships, recruitment of skilled staff from within NZ or from overseas, while continuing to raise the profile of an industry sector that is worth in excess of $1.6 billion annually.”

In other TAMA news, the provider of statistics for the association, Agriview is reporting that sales of tractors in NZ to June 30, was down by 25% to 1275 units (2019 saw 1702 for the same period). Meanwhile, the rolling 12-month total was down by a similar amount to 3580 machines.

TAMA has also been lobbying government to raise the current asset value write-off levels to $150,000 to align the allowance with Australia. Currently, the level in NZ is only $5,000. 

So far, the Minister of Finance Grant Robertson and Revenue Minister Stuart Nash have declined the suggestion and talks of future tax policy reviews. Meanwhile, National’s spokesman for agriculture David Bennett says the write-off allowances need looking at. He has indicated that if elected, National would raise the figure to $150,000 for two years. 

TAMA has also been in discussions with the National Fieldays organisation. It is hoping to gain concessions for its members, which will see the organisation waive the contentious Premium Reserve site fees for the 2021 event.

More like this

Covid's urban/rural divide

According to a new study from the University of Otago, there was a visible rural/urban divide in Covid-19 vaccination rates.

Covid inquiry to visit Northland

Better understanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the people of Northland, and the role communities played in the pandemic response, will be the focus of a visit from the Covid-19 Inquiry, says inquiry chair Professor Tony Blakely.

Reflecting a challenging period

Damien O'Connor admits his six years in office were incredibly challenging, with Covid, droughts, floods, storms, M. bovis and volcanic eruptions to name a few.

Editorial: Time for change

OPINION: With election day only a few days away and advance voting well underway, there appears to be a mood for change in rural and provincial New Zealand.

Changing of the guard at TAMA

Deere NZ territory manager Jaiden Drought was elected new president of the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) at its August annual meeting.

Featured

Sheep drench resistance costly

Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

National

Knowing bugs means fewer drugs

A mastitis management company claims to deliver the fastest and most accurate mastitis testing available at scale for New Zealand…

Machinery & Products

AGTEK and ARGO part ways

After 12 years of representing the Landini and McCormick brands in New Zealand, Bay of Plenty-based AGTEK and the brands’…

100 years of Farmall Tractors

Returning after an enforced break, the Wheat and Wheels Rally will take place on the Lauriston -Barhill Road, North-East of…

JD unveils its latest beast

John Deere has unveiled its most powerful tractor ever, with the launch of the all new 9RX Series Tractor line-up…

Biggest Quadtrac coming to NZ!

In the biggest announcement that Case IH Australia/New Zealand has made around its tractor range, its biggest tractor is about…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Why?

OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…

Fat to cut

OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter