Changing Of The Guard At TAMA

The Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) has a new logo, a new-look website and a new president, who says the industry is well placed to take on the challenges coming down the track.

At its AGM in August, TAMA members elected John Deere NZ territory manager Jaiden Drought to be their new president, reappointed Chris Bain to another year as vice president, and expanded their management board from three to six.

They also thanked outgoing president Kyle Baxter for his seven years of service in leadership positions in the organisation, which represents New Zealand’s farm machinery importers, manufacturers and retailers.

TAMA chief executive officer Phil Holden says Kyle has done an awesome job.

“Kyle served three years as president, two years as vice president and two years on the leadership group, which is a huge commitment. TAMA has grown during his period of leadership, and he is leaving it in a strong financial position,” Phil says.

“We now welcome Jaiden to the presidency and several new faces to the leadership group. Jaiden is well respected and well liked within the industry and we look forward to the new team bringing some fresh ideas to the organisation.

“His appointment coincides with the launch of our new logo, which reflects the heritage of TAMA but moves it forward in a fresh and contemporary manner.”

During the AGM, TAMA members reappointed Ian Massicks, Josh Vroombout and Richard Anderson to the body’s management group. They also added three new members – Liam Hines, Paul Holdaway, and Tim Fanning.

Jaiden echoes Phil’s words and says Kyle leaves TAMA in good stead.

“TAMA is a strong industry body, which is very important in this tough economic climate. There are still plenty of opportunities in the market despite the drop in commodity prices thanks to New Zealand’s low cost of production and innovative approach to farming,” Jaiden says.

“We now have a number of young people on the leadership committee and we are ready to grab the ball with both hands. Because Kyle has left TAMA in a strong position, we have the opportunity to think outside the square. We can try to do some different things to give TAMA members more bang for their buck.”

Jaiden is a dairy farmer. He grew up on the family farm and is a self-described tractor nerd.

“I am passionate about tractors and farm machinery. My current role with John Deere gives me the opportunity to work with the machines I love, and a leadership position with TAMA will let me give back to the industry I have been passionate about my whole life.”

Before his job with John Deere, Jaiden was an ag machinery journalist for Farm Trader magazine and its Australian counterpart Farms and Farm Machinery.

“As a journalist, I had the opportunity to get a close look at the new and innovative machinery entering the market and to meet fantastic people throughout the industry. To be able to represent them through TAMA is pretty cool.”

Kyle says that after seven years in leadership positions, the time is right to step aside and allow the new president and management board to continue the great work of TAMA and bring new initiatives to the fore.

Highlights during his time of leadership at TAMA include overhauling the reporting method for monthly tractor sales, helping to raise the government’s awareness of how the border restrictions during the pandemic impacted access to overseas machinery technicians, and expanding the membership of the organisation to include farm machinery retailers and associated members.

“In 2017 we overhauled the reporting system, which gave TAMA more in depth statistics on tractor sales. Changes included adding the postcode where units are sold, rather than just the region.”

More detailed reporting gives distributors and retailers the ability to improve the services they provide and the type of machines they offer in different areas, Kyle says.

“My mantra when I joined the TAMA leadership team was to make it more relevant to members. One of the ways we have done that is through the two successful TAMA conferences we have held. The conferences are great networking opportunities and they have covered such relevant topics as recruitment of staff and what dealerships of the future may look like.”

Looking ahead, Kyle says a challenge facing the industry is the right to repair equipment, which is currently under discussion in both the US and Australia. He believes New Zealand will follow Australia’s lead when it comes to allowing farmers and contractors to repair their machines.

“I think machinery distributors are not overly resistant to the right to repair or carry out certified software upgrades. All dealership’s sell spare parts over the counter that owners us to repair their machines.

“However, there is more concern about the right to modify equipment outside of manufacturers’ design parameters, whether this is structural or software changes to integral parts of the machine. A good example is the modification of engine emission controls on engines, or the ability to modify software designed to meet safety regulations.”

Kyle is now Asia-Pacific marketing manager for precision farming specialist Trimble Agriculture. He says precision ag technology continues to advance quickly and become more mainstream.

Connectivity and data management are giving farmers and contractors the ability to gather multiple years of information and store it in cloud-based systems. It is then accessible across various interfaces – machines, offices and agronomists – to give accurate data for compliance records.

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