One year on from the launch of Safer Farm’s Farm Without Harm strategy, farm-related ACC injury claims have been announced as falling from more than 25,000 in 2020 to 17,322 last year. Associate ACC Minister Nicola Grigg attended a farm visit to David Birkett’s arable farm in Leeston to speak to the shift already seen, and the work still to come.

“We all know someone who’s been injured on farm, be it in a cattle crash or on a quad bike,” she says.

“Agriculture is one of our high-risk industries, and ACC would tell you that it produces some of its highest statistics.”

Injuries amounted to about three-quarters of a million lost work days in 2025. Grigg credits the turnaround to farmer-led knowledge.

“The really critical part is information sharing, and being able to find what best practice looks like.”

With winter in full swing and weather events impacting farmers nationwide, she’s encouraging farmers to stop, take a pause, and think through decisions.

“This time of year, it’s cold and dark, and farm tracks are greasy; vehicle accidents occur.

“Because everyone’s in a hurry, a lot of it is driven by fatigue and making quick decisions in the moment without thinking things through.”

She reviews a quarterly dashboard of the programmes ACC invests in, and says agriculture is leading the way in providing a transition.

“Gone are the days when people look sideways at someone on a quad in high vis and a helmet.

“It’s the norm now, and so it should be.”

CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.