South Island leads tractor sales as the North Island stalls
Some implements now control the tractor, with balers stopping, binding and opening without the operator.
|November 3, 2026Listen to the full interview:
This episode featured as part of the Machinery segment in partnership with Carrfields Machinery.
Tractor sales are growing strongly in the South Island while the North Island has been stop-start this year.
Farm Trader owner and Tractor and Machinery Association president Jaiden Drought says sales have lifted in Nelson and Marlborough, with strong growth in Otago, Mid Canterbury and Southland. “It has really just been a tale of two islands,” he says.
He says tractors of 150hp and more show most of that growth, reflecting larger South Island farms.
Sales are tracking at the five-year average of about 3300 tractors.
He says the election is playing on buyers’ minds, more so among North Island owner-operators than corporate farms.
He says some implements now control the tractor: a baler can slow and stop the tractor, bind the bale and open the door without the operator.
To learn more, visit tama.org.nz
This episode featured as part of the Machinery segment in partnership with Carrfields Machinery. To learn more, visit www.carrfields.co.nz
Watch the full interview:
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.
