July 29, 2024

Eight John Deere New Zealand technicians bound for Australia to compete for top honour

Crestmead, Queensland (29 July, 2024) – Eight of New Zealand's best John Deere technicians have been announced as finalists in the fourth annual John Deere Technician of the Year Awards.

The Awards program, established in 2021, recognises and celebrates the important role technicians play in keeping John Deere's customers operating to support New Zealand's vital agriculture, construction and forestry industries.

More than 130 nominees from 69 dealership locations were put forward for this year's event, demonstrating the momentum the awards program has gained across New Zealand and Australia. The eight New Zealand finalists will travel to Brisbane in early September for a final round of intense judging where they will be tested on their ability to perform hands-on diagnostics and troubleshoot and solve technical issues on the spot.

John Deere Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Luke Chandler, congratulated the finalists and recognised the huge value they bring to their dealerships, communities and the broader industries they support.

"Technicians require a unique combination of mechanical knowledge, proficiency in digital technology and advanced problem-solving skills to support customers' operations, helping them to increase uptime, enhance productivity and promote sustainable practices across their business," Mr Chandler said.

"All the finalists should be extremely proud that their dedication, hard work and commitment to excellent customer service was recognised by their dealerships, and congratulated on passing the first round of internal judging.

"We look forward to welcoming the finalists to our headquarters at Crestmead, where their diagnostic and problem-solving skills will be put to the test in a series of complex real-life scenarios."

Eight titles will be awarded across five categories in the 2024 John Deere Technician Awards, which includes individual country awards for the Agriculture & Turf Service Technician of the Year, Parts Technician of the Year, and Construction & Forestry Service Technician of the Year. One award winner, from either New Zealand or Australia, will be announced as the Service Apprentice of the Year. This year there are no New Zealand finalists in the Parts Apprentice of the Year category.

Diverse finalists have common threads

John Deere Australia and New Zealand Director of Aftermarket and Customer Support, Emma Ford, said while the group of New Zealand finalists were all individuals with exceptional skills, the one common thread was their commitment to their customers.

"This year, across our New Zealand finalists, we have a returning winner, and seven new entrants from both the North and South Islands," Ms Ford said.

"Some have come from traditional farming backgrounds and always had an interest in pursuing a career in agriculture or heavy machinery, whereas other finalists have made this career choice later in life.

"Regardless of their pathway to their current role, they are all deeply committed to delivering exceptional service for customers, and to making the most of all the opportunities they have to grow their career and excel in their field."

The Award winners will be announced at the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards gala event on Thursday, 5 September 2024.

2024 John Deere TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD NEW ZEALAND FINALISTS

(Biographies below)

Agriculture & Turf Service Technician of the Year
(will compete for a New Zealand only Award)

  • Bryce Dickson, Brandt, Whangarei, North Island
  • Marcus Vine, Brandt, Feilding, North Island

Parts Technician of the Year
(will compete for a New Zealand only Award)

  • Abigail Mann, Drummond & Etheridge, Nelson, South Island
  • Daniel Stoneley, Brandt, Masterson, North Island

Construction & Forestry Technician of the Year
(will compete for a New Zealand only Award)

  • Liam Gee, Drummond & Etheridge, Blenheim, South Island
  • Alvin Gounder, Brandt, Whangarei, North Island

Service Apprentice of the Year
(will compete against five Australian finalists for a combined Australian/New Zealand Award)

  • Deon Joubert, Drummond & Etheridge, Nelson, South Island
  • Matthew O’Rorke, Brandt, Stratford, North Island

 

NEW ZEALAND FINALIST BIOGRAPHIES

AGRICULTURE & TURF SERVICE TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR

Bryce Dickson, Brandt, Whangarei, North Island

Winner of the New Zealand Agriculture Technician of the Year at the John Deere Technician Awards in 2021 and 2023, Bryce Dickson is keen to claim his third title in this year's competition. The former 'Dealer Top Technician' for Holden New Zealand made a career change into agriculture during the 2008 global financial crisis, finding a new calling working on tractors. While employed with a different tractor brand, he spent seven years driving past the John Deere dealership located in Whangarei in New Zealand's North Island, dreaming he would one day work there. He's been living that dream now since 2017, earning Master Technician status and recently achieving his Certified Technician Level 3 accreditation via John Deere University.

Beyond personal accomplishments, Bryce is most proud of witnessing the growth of the colleagues he has mentored as apprentices blossom into skilled technicians. He also finds immense satisfaction in introducing farmers to the cutting-edge technology in their machine and seeing them use it to enhance their efficiency and productivity. Brandt Whangarei has recently branched into construction and forestry equipment, opening up new opportunities for Bryce to apply his service and expertise in a different sector.

Bryce's first-hand experience tending to a small farm of breeding cows helps deepen his connection to agriculture and understanding of the needs of farmers.

Marcus Vine, Brandt, Feilding, North Island

Marcus Vine will have a go at fixing "pretty much anything". From vehicles to electronic appliances, to drilling his own water well, his self-starting attitude keeps him busy both at home and work. Based at the Brandt dealership in Feilding, on the North Island of New Zealand, Marcus takes pride in helping diagnose and repair faults to keep customers up and running.

After school Marcus pursued a pre-trade light automotive course and mechanical apprenticeship, before making the "best decision he's ever made" and signing up to work at a John Deere dealership in Foxton. Eighteen years later, he said new technologies like GPS and autonomous solutions meant every day still presents new learning opportunities and career growth. He enjoys training and mentoring young technicians and is most proud of the respect and reputation he has built with customers and colleagues over the years.

While Marcus didn't grow up in a rural area, working in agriculture has inspired him and his partner to move to a small lifestyle block where they are raising a few cattle and bringing their two young sons up in a farm orientated lifestyle.

PARTS TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR

Abigail Mann, Drummond & Etheridge, Nelson, South Island

Abigail Mann has been surrounded by John Deere equipment entire whole life having grown up on a lifestyle farm near Dunedin. However, it was when her family moved to Nelson on the tip of New Zealand's South Island that she forged a career working with machinery, similar to that of her father's, and began an apprenticeship as a parts technician with the local Drummond & Etheridge John Deere dealership. Here she also developed a keen interest in construction and forestry equipment, with this new direction opening up a range of learning and development opportunities, including a scholarship to study Business Skills through MITO Industry Training.

Seeing happy customers is always the best part of Abigail's workday, where she brings the same sense of camaraderie to the dealership as she does to the court in her social netball league. She is proud of the relationships she has built with customers over time, with many of them often calling or emailing her directly for parts.

Daniel Stoneley, Brandt, Masterson, North Island

For Daniel Stoneley, the customers and colleagues he interacts with each day are the best part of his job as Parts Department Manager at the Brandt John Deere dealership in Masterton on New Zealand's North Island.

Daniel started his John Deere career in 2019 as an experienced Parts Technician, after spending his early career working in domestic and commercial technical, refrigeration and electrical work, followed by four years as an agricultural parts technician and service manager. His knowledge of ag machinery and the sector gave him a head start at John Deere, where he quickly learnt the products and systems he needed to work as a Department Manager. With Brandt's acquisition of Wairarapa Machinery four years later, Daniel was employed in his current role.

He believes if you strive for success, are passionate and confident and try to perfect what you do, others will follow, and this translates into a great experience for the customer. Daniel is proud of his ability to lead by example and to help those around him to become more skilled through experience and knowledge.

CONSTRUCTION & FORESTRY TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR

Liam Gee, Drummond & Etheridge, Blenheim, South Island

Even from an early age, Liam Gee had a keen interest in how things worked, regularly pulling apart, and putting back together, anything he could get his hands on. Add to that the fact he grew up around machinery, and it's no surprise Liam has become a John Deere Construction & Forestry Technician.

A firm believer in taking as many opportunities as you can, and giving everything a go, Liam approached the Service Manager at his local John Deere dealer about the chance to undertake work experience after he finished school.

This developed into an apprenticeship, and six years later, Liam thoroughly enjoys the variety his career affords him and how no two days are ever the same. From working in the Drummond & Etheridge workshop completing repairs and maintenance one day, to attending an urgent breakdown in the field the next, Liam finds the challenge of getting a machine back up and running with minimal downtime especially rewarding.

Alvin Gounder, Brandt, Whangarei, North Island

When Alvin Gounder moved to New Zealand in 2016, he took up a role in a trucking company workshop in Whangarei. Having learned his trade on heavy machinery in the gold mines of Fiji, the desire to work on larger equipment in his new home country led him to apply for a role with his local John Deere dealership as a technician.

After five-and-a-half years, and the completion of certifications in construction and forestry equipment, Alvin is considered an expert in this range of John Deere machinery at the Brandt dealership in the Northland region of New Zealand's North Island. Along with working on equipment, Alvin enjoys exploring the countryside and meeting new people as part of his role. With an ongoing need for machinery in the world, Alvin said job security and learning opportunities are among the biggest advantages of a career with John Deere.

SERVICE APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR

Deon Joubert, Drummond & Etheridge, Nelson, South Island

A third-year Apprentice Technician at Drummond & Etheridge in Nelson on the South Island of New Zealand, Deon Joubert finds a deep sense of gratification in saying he has spent his entire career working on John Deere equipment. Growing up around John Deere machines on his family's farm, he regularly ended up in the shed or out in the fields with his uncle and grandfather, working on machines.

Always mechanically inclined, and never one to pass up the opportunity to ride along during seeding, spraying and harvesting, it was a natural fit for Deon to pursue a mechanical trade.

To this day, he's "enthralled by all the machines", and finds it a privilege to work on everything from turf mowers and tractors, to skidders and felling equipment.

Deon said the big machines are always extremely exciting, and completing a job such as replacing hydraulic pumps on a forestry machine, or removing and fixing a transmission in a tractor, is "absolutely exhilarating".

Matt O'Rorke, Brandt, Stratford, North Island

Matt O'Rorke has always been surrounded by John Deere machines, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Growing up on a farm gave him his first taste of servicing equipment, before completing a gateway program in his final year of school through the Brandt John Deere dealership in Stratford on New Zealand's North Island.

He happily accepted an apprenticeship after finishing the program in 2021, and now in his third year he says the variety of work keeps every day interesting. Matt enjoys the entire process of servicing and repairing equipment from initial customer contact to diagnosing and repairing issues, right through to the satisfaction of seeing the equipment up and running.

About John Deere:

Deere & Company is a global leader in the delivery of agricultural, golf & turf, construction, and forestry equipment. We help our customers push the boundaries of what's possible in ways that are more productive and sustainable to help life leap forward. Our technology-enabled products including the John Deere Autonomous 8R Tractor and See & Spray™ are just two of the ways we help meet the world's increasing need for food, shelter, and infrastructure. Deere & Company also provides financial services through John Deere Financial. For more information, visit John Deere at its worldwide website at JohnDeere.com or in New Zealand at JohnDeere.co.nz.

Media Enquiries:

Kate Scott
kate.scott@bluehillpr.com.au
0438 389 092

Tim Vetter
tim.vetter@bluehillpr.com.au
0439 681 793

Images of all finalists are available in Dropbox using this link