2025 has been a busy year for Rural Contractors NZ – informing, advising and supporting its many members as well as putting together a Winter Roadshow to provide members with an alternative to attending the organisations now bi-annual conference.
Not only was Rural Contractors NZ able to get 300+ people to attend its four winter roadshows, but many of those attending were younger members and their staff, says RCNZ president Clinton Carroll.
He says that’s really encouraging and reflects RCNZ’s efforts to vigorously take up and shake up the issues’ that matter to its members, whatever their age.
The tradition of an annual conference has now become an alternate event to the roadshows that draw in a wider and younger attendance. This next generation of rural contractors is where RCNZ is now focusing.
“We all see the consequences for groups like service clubs, which have failed to appeal to younger members. To keep our critical $2b+ industry viable and resilient, we need one eye on tradition and another on the future.”
Clinton says the RCNZ September board meeting will consider a strategy with this focus. It will include looking at
developing a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) model so members can build their standards and skills in a recognised, accredited format.
“One thing it won’t be is a model wrapped in red tape and layers of compliance and complexity,” he says.
“Our CEO Andrew Olsen has been pressing the government to cut red tape, particularly around ag vehicle weights and
licenses.”
After joining an NZTA road ag group last year, RCNZ elevated the complexity of permitting overweight ag machinery to Minister of Regulation, David Seymour.
“He was supportive, acknowledging the opportunity to remove red tape and cross-jurisdictional nonsense,” says Clinton.
“While RCNZ was pleased to see Minister of Transport Chris Bishop subsequently announce land transport rules are to be reviewed, this will likely be a multiseason process and some badly needed changes just can’t wait that long. We’ve been in touch with ministers and officials outlining the changes we need to increased Gross Vehicle Mass permitting, a more efficient permitting process and enforcement, to get our members through the upcoming season.
“We’re hopeful of a result because there’s a distinct likelihood of disruption, cost increases, potential animal welfare issues and business hardship if not.
“We are also pressing for NZTA to establish a special working group on ag vehicles. In the meantime, we are advising our members, and anyone else driving ag machines on roads, that you’re best to stay within the existing – if frustratingly complex – permitting rules.”
Clinton says RCNZ’s earlier efforts in helping members overcome immigration issues saw an official from Immigration
attend it’s Christchurch roadshow.
“ This gave him a chance to learn directly – outside of dealing with frustrated contractors with visa hassles – of some of the challenges we face. I think both he and our members appreciated the opportunity.”
Clinton says the contrast is stark.
“Getting skilled machinery drivers in from overseas used to consume far too much of rural contractors’ time, not to mention that of our CEO. He is now, at times, in direct contact with Minister of Immigration Erica Stanford and she’s worked to provide us with visa categories that allow skilled drivers to come in without too much red tape. We are now waiting to see how the global visa scheme will work. Hopefully that should all but end the problems we have far too often encountered in the past.
“So, things are moving for RCNZ members,” says Clinton. “It’s never perfect or fast enough but we have good farm gate prices, a sound balance sheet, very supportive partners and we are embracing change.