Katrina Roberts Receives MNZM for Dairy Industry Service
Waikato vet Katrina Roberts came from Australia in 2002 as a veterinary student and never left.
Widely respected across New Zealand’s rural industries, Maber is well known for transforming his family’s modest retail machinery business in the heart of dairy country, Maber Motors, to establish the Power Farming Group — one of New Zealand’s largest privately owned, tractor and farm machinery importers and retailers.
Building Power Farming from Local Roots
After joining Maber Motors soon after leaving school in the 1960s, Maber helped steer the company through growth, innovation and expansion, with a turning point in the 1970s when he recognised that farm mechanisation in NZ was changing rapidly and importing and distributing agricultural machinery brands at scale could become far bigger than a local dealership business.
Today, Power Farming has grown to become a major multi-national operation across NZ, Australia and the USA, built on strong partnerships, with local joint-venture ownership models, long-term supplier relationships and an unwavering focus on people.
In New Zealand, Power Farming operates across 20 outlets, employing around 350 people and approaching $300 million in annual turnover.
Despite challenging market conditions, the business has experienced strong growth over recent years, driven by its joint venture partners, longstanding relationships, customer support and investment in local teams.
A Unique Partnership Model
Maber says he is proud of the people behind the group’s businesses and the partnerships that have driven Power Farming’s success.
“Our business has always been about people, partnerships and backing local communities. We’ve built a model that empowers local people to invest in the business, grow alongside us and genuinely share in the success. If our joint venture partners are not succeeding, then we are not succeeding either.”
The Australian business, established from the ground up more than 25 years ago, has grown into a business of similar scale to New Zealand and today supports more than 200 independent dealers through a nationwide distribution network.
Power Farming entered the US market in 2018 with the world renowned Deutz-Fahr tractors and recently celebrated achieving the milestone of 5000 tractor sales, with the current focus of hitting 10,000 sales by 2030.
Maber credits much of the company’s success to the strength of the people around him, commenting: “I’ve fortunate to have been supported by our outstanding board members, three world-class CEOs across our operations, alongside incredible staff and some of the very best people in the industry.”
A Family Business
Family also remains at the heart of the business, with Geoff’s sons Craig and Brett Maber both holding leadership roles within the company. Geoff says seeing the business continue into a third generation is one of his proudest achievements.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to have Craig and Brett involved in the business and helping lead the next chapter of Power Farming,” say Geoff.
He also acknowledges the support of wife Linda, describing her as a constant source of support throughout the journey and someone who has helped bring balance, perspective and strength to a life heavily centred around business and agriculture.
Reflecting on the journey, Geoff paid tribute to his father Laurie Maber, describing him as a great teacher, mentor and role model whose values continue to shape the business today.
“This all started with my father Laurie. He was a self-made man, a great teacher and someone who instilled strong values, hard work and integrity into the business. Those values are still deeply embedded in Power Farming today.”
His recognition in the King’s Honours reflects not only the remarkable growth of Power Farming, but also the lasting impact he has had on New Zealand’s rural economy and agricultural sector over more than six decades.
Maber is still very actively involved in all areas of the family business with no plans to retire soon and says his more than 60-year journey in the industry has been both humbling and immensely rewarding.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in business, it’s that you have to have the energy to win.”
