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Although it's painted like any fire truck and has flashing lights and a siren, a Case IH Farmall tractor named Kahu isn’t fighting fires.
Instead, its Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s (FENZ) way of starting conversations about fire safety, developing greater resilience, fire prevention and volunteer sustainability in rural industries.
National risk reduction manager Rob Saunders says the tractor signals FENZ’s intention to reduce the risk of fire in rural homes, buildings and vegetation.
“It’s a tool to help engage with the community in a fun and unique way. Kahu has been traveling the country to appear at numerous community events.”
Unveiled at National Fieldays 2018 at the FENZ site, the tractor got a great response from children and adults alike. The site also had a burnt-out tractor, and the two machines led to discussions about maintenance, spotting bird nests and accessibility and water availability for firefighters.
Kahu was at lots of events last year including the Poverty Bay A&P show in Gisborne, Omokoroa School where it was used to help educate children about fire safety, and Turangi for the annual Christmas parade.
Announced at the end of the year at the EIMA 2024 Event in Bologna, Italy, the Case IH Quadtrac 715 - the new flagship model in the Case IH tractor range - has won the Tractor of the Year 2025 High-Power Category for models of 300-plus horsepower.
Case IH has added to its telescopic loader range with the introduction of the Farmlift 626, said to offer a more compact design, reduced turning radius for greater manoeuvrability and lower overall height.
Jeff Farm is a 2433ha property near Gore, owned and run by the Salvation Army since the early 1950s after it was gifted by farmer Edmund Jeff, with the stipulation it be "used to train young people with a passion for agriculture, who would not otherwise have such a career option" - for a career in the New Zealand agricultural industry.
New Holland and Case IH are introducing new advancements in their precision technology stack to make farming easier and more efficient for customers.
New Holland and Case IH are introducing new advancements in its precision technology stack to make farming easier and more efficient for its customers.
The first phase of a Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigation into allegations of mistreatment of sheep connected to shearing practices has been completed.
According to Biosecurity New Zealand, legal controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the South Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe will remain in place until mid-February.
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