John Deere Names 2026 Technician of the Year Finalists
John Deere has announced the finalists for its 2026 Technician of the Year Awards, with 30 regional finalists being named in five award categories.
More than 100 technicians across Australia and NZ were nominated by their dealerships – with input from customers. The 30 finalists travelled to JD’s Australian headquarters in Brisbane to be put through a rigorous assessment process, testing diagnostic capabilities, technical knowledge and customer service skills.
Three talented New Zealanders claimed a range of the top titles, with Bryce Dickson and Jimmy O’Donnell being named the Agriculture & Turf Service Technician of the Year and Parts Technician of the Year respectively. Meanwhile, Mark Haughton took out the Construction & Forestry Technician of the Year Award ahead of two Australians and a fellow New Zealander.
“The most rewarding part about being a technician is the support you get from John Deere on products,” he says. “Which gives you the confidence to go out in the field and talk about them.”
NZ Parts Technician of the Year, Jimmy O’Donnell, works for Drummond & Etheridge in Blenheim, Marlborough. Two years after taking up the role of parts technician at his local JD depot, hard work and commitment has led to him winning this award.
“The most rewarding part about being a John Deere technician is the customer interaction and providing the parts that the customers ask for,” O’Donnell says. “Once they get them in their hand, they walk away happy.”
John Deere Construction & Forestry Technician of the Year, Mark Haughton, also works at Drummond & Etheridge, but at its Rolleston branch in Canterbury.
Haughton’s latest success follows him first securing the same title at the inaugural John Deere Technician Awards in 2021. A native of Wales, Haughton says he enjoy the daily interaction with customers.
“I work pretty hard for them, so I’m thrilled that it’s being rewarded.”
John Deere ANZ managing director, Luke Chandler, congratulated each of the New Zealand winners and emphasised how important their work was to prosperous industries and their local communities.
“Bryce, Jimmy and Mark have demonstrated exemplary performance among a high calibre field of finalists and should be incredibly proud of their efforts in taking home their respective awards.”
Chandler added that with technological advances driving industry growth, future demand for technicians across rural centres in New Zealand continues to increase.
According to JD ANZ’s director of aftermarket and customer support, Emma Ford, this commitment is made clear by the statistics from the company’s online learning portal. It shows that between Australia and New Zealand, parts technicians accrued 7000 parts credit training hours, while service technicians achieved 30,000 service credit training hours.
“These awards raise the profile of John Deere on farms and in our communities and are a wonderful platform to promote the careers available in our industry,” she added.
