On Your Behalf: Health and Safety Checklist for Vineyards and Wineries
Keeping healthy and safe during vintage 2026
The LifeGuard comprises a plastic arch that flexes during a rollover to absorb the impact and protect the rider.
Ag-Tech Industries has added a lighter, lower-cost item to its QuadGuard range of crush protection devices.
The company is already known for its ATV LifeGuard – a flexible crush protection device (CPD) that folds around to create a ‘survival space’ for a rider during a rollover.
The new model weighs only 7.2kg, about half that of the LifeGuard product. It comprises a plastic arch that flexes during a rollover to absorb the impact and protect the rider. It can also create a survival pocket under the machine.
Ag-Tech says the structure’s greater rigidity may create more survival space in some situations than its more expensive CPD.
Unlike the LifeGuard, which may be re-used after a rollover, the QuadGuard must be replaced if it has been deformed. In use, the LifeGuard will require more maintenance to ensure the integral cables are kept at the correct tension, whereas the QuadGuard has no moving parts.
The QuadGuard has five years life expectancy which will be monitored annually and confirmed in 2024. Whereas the LifeGuard can be used indefinitely subject to regular maintenance and eventual refurbishment.
The closure of the McCain processing plant and the recent announcement of 300 job losses at Wattie’s underscore the mounting pressure facing New Zealand’s manufacturing sector, Buy NZ Made says.
Specialist agriculture lender Oxbury has entered the New Zealand market, offering livestock finance to farmers.
New research suggests Aotearoa New Zealand farmers are broadly matching phosphorus fertiliser use to the needs of their soils, helping maintain relatively stable nutrient levels across the country’s agricultural land.
Helensville farmers, Donald and Kirsten Watson of Moreland Pastoral, have been named the Auckland Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
Marc and Megan Lalich were named 2026 Share Farmers of the Year at last night's Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Industry Awards.
William John Poole, a third year Agribusiness student at Massey University, has been awarded the Dr Warren Parker and Pāmu Scholarship.

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