New Broom
OPINION: The old saying 'a new broom sweeps clean' doesn't always hold up, if you ask the Hound.
Prominently displayed at the Mercedes Benz site at Fieldays was a vehicle that gives merit to the saying ‘there’s plenty of life in the old dog yet’.
The venerable G-Professional cab chassis can trace its heritage back to the early 1970s when the Shah of Iran – a major shareholder at Mercedes – suggesting the company develop a military vehicle, which we know morphed into the ubiquitous G-wagon.
Now, 45 years later, the G-Professional might be termed middle-aged but it can still hold its own, and more, in a market dominated by youngbloods.
Shown in an interesting configuration, as a rural fire service vehicle that would have most brigades salivating, the vehicle produces 135kW and 400Nm from a 3.0L, V6 turbo-diesel that mates to a five-speed auto-transmission and three independent differential locks.
Looking at the vehicle’s abilities, a gross vehicle mass of 4470kg enables the truck to carry a 2085kg payload and pull a braked trailer of 3200kg, combining to give the G-Pro a combined mass of 7500kg.
How to save soil, living with kikuyu grass and retaining nutrients on farm.
The 2026 Holstein Friesian NZ Black & White Youth Auction has once again proven the strength of support behind the breed’s young people, raising $20,130 for the HFNZ Black & White Youth programme.
Westpac NZ has become the first New Zealand bank to receive approval from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) to secure and leverage kiwifruit growers' Zespri shares.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) and Pāmu (Landcorp Farming Limited) have developed a new way for landowners to earn revenue from existing native forests.
Despite near universal optimism in the rural sector, a panel of New Zealand’s leading food and agri minds caution that the sector must be intentional about its future path.
The dairy industry cannot rest on its laurels despite providing one in every four export dollars earned by the country, says DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker.

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