Our Story, the Landpower & CLAAS Harvest Centre Journey
It has taken us 50 years to get to where we are today, but our journey has been a great one. We care about the success of our farmers, and we partner with trusted family-owned businesses that share our core values.
Herby’s Story.
In 1975, drawing from a decade of farming expertise, Herby established “Farmrite Industries Ltd,” a farm machinery importing and distribution company. In an era when farm machinery was in its infancy, Herby’s dedication to reliability and productivity led him to embark on a journey to source quality, efficient machinery not readily available in Australasia. Herby identified a gap in agribusiness machinery needs, shaping the company’s core values – mutual trust and the urgency of skilled support for customers – a commitment that remains at the heart of Landpower’s company ethos.
Extensive travel to Europe and the USA enabled him to establish connections and identify global manufacturers in the farm machinery industry.
Fueled by Herby’s unwavering commitment, the company experienced rapid growth. By 1977, it secured distribution rights for the world-renowned potato machinery manufacturer GRIMME, marking a milestone and solidifying Farmrite’s reputation for trust and credibility. Another significant chapter unfolded when Herby partnered with the German family-owned farm harvesting brand CLAAS, who shared similar values. In 1995, Farmrite underwent a transformation, changing its name to the Landpower Group and CLAAS Harvest Centre, establishing 32 strategic locations across New Zealand and Australia. Landpower’s strength lies not only in its quality machinery but, more importantly, in the local service that delivers an exceptional customer experience.
Today, with Herby’s continued active involvement, the board, senior management, and a dedicated team of over 600 people, bring leading global brands such as CLAAS, AMAZONE, GRIMME and Väderstad to a growing customer base.
We have a legacy that we are proud of, and a single shareholder (the Whyte family). Our values remain the same, aligning with reputable partners who support the way we do business to deliver better outcomes for our farmers, communities and people.
Landpower has a long-term vision for sustainable growth, and our commitment is clear – we get things done with a sense of urgency, and Herby expects everyone at Landpower to have that same sense of urgency and commitment.
The History of Landpower & CLAAS Harvest Centre.
Our Values
We’re all about helping farmers succeed. When they do well, so do we. Our values guide us and are instrumental to how we do business.
In It Together – we’ve got our customers’ back, and work as a team to get the best results.
Front Up – trust is key, and we build it by keeping our word, every time.
Keep Growing – we’re always learning and finding ways to innovate, for a better future.
The Valleys Project
With Herby’s support, we have pledged an ongoing commitment to conserving native birdlife by introducing predator control in the Irene Valley, a remote valley in New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park.
Managed by The Valleys Project, in conjunction with the Department of Conservation, CLAAS Harvest Centre is the first major corporate funder to back the project, providing necessary finance and volunteers to install and service a network of traplines in the upper 20km of the river valley.
Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter
We’re proud to be the Platinum sponsor and partner of the Otago-Southland Rescue Helicopter to provide our rural areas with life-saving medical assistance. Otago-Southland Rescue Helicopter operates the largest rescue region in New Zealand, covering 33% of the country’s land volume. That’s 89,000 km2 and 350,000 people in local communities.
Herby’s son-in-law, who lives in Arrowtown, had a major heart attack in December 2019 at 5.00am. He was in an ambulance to the Frankton Hospital within 30 minutes, where the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter service was on standby to fly him to Dunedin Hospital. Incredibly, by 7.30am (just two and a half hours after having the heart attack) he had been operated on and was in the recovery ward. Herby says, “this wonderful rescue service saved Ross’s life, for which our family is eternally grateful” – a major factor in choosing to partner with such a critical service for the Otago-Southland region.