Our Story

“When I started out, I was looking for partners that shared the same sense of innovation, quality, passion and commitment to improving on-farm productivity and efficiency.”

- Herby Whyte, Chairman

In the early 1970’s, Herby Whyte was one of New Zealand’s most progressive farmers. He and wife Pam, operated a successful potato growing enterprise at Lochiel, near Winton in the South Island. Herby was focussed on improving productivity and making farming a more profitable business and he knew that machinery was a critical part of this. Frustrated about availability of fit-for-purpose machines and the quality of back up service and support - he decided to do something about it and in 1975, the Whyte’s established Landpower, then known as Farmrite.

Since then, by staying true to Herby’s vision, working hard, doing honest business with good people, sourcing the best farm machinery in the world, fronting up if there is an issue, and always looking to keep one step ahead, Landpower and its CLAAS Harvest Centre retail dealership network has grown into a significant business spanning New Zealand and Australia.

CLAAS Harvest Centre is now the largest privately-owned farm machinery distribution network in Australasia, servicing primary producers and agricultural contractors from 32 strategic locations throughout New Zealand and Australia. Each of the CLAAS Harvest Centres is a regional sales, service and support hub for the complete range of CLAAS, AMAZONE, JCB*, Vaderstad**, Trioliet* and other leading farm machinery brands. All of these brands are acknowledged as leaders in their fields. Like us and many of our customers, they are family-owned businesses that recognise the importance and value of long-term relationships.

Today, Landpower employs 100 staff across a range of sales, marketing, technical support, parts and administrative roles in its Christchurch and Melbourne headquarters. A further 300 are employed across the CLAAS Harvest Centre distribution network.

Our business will continue to grow and develop and our people will always be the key to our success. Our knowledge of farming and machinery, building strong relationships, and being passionate about the job we do, sets us apart.