The Country 02/06/26: Geoff Maber talks to Jamie Mackay

The man behind the Power Farming Group has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to agribusiness.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So here's another great story about a person recognized over
the weekend for the King's Birthday honors. Jeff Maber. Mister
Jeffrey John Maber, an officer of the New Zealand Order
of Merit. Now the Mabor family is behind Power Farming,
huge agribusiness company not only in New Zealand but also
Australia and the States. But Jeff, let me put this

(00:23):
to you. Are you most famous for making the cow maybe?
Or the giant cow on Mournsville Good afternoon.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
After moon Jamie, No, I have to put that down
to my father. And my father was mayor of the
local town, Morns, who wanted to put a cow forty
years before that. I had no money. They all said
unless you had some money, you couldn't build the cow,
and the council had no money, and we didn't have
any money in those days anyway. And in his later
in life, I lost my dad, I think it was

(00:50):
eighteen now, two thousand and eighteen, and he said, just
before he passed, he said, it wouldn't it be nice
to build a cow and leave it? And being my dad,
if you knew him, was a bit of a character,
he said, if you can I haven't finished before I died,
I'll pay for it, and if I don't, your paper.
So we went half fifty to fifty, but I caught
it his cow and that was the greatest disappointment. He
missed seeing the cow finished, but anyway he would have

(01:13):
loved to see at the other day.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Well Power Farming founded by your dad Lorrie in nineteen
forty eight. I read in a small shed in Morinsville,
and as you mentioned he was the mayor. Was he
also famous for being one of the first people to
install a rotary dairy shed.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yes, after studying with tractors, he physically, then they went
farming and got involved with some pretty good guys and
they then put a rotary in and I think one
of the first, if not the first, that mills a
thousand cows at any one time. And this is now
going back forty to fifty years ago, so it was
quite innovation and that some piece. My dad probably liked

(01:49):
farming more than being in the tractor business. And then
from tractors, after being in retail, then we got into
the wholesale business, which was probably more of mind making.
And we grew in New Zealand and then we had
the opportunity. We grew Australia and then of course it's
amazing over a beer Zeutz Far we're pulling out of
the US. They found it quite difficult and my son

(02:10):
Craig said, well, that's an opportunity, and we talked about
at the board level and a long story short, we
started there and it was a great pleasure. I had
just come back from the States. We had a competent
state who just after seven years of being in the States,
we delivered five thousand deuts Far tractors and on the
path to ten thousand is what the theme of our
Copperence was and that was quite a thrill to be

(02:31):
in the largest tractor market in the world and doing
pretty well.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
To be honest, the power farming group is huge, as
we said in New Zealand, Australia, North America, generating six
hundred million annually employing up to five hundred people. There
must be never or six hundred.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, starting to grow. I think we certainly the market's
a complex at the moment with tariffs and America. Obviously
the last year or two men extremely and New Zealand
as most people would know, but it's starting to come out.
Commodity prices are pretty good levels and I think they'll
stay there. And Australia is going through its challenges with
government levels, but I think that'll come out over the

(03:12):
next year or two. And we see as much opportunities
for growth as anybody. We're very, very passionate about the
future of agriculture and especially in Australia in New Zone.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
You and the power Farm and group have supported lots
of organizations and charities over the years. Can you highlight
a couple that are near and dear to your own heart?
Chief Mabor we physit.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
I went to boarding schools in Hamilton and through my
wife's pressure from my wife lovely wife physically said, we've
got involved with the subboording school buildings and built the
pavilion that Subbil school. Involved with charities and in lots
of different areas, et cetera, et cetera. I think my
son sponsors why at A Rugby for junior rugby in

(03:59):
the last n of years, et cetera. And I think,
you know, I believe we do a good job in
the community and work within the community which has given
so much back to us.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Fantastic Hey, just to finish on you mentioned before how
optimistic you were about the future of farming, agriculture the
primary sector, and I think of the protein boom that's
currently happening around the world at the moment, you'd have
to say, as farming ever looked better if only we
could get the cost side of the equation down.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
Jamie, I couldn't agree more. I mean, having been business
in the States over the last coming up to nine
or ten years, and they have four hundred billion, four
hundred billion US dollars of subsidies directly indirectly go to farmers,
and six hundred million euros go to farmers in the EU, etc.
And our farmers, you know, and that's what I love

(04:48):
about our farmers. They're resilient, they work hard, et cetera.
And my argument today these people are long term trying
to phase these subsidies out. Our futures is just amazing.
I mean, there's Southeast Asia starting to explode with people,
they're leading better foods. I'm so optimistic. I honestly said

(05:11):
here to day and think the future of New Zealand
and farming. We need to do the fundamental road. We
need a government that's stable. You know. Obviously this challenge
is worldwide, but the demand for protein has never been higher.
You know, we're extremely confident from where we are for
our CEOs and our board. We see the future being amazing.

(05:31):
But don't tell me there's always speed bumps all the
way along. How we've got a feel things that'll finish.
There's always ups and downs. We've had as many ups
as many as highs as we've had lows in the
last forty or fifty years. But that's the nature of
the business. But we love it and we're passionate and
we've got a great lot of people and I think
it's our people that have made the difference to our
business and today we are able to get the best

(05:52):
in the industry. And you know, the people make the business.
So the formula is quite.

Speaker 1 (05:57):
Easily fantastic to chat to your chief Maba from the
Power Farming Group. Recognized on the weekend and the King's
Birthday Honors List, with Anne awarded an Officer of the
New Zealand Order of Merit. Thank you for your time.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
Well done by Jervy. We'll look forward to seeing at
the field days. Cheers mate,