Mark Haughton, from Drummond & Etheridge’s Rolleston branch, south of Christchurch, took his second Construction & Forestry Technician of the Year title at the annual John Deere Technician Awards last month.
Announced at a gala ceremony in Brisbane, Mr Haughton secured the top accolade from a field of elite technicians from across Australia and New Zealand, after first securing the title at the inaugural John Deere Technician Awards in 2021.
The awards programme champions the contribution John Deere technicians make to the forestry, agriculture and construction industries, and honours the service and support that highly skilled and committed techs make to the lives and businesses of customers. Other categories include Service Apprentice of the Year, Parts Apprentice of the Year and individual country awards for the Agriculture & Turf Service Technician of the Year and Parts Technician of the Year.
Mr Haughton says he was proud to take home the trophy for the second time.
“I work pretty hard for customers and love that it’s being rewarded. But for me, the most rewarding part of being a John Deere technician is the daily interaction with customers and working on equipment, diagnosing and repairing machines.”
Becoming a John Deere Construction & Forestry Technician was something of a calling for Mr Haughton who has had a love of machinery since childhood. He began his career through an automotive apprenticeship, before travelling to Western Australia to work in the mining industry. He later returned home to New Zealand to work with John Deere.
“Mark was competing against a highly talented pool of technicians in this sector, and his success is testament to his technical skills and the premier customer service he delivers,” says John Deere Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Luke Chandler.
“Unfortunately, only one winner can be selected for each category of the awards, but each of our finalists have shown incredible ability, commitment and determination over the past few days of testing.
“John Deere is proud of the important work our technicians do, every day, to support our customers throughout Australia and New Zealand.”
Mr Chandler also congratulated the three other finalists in the category, New Zealander, Nick Fargher from Brandt Feilding, and Hayden Cox and Mark Muller from RDO Equipment in Sydney’s Eastern Creek.
More than 100 nominations from 62 John Deere dealerships across Australia and New Zealand were received for the 2023 Technician of the Year Awards.
Other New Zealand winners in the Awards programme included Bryce Dickson who was named the Agriculture and Turf Service Technician of the Year and Jimmy O’Donnell who took out Parts Technician of the Year.
