Mark Haughton, with Steve Hadler from Drummond & Etheridge.
Mark Haughton, from Drummond & Etheridge’s Rolleston branch, south of Christchurch, has won his second Construction & Forestry Technician of the Year title at the annual John Deere Technician Awards. Source: Timberbiz
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 prestigious awards program champions the important contribution John Deere technicians make to the agriculture, construction and forestry industries, and honour the outstanding service and support highly skilled and committed techs make to the lives and businesses of John Deere’s valued 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 said 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,” he said.
“But for me, the most rewarding part of being a John Deere technician is the daily interaction with customers, working on John Deere equipment and utilising John Deere’s full suite of tools available to diagnose and repair machines.”
Becoming a John Deere Construction & Forestry Technician was somewhat of a calling for Mr Haughton who has held 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.
John Deere Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Luke Chandler, congratulated Mr Haughton and said he should be proud of the important role he plays in keeping forestry, construction and earthmoving businesses up and running.
“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,” Mr Chandler said.
“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 program 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.
2023 John Deere Technician of the Year award winners:
New Zealand Agriculture & Turf Service Technician of the Year
- Bryce Dickson, Brandt, Whangarei, North Island
Australian Agriculture & Turf Service Technician of the Year
- Lachlan Corridan, Haeusler’s, Sea Lake, Victoria
New Zealand Parts Technician of the Year
- Jimmy O’Donnell, Drummond & Etheridge, Blenheim, South Island
Australian Parts Technician of the Year
- Sarah Lewis, Brandt, Terang, Victoria
Construction & Forestry Technician of the Year
- Mark Haughton, Drummond & Etheridge, Rolleston, South Island
Service Apprentice of the Year
- Darcy Miller, Honeycombes, Ayr, Queensland
Parts Apprentice of the Year
- Poppy Blohm, AFGRI Equipment, Narrogin, Western Australia
