Seventy-five years have passed since Laurie Maber founded Maber Motors, a one-man operation, to sell and service tractors in Morrinsville.
Laurie’s son, Geoff, joined soon after leaving school and developed a wholesale arm, Power Farming. The company expanded into Australia 15 years ago, and then America last year. Today Power Farming has turnover of $400 million, employing 400 people.
Geoff’s two sons, Craig and Brett, also work in the business, with Craig relocating from Australia to the US in the past year to work on the Atlanta-based American operation. That operation employs 12 so far.
Meanwhile Brett, trained as a graphic designer, is group marketing director based in Hamilton.
The company’s farm machinery operation has about 20% market share in Australasia, Brett reckons, and its position has been strengthened by the company’s ability to invest during a tough time for farming.
A milestone for the family was the erection of Mabel the mega cow last year, a 6.5 metre resin and fibreglass statue in Morrinsville.
The idea for a giant cow had been suggested by Laurie when he was mayor but, sadly, it was not completed during his lifetime.
The statue was used as a backdrop for rural protestors before the 2017 election, when they said urban New Zealanders blamed farming communities for issues like water pollution.
Power Farming’s Morrinsville headquarters has about 70 staff, with another 200 spread across 17 retail dealerships across the country.
Brett describes the family as a “fairly normal group of people,” who have a passion for the business and who have worked hard to get where they needed to go.