Whangārei Master Technician, Bryce Dickson, was named the 2021 New Zealand Ag and Turf Service Technician of the Year as part of the inaugural John Deere Technician Awards.
Although an experienced mechanic, when supporting the region's thriving farms on behalf of Brandt, Mr Dickson turns more to his computer than to his toolbox as his first point of call for diagnostics and identifying issues.
"I can often fix issues online, or I can diagnose problems remotely so when I make the drive out to the farm I have the correct tools and parts ready to go," Mr Dickson said.
"Usually, I am showing farmers how to use their equipment more effectively through Remote Display Access — the platform that allows me to dial into a machine remotely.
"For instance, during the start of our busy planting season, I know I will have growers calling wanting a refresher in some of the Precision Agriculture system and with this technology I can ensure they have the correct setup without visiting them on farm."
Mr Dickson, a proud father of two girls, completed his trade in the automotive industry but became attracted to the agriculture sector when pursuing long-term stability for his family, which he believed a job critical to food production could deliver.
"I was a car technician right after the Global Financial Crisis hit, and at that time my wife and I were starting our family, so I wanted to transition to a sector like agriculture which provides job security," he said.
Now, with more than 12 years' experience in farm-servicing sector, Bryce is confident he made the right decision, particularly given his family's love of living in the Whangārei region where they make use of the area's fishing, diving and horse-riding opportunities.