SAFER FARMS INITIATIVES

Our Regional Champions will be taking the Farm Without Harm message directly into rural communities, through sharing real experiences, practical safety tips and lessons learned. They will be attending local events and speaking to community groups, and leading conversations about farm safety from a farmer-to-farmer perspective.

Find out more about who our Regional Champions are, and how to get involved below.

Otago sheep & beef farmer Emma, and Southland dairy farmer Jon, take us through some Have a Hmmm moments on farm.

ACC's 'Have a Hmmm' campaign encourages people to stop and think about the consequences of injury before acting.

Discover practical tips and tricks in the videos below, designed to help you make small, simple changes that lead to more productive, and pain-free farming careers.

From 2019–2023, 22 lives were lost in quad bike accidents across NZ. In response, in 2024 Rabobank and Safer Farms launched the Safer Rides scheme - offering farmers big discounts on crush protection devices (CPDs) that can save lives in a rollover. Over 130 farms jumped on board, with the first 110 vouchers gone in just 36 hours.
‍
Most applicants were smaller farms, many on steep terrain, and 84% had no CPD before.  
‍
The Safer Rides programme was proposed and championed by Rabobank, with sector partners ANZCO Foods, PGG Wrightson, FMG, LIC, Craigmore Sustainables and Silver Fern Farms.
‍
Thanks to extra funding from ACC, and industry partners wanting to stay involved, the programme is returning in March 2026. Check out the links below to learn more.

In June 2025, the Safer Farms team attended National Fieldays, to connect with the farming community and test out a new virtual reality (VR) ATV training tool. In partnership with New Zealand VR company, G Factor, farmers were able to trial this exciting innovation for the first time and test their decision-making skills when using farm bikes.

The VR experience takes users through scenarios which are based on real life incidents, in which users must make decisions in the moment and see how those decisions play out. All three scenarios were based on real life incidents involving ATVs, that have happened in New Zealand or overseas, which really resonated with those who took part.

G Factor founder and CEO Rhys Gardner says he believes farmers learn from ‘doing’. "The cool thing about VR is that people can try things and live the experience of what would happen in that real life situation but they can do that without getting hurt.”  

A campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of quad bikes and to encourage farm people to take action to reduce risk was delivered through an organic approach.

Phase 1 of this started with a series of videos from farmers asking for their ‘Two Cents’ on farm vehicle safety. More than 40 farmers submitted stories of their experiences from closecalls to things they had changed on farm. Following this, four stories were chosen to develop into videos and case studies which were released via YouTube, media and across Farm Without Harm social channels. Alongside the release of the videos, relevant Safety Alerts and resources were released.

Phase 2 launched in February 2026, and encouraged farmers to submit their tips, thoughts and stories about farm safety. Results from this campaign will be shared throughout the year.

In June 2023 Safer Farms called on the farming community to collectively address the unacceptable level of harm on our farms. By drawing a line in the sand on and redesigning our workplaces one step at a time, the pledge south to activate the change we want to see at every level of the rural sector.

The farming community - from owner/operator farmers, to industry bodies - were invited to sign the Farm Without Harm pledge, committing to reducing harm on our farms together as an industry. More than 170 different farming businesses signed the pledge.

In 2023 Safer Farms hosted a number of online workshops, alongside those in the industry, covering a range of key harm areas in farming. These included, keeping children safe on farm, where to start with health and safety, and how to start good safety conversations with your team.

Safer Farms is teaming up with ACC to trial their Recovery at Work programme designed to support injured agricultural workers in their rehabilitation journey. The initiative encourages employers to use the workplace as a tool for recovery, to help staff heal faster while staying connected to their roles.

Evidence shows that recovery at work leads to better outcomes, less time off, and reduced productivity losses. Participating Safer Farms members are testing ACC tools & resources through until December 2025 to ensure they are beneficial for their businesses and the wider agricultural sector, by exploring practical ways to support injured employees. This includes modified duties, early intervention, and improved collaboration with health professionals. Results of the programme will be available in early 2026.