ANZ Insights Paper: Optimising farming systems

New Zealand’s primary sector is built on efficiency, ingenuity, and a strong track record of adapting through cycles - but the operating environment is tightening. When constraints stack up, systems matter. The businesses that perform consistently are often the ones who can keep their operation ticking even when conditions aren’t ideal.

In this paper, we explore how the right tools can help build more robust, repeatable farm systems, and support better decision-making. They can also help make execution easier - from reducing rework and improving timing, to growing staff capability and tightening the link between inputs and outputs.

Our first paper was about understanding the performance gap, and this one is about what can help to close it. Clearer systems and disciplined decision-making tend to make businesses easier to run and improve through both good and tough seasons.

To get a view of what that management advantage looks like in practice, we spoke to a diverse group of farmers and growers who’ve experienced the benefit of great systems firsthand - and all in their own way. A sincere thank you to the following operators for contributing their insights:

• Mark, Hamish, and Tom Humphries of Humphries Farming Limited
• Phillipa Wright of KWKIWI Limited
• Adele, Peter, and Sam King of Sandbrook Farm Limited
• Cameron Henderson of Summit Farming Limited
• Simon Scott of Waihuna Dairies Limited.

We explored five areas where high-performing operators are focusing their efforts:

1. Connecting information to help support decision-making
   When information is connected and easier to access, operators can spend less time analysing data and more time running their business.
   
   
2. Lifting input efficiency to build resilience
   When things run smoothly day-to-day, farmers and growers are less likely to get caught out when conditions change.
   
   
3. Using automation to help reduce pressure and improve efficiency
   High-performing operators are intentional about where they adopt automation technology, focusing on where timing and consistency matter most.
   
   
4. Optimising land and environment to help protect long-term productivity
   Environmental performance tends to stick when it’s built into how a farm or orchard runs - not bolted on.
   
   
5. Scaling what works through investment
   High-performing businesses invest in changes their teams can absorb. Products are more likely to succeed when they’re easy to adopt, supported well, and deliver value.

The farmers and growers we spoke to for this paper universally agree that improving performance is rarely about a single change. It’s the result of building a high-performing system. The idea is to build the foundations, then layer in changes that improve consistency and reduce pressure over time.

We’ve distilled that sequence into five tips:

1. Get clear on how decisions are made: Organise and connect your information so decisions are more consistent and well-understood across the business.
2. Get more from what goes in: Focus on using inputs well - improving timing, reducing waste, and removing weak points in the system.
3. Make the work easier: Use tools and automation where they help reduce pressure, improve timing, and support your team.
4. Look after the parts of the farm or orchard that matter most: Make practical changes that protect your assets while keeping the system productive.
5. Back what works: Invest in changes that help improve consistency and performance, with confidence to carry them through the cycle.

When the right tools are in place, the system flags what matters, your team knows what good looks like, and that gives you more time to work on the business rather than being stuck in the weeds.

The question to ask isn’t where to start – but what to improve next.

Every farm is different. As you look ahead, your ANZ Relationship Manager can provide tailored solutions to help you make informed decisions and grow your farming business.

ANZ Agri Focus provides a bi-monthly overview of current topics and developments in the rural sector from ANZ’s Agricultural Economist.

We’re exploring the factors that will keep capital flowing and investment strong for the farmers shaping New Zealand’s future. This paper is the second of a three-part series.

1. Building a profitable farming business: Financial insights from New Zealand’s leading agri sectors. Read about Building a profitable farming business.
2. Optimising farm systems: How agritech is helping to drive efficiency, resilience and performance.
3. Future-proofing your farm: Practical pathways for succession and attracting capital. To be published later in 2026.

Explore insights from high-performing New Zealand farmers and growers, discover the systems and tech that can help drive efficiency, resilience, and performance, and take away practical considerations to support your decision‑making.