Northland’s best tractor driver is a 17-year-old girl

Ella Martin, 17, won the tractor-pull competition at this year's Northland Field Days, the first time in 37 years a female has taken the title.

Ella Martin admitted being the only woman competing in the Northland Field Days' tractor-pull competition this year was pretty nerve-racking.

But when the dust settled, the 17-year-old was surprised to be announced as the winner, the first time in the competition’s 37-year history the title has gone to a woman.

“I’ve been the only girl [competing] for the last two years and it’s a little bit intimidating – they’re all men from my age up,” Martin said.

“I was stoked getting into the final but then being told that I won was a feeling that I couldn’t even explain.”

The tractor pull is a long-standing feature of the Northland Field Days in Dargaville, which attracted 20,000 people this year from Thursday to Saturday.

The competition is a test of tractor-driving skills and experience, according to competition organiser John Phillips.

Successful drivers need a good start, then to make all the right gear changes up the track, he said.

Martin said she decided to enter the competition for the first time last year, after previously watching her older brothers compete.

Despite not having much experience at the time, she managed to win her first race before being beaten in her second.

Since then, she has been driving a tractor when she can, including working part-time on the farm of family friends Ros and Colin Simpson, who lent her their tractor for the races.

The final involved competing against two other drivers over three legs, with Ella Martin not knowing she had won until the very end.

To get into the finals, Martin had to successfully win all her races, including two against her boyfriend’s father Shane Phillips, who is a previous winner and the son of contest organiser John Phillips.

In the final, she competed against two other drivers, including a friend, over three legs. She wasn’t aware she had won until the very end.

Martin said she would like to see more women get behind the wheel of a tractor and give the tractor-pull competition a go.

“I feel like tractor driving has been made normal for boys and men to drive, but it’s pretty cool to be a girl and know how to so it – although I’m still learning – it’s a pretty good feeling to be able to do it.”

The former Kamo High School student is now studying midwifery in Auckland and is looking forward to seeing what her career will offer.

But Martin said it is good to have tractor driving to fall back on, including being a good holiday job.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.