Robot Lawnmowers NZ

Robot mowers have gone from novelty to genuinely common in NZ gardens over the last few years. Here's what the two big brands cost here and how they actually navigate your lawn.

Wire-guided vs camera/mapping navigation

Older and budget robot mowers, including most entry Worx Landroid and Husqvarna Automower models, use a perimeter wire buried or pinned around the lawn edge that the mower follows to know where to stop. It's reliable but takes a weekend to install and is fiddly to adjust if you change garden beds.

Newer models add camera or GPS-assisted mapping (Husqvarna's NERA-series pricier Automowers, Worx's newer Landroid Vision line) that can map the garden with less or no boundary wire, recognise obstacles visually, and handle multiple disconnected lawn zones more easily. These cost more but save the wire-laying labour and adapt faster to garden changes.

Husqvarna Automower pricing in NZ

Husqvarna's Automower range is the long-established name here, sold through authorised NZ dealers like GreenGear, Northland Husqvarna and Lifestyle Centre rather than big-box retail, and dealer installation is commonly included or offered as an add-on. The compact Automower 305, suited to gardens up to roughly 600m² and handling slopes up to 40% incline, is priced from around NZ$1,990 at the cheapest listed NZ retailers, with seasonal dealer offers running periodically. Larger and mapping-equipped models step up well beyond $3,000–4,000+ before installation.

Worx Landroid pricing in NZ

Worx positions Landroid as the more budget-friendly line, sold through NZ retailers including robotlawnmower.nz, Steelfort and Roboman, with models scaled by lawn size: the M500 handles areas up to 500m², M1000 up to 1000m², and L1500 up to 1500m². Landroid models sit meaningfully below equivalent Automower models on price, generally landing in the roughly $1,200–2,500 range depending on model and lawn-size capacity, though exact current pricing needs checking direct with NZ retailers as it moves with stock and promotions.

What suits a typical NZ section

Most suburban NZ sections (roughly 300–800m² of lawn) fit comfortably within the smaller Automower and Landroid tiers, meaning the cheaper end of both ranges is usually adequate — you don't need the flagship mapping models unless your garden has multiple disconnected lawn areas or you want to skip wire installation entirely. Sloped sections are common in NZ (particularly Wellington and hill suburbs), so check each model's rated maximum incline before buying, as this varies significantly between entry and premium models.

Ongoing costs to budget for

• Professional installation if not self-installing — commonly offered by NZ dealers for wire-guided models.
• Blade replacements every season (both brands sell consumable blade packs).
• Winter storage — most owners bring the mower and charging dock in over the coldest months rather than running year-round.