Bruno Saia
Women who work in the rural sector got together this Monday morning with two common goals – to know each other and to learn. It was the “Significant You – Women Only Event” for the Top the South at The Headingly Centre.
“It’s important to have the women connecting and knowing each other’s lives and that we are all here to support each other”, says Tarsh Newport, who is a beef farmer and also one of the representatives from Beef and Lamb at the Northern South Island Region.
She highlights the importance of her role as a farmer and as a woman. “I want my girls to learn that’s not all about having that land for ourselves, it’s about looking after it for the next generation”.
“We respect the land, we respect the animals, so it’s important that people knows that”.
According to Anna Boyd, also from Beef and Lamb, the fire and the droughts that happened in the region were the main reason that it was chosen for the event. “We intend to boost the morale of the people in the area”, she says.
“It’s a chance to talk to other women in a similar situation”, says Rose Williams, who has a beef farm in Takaka. For her, being a woman enhances everyday challenges.
“When you are in routines life can be a lot easier, but when you plan to do one thing and the kids say they need to be picked up and it’s quite a long drive often, and you have to be there in the morning to get them all sorted, too”, she says.
Lisa Anglesey works in a sheep and beef farm at the Matariki Valley and reinforces the importance of the event for her networking.
“When we are out in our farms it can be an isolating experience, so it is nice to come up with other women from your sector and discuss likeminded things with them”.
Barbara Stuart, representing the Top of The South Rural Support Trust, worked on the funding to help put the event on.
“That’s a recognition of the fact that the farming women are the ones who keep the family together and support their husbands when they work their way through any difficult circumstance on the farm”.
“We want to ensure that women’s wellbeing is recognized”, she says.