Government aims to deliver city-level services to rural communities
The Government wants to make sure that rural communities get a level of service that people who live in cities often complacently expect.
The importance of seeing regularly to your wellbeing will be the focus of Farmstrong’s site at Fieldays.
Regularly taking breaks, connecting with mates, keeping active, eating well and doing stuff you enjoy – these add up over time and help you cope better with the ups and downs of farming.
And these pay off for the business, says Farmstrong project leader Gerard Vaughan.
“Farmers who ‘lock in’ these habits tell us they not only feel better, but their performance, decision making and efficiency on the farm also improve,” he says.
This year, the Farmstrong site at E34-E36 will have interactive tools to allow visitors to identify tactics that could work for them.
“Over the last four years, hundreds of farmers have shared what they do for their wellbeing, countered by the things in farming that make withdrawals on their wellbeing.”
The Farmstrong site will have an interactive ‘wellbeing bank account’ display where visitors can quickly identify their current ‘investments’ and ‘withdrawals’ on their wellbeing.
“In farming, we regularly make plans and put systems in place to look after our land, stock and machinery, but sometimes forget about ourselves,” says Vaughan.
“Using this interactive tool will help you quickly see what you currently have in place and whether there are other things that you could be doing.
“Life can regularly throw ‘curve balls’ our way, whether it is weather ‘bombs’, low payouts or animal and plant diseases. Having habits in place for wellbeing can get us through tough times without our burning out or becoming unwell.”
The Farmstrong site will display basics from neuroscience that help us perform at our best each day.
“How we think about things, particularly when we are under the pump, can make a huge difference to the way we manage stress, solve problems and even prevent injuries,” Vaughan says.
“Knowing some of the more common thinking traps and how to avoid these is a good skill to add to the farming toolbox. Visitors can have a quick game of matching five common thinking traps with a farming example and a solution to it.
Rugby ambassador
Farmstrong ambassador Sam Whitelock will also be on the Fieldays site on Friday June 14 from 2pm to 4pm.
Whitelock will be signing Farmstrong merchandise and telling what he does to cope with the pressure of being a professional athlete.
“As a rugby player, and someone from a farming background, I can identify with many of the pressures farmers have to deal with every day.
“That’s why I know looking after yourself is so important,” says Whitelock.
While healthcare itself got a $5.5 billion investment in Budget 2025, rural doctors are sounding the alarm about growing health inequities in rural New Zealand.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council says a new plan for managing the Wairoa River Bar will improve resilience for the Wairoa community in flood events.
Otago Regional Council is set to begin its annual winter farm flyovers in the next three weeks.
The Good Carbon Farm has partnered with Tolaga Bay Heritage Charitable Trust to deliver its first project in Tairāwhiti Gisborne.
Education union NZEI Te Riu Roa says that while educators will support the Government’s investment in learning support, they’re likely to be disappointed that it has been paid for by defunding expert teachers.
The Government says it is sharpening its focus and support for the food and fibre industry in Budget 2025.
OPINION: Last week's announcement of Prime Minister’s new Science and Technology Advisory Council hasn’t gone down too well in the…
OPINION: At its recent annual general meeting, Federated Farmers’ Auckland province called for New Zealand to withdraw from the Paris…