Increasing calls for support from drought-affected farmers
More than 2,000 farmers in drought-stricken areas of the country are now seeking support from the Rural Support Trust (RST).
While takeout deliveries may not reach the farm, remote households in Hurunui now have access to an innovative wellbeing delivery service that provides mental health support to their doorsteps.
From this month. ‘Slice of Wellbeing’ pizza-style boxes, designed and packed by Together Hurunui, are being delivered on farm across Hurunui by vets from all four North Canterbury Veterinary Clinics in Amberley, Cheviot, Culverden, and Waikari.
Instead of pepperoni and cheese, the packs contain a menu of mental health support services, local wellbeing resources, Farmstrong’s Live Well, Farm Well book of shared stories from farmers on what they do to keep well, and reminders to “Take a break with a mate”.
Hurunui District Council’s Together Hurunui facilitator Natalie Paterson acknowledges the Department of Internal Affairs for helping to fund the project.
“It was about supporting those services that are already doing a fantastic job in our rural communities, such as Rural Support Trust and Farmstrong,” says Paterson. “There’s a real need out there.”
“A local medical centre told us they were noticing increases in mental health appointments during the milk price drop and they were hearing from young farmers battling financial pressures,” she says. “We knew there were many more farmers out there who weren’t coming in.”
Paterson decided the answer was to take wellbeing to the farm, using the one person farmers see in good times and bad: their local vet.
She approached Culverden North Canterbury Veterinary Clinic with the idea of stocking the practice’s utes with the packs to pass on to farmers when the team went out rurally.
North Canterbury Vets went a step further and distributed the packs across all four clinics, as well as to their sales team and Wellbeing Committee.
Director and veterinarian Alistair Kenyon says that, as a rural practice with strong roots in the community, North Canterbury Vet Clinics welcomed the opportunity to partner with Together Hurunui.
“Slice of Wellbeing fits in well with out values and the duty of care we have within our farming and rural communities,” he says.
Hurunui Mayor Marie Black farms in the Hurunui with her husband and, as a former Plunket health worker, has an insight into the specific challenges and opportunities of living rurally.
“Any way that we can help to support our farmers with their wellbeing gets my endorsement,” Black says.
“Rural communities like Hurunui are under-resourced when it comes to mental health services,” she says. “These packs are going out on farm to where they are needed as a real, community-led, Hurunui solution.”
Farmstrong delivery specialist Krissy Cloutman says she welcomes the creative way of taking wellbeing information to the farm.
“Supporting farmers’ and growers’ wellbeing is a team effort and Farmstrong were really pleased to jump on board to support Hurunui District Council’s Slice of Wellbeing initiative,” she says.
“The pizza box packaging is a fun way to get the Farmstrong Live Well, Farm Well book and other wellbeing resources into the hands of those who need them right now,” she adds.
“It’s been an incredibly tough year for farmers and growers. Ensuring they are prioritizing their wellbeing is really important,” she says.
Noel McGirr, chair of North Canterbury Rural Support Trust and a former rural vet, says getting the word out to farmers that there are support networks who cater for their needs in harder times was very pertinent in the present challenging rural situation.
“I applaud Together Hurunui and Natalie for this worthy initiative,” McGirr says. “Rural Support is here with confidential, independent, and free assistance to any farmer finding matters a bit hard going at the moment.”
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
Everyone from experienced veterinarians and young professionals to the Wormwise programme and outstanding clinics have been recognised in this year’s New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) awards. As part of a series looking at this year’s rural winners, Leo Argent talked with Ginny Dodunski, winner of the Veterinary Impact Award for raising the profile of the Wormwise programme.
OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…
OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.