Monday, 10 February 2020 10:15

Tractor tour to raise mental health awareness

Written by  Staff Reporters
Mental health advocate Mike King. Mental health advocate Mike King.

Farmers are backing a nationwide tour by mental health advocate Mike King.

King’s tour hopes to​ raise community response towards mental health in New Zealand.    

In the lead up to Gumboot Friday April 3, King and 30 others will travel 2000kms on a fleet of 20 tractors to host free community and school events throughout the country.     

The Gumboot Friday initiative, which launched last year, aims to raise $5 million for free counselling.

Last year Gumboot Friday raised $1.3 million to provide 10,670 critical counselling sessions to more than 2,500 New Zealanders.

Federated Farmers president Katie Milne says rural communities face physical and mental isolation, economic instability and limited access  to health services. 

She says these are all factors which contribute to poor mental health.    

“Too many rural folk are so busy looking after their families, their animals, their friends and workmates that they put themselves at the bottom of the list, and fail to reach out for help.  

“Mike King is a champion for getting stuff out in the open, and talking about depression and suicide: good on him. 

“Federated Farmers wishes every success to Mike King and the Tractor Trek Team and urges farming families to get in behind the initiative.”   

The tour is also supported by Hope Wines, Interislander, Farmlands, Fonterra, Skellerup, Skycity, Starbucks, The Warehouse, TR  Group, Z Energy, among others.  

 

Local community groups and service providers wanting to be involved in the trek are encouraged to get in touch via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

 

More like this

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

OPINION: In the 1980s, concern was expressed in West Germany about the falling birth rate. Some simple analysis was performed by Professor Helmut Sies, physician and biochemist at Dusseldorf University. His letter ‘A new parameter for sex education’ was published in Nature in 1988:

Carrfields Marks 50 Years as Rural Health Programme Grows

Celebrating 50 years in the rural landscape of Central Canterbury and beyond, Ashburton-based Carrfields, has been the exemplar for all aspects of modern agriculture via its extensive range of services including supply, growing, agronomic advice and marketing.

Featured

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

'LinkedIn Greens'

OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…

UK Warning

OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter