i n this is s u e . . .

Rural Support Trusts

The road to advanced nursing practice

Leptospirosis campaign update

Corriedale coloured yarns

Push for two-teacher rural schools

OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF RURAL WOMEN NEW ZEALAND • ISSUE No.1 March 2008

School bus safety campaign

“People either don’t remember this Road Code rule, flagrantly
ignore it, or do not register the fact that they are passing a school
bus. Nor is enough being done to enforce the 20kph rule.”

RWNZ is calling for school buses to be equipped with flashing

lights that would activate when the doors open for school children
to get on or off. This would warn drivers from a distance of the
need to slow down when they are travelling along at open road
speeds.

Rural Women New Zealand has drawn praise for its campaign
to see more done to keep rural children safe when travelling on
school buses.
“Thank you for your initiative to lobby for the safety of our
children on our rural school buses,” said one parent whose
daughter was tragically killed in 2006.
After her daughter’s death she was contacted by a woman who
said her sister was killed in similar circumstances 30 years to the
day earlier.
“Nothing is going to be done unless the powers that be are severely
pressured into doing it. Even though they say that safety is at the “We also want to see a “20kph When Stopped” sign displayed
top of their agenda, they don’t walk the talk.” on school buses, as well as the ‘School’ sign, so that drivers are
Last year three children were killed shortly after getting off school reminded of the speed limit,” says Margaret Chapman.
buses, up from an average of one death a year in the preceding 10 Some schools require all children travelling on school buses to
years. A further 15 children were seriously injured. wear high visibility safety vests, and this is something that might
RWNZ is calling for a multi-faceted approach to preventing school usefully be extended to all schools.
bus-related accidents. High visibility vests, annual school safety
programmes for children and parents, driver education and visual Bank of New Zealand sponsorship
means of alerting other drivers that a school bus is stopping to let
Rural Women New Zealand and Bank of New Zealand
passengers alite may all play a part in avoiding more deaths.
are pleased to announce that we have entered into a
RWNZ is raising its concerns with the Ministry of Education, Land significant three year sponsorship agreement. BNZ
Transport New Zealand, the Bus and Coach Drivers Association, sponsorship will include the RWNZ National Conference,
SafeKids, the Police and MPs. support for members to attend BNZ seminars, as well as
sponsorship for other events to be announced.
“Not enough is being done to remind drivers of the 20kph speed
limit when passing a stationary school bus in either direction,”
says RWNZ National President, Margaret Chapman.

Strengthening Rural Communities Page 1

edito r ial Editorial - by Margaret Chapman Rural Support Trusts turn up the heat
The start of the year is a
good opportunity to look
forward and consider the
challenges and priorities for
Rural Women New Zealand
in 2008. National Council
at its February meeting
settled on its vision for the
organisation for the coming
years. It is ‘The leading
organisation that enriches rural communities for
all New Zealanders’. We reaffirmed our strategic
goals as being:

• The leading rural organisation with a strong, committed Photo by Jo Grigg

membership working for strong sustainable rural The drought conditions experienced in much of the country this
communities; summer have kept Rural Support Trust facilitators busy talking to
people about how to handle stress, family and financial pressure
• The respected voice of rural New Zealand families and giving budgeting advice.
and communities because we understand and address
Rural Support Trusts were first set up in the 1980s and are
social, economic and environmental aspects of rural
invaluable as independent and focused advocates, advisors
communities;
and mediators for farmers in times of need, and provide some
• A resource partner for rural development initiatives; assurance that support will be ongoing once the immediate crisis
recedes and the media loses interest. Whereas Civil Defence is
• A financially sustainable organisation. urban-oriented and focuses on people, Rural Support Trusts are
able to offer help with animals and structural damage as well.
These goals are designed to give us the direction and structure for
the challenges we face both as an organisation and as advocates Recently Josie Gower, our Central
of rural communities. Region (Region 4) National
Councillor, and Winchmore
Goals however are only ‘pie in the sky’ dreams if we do not have
Branch President, Sandra Curd
a plan to help us achieve them. So we have set out some strategic
attended the Rural Support Trusts
initiatives, an action plan and some achievement monitoring
Conference in Wellington.
indicators to show we are moving forward. Once finalised these
will be circulated and will also be available on our website. Josie and Sandra have both
experienced adverse weather
National Council can set the direction and provide resources but
events that brought normal life
nothing can be achieved unless we all work together.
to a standstill - in Josie’s case
In response to the need to support rural communities during the the 2004 lower North Island
drought RWNZ has set up a Droughtspeak blog on our website. This storm and in Sandra’s the 2006
site provides a place to share information, comment and for support Mid-Canterbury snows. Josie
during very stressful times. I would encourage everyone who is able Josie Gower spoke to the Rural Support
to do so to visit and view the blog. RWNZ is also working closely Trusts Conference about her
with MAF to put together some morale raising community seminars experiences of the storm that destroyed boundary and internal fences
in drought affected areas around the country. on her Parapara farm and made the road to town impassable.

Another high priority for RWNZ in 2008 is a campaign to tackle “Fences and practical help are the first priority and farmers often
school bus-related accidents. We plan to liaise closely with LTSA, work together when something like that happens,” says Josie.
Police, SafeKids, the Bus and Coach Drivers Association and
MAF discussed the new Rural Support Trusts funding programme
MPs to try and find a workable solution to keeping children safe
and administrative processes being put in place to ensure trust
when getting on and off school buses in rural areas.
volunteers can comfortably do their job without excessive time
We need to find ways of alerting drivers from a distance that a and administration requirements.
bus is slowing or has stopped to let passengers on or off and to
“One of the new requirements is to have in place not only response
remind them of the 20kph speed limit. Any ideas or comments
teams but also an ongoing recovery team, to ensure people are
members and/or branches have would be greatly appreciated as
supported both during and after an adverse event,” explains Josie.
we develop a plan for action.
There have been fourteen major events since 2000 and the Rural
We are fast coming to the end of our year-long leptospirosis
Support Trusts work on the basis that “the quicker the response,
fundraising project. The innovative ways of raising both money
the faster the recovery”. There are currently 15 trusts covering
and awarenesshave been amazing, culminating in our ‘Look
the country, with full contact details available from MAF.
Lively for Lepto week’ coming up at the end of March. We look
forward to presenting the funds raised to the Massey EpiCentre More information is available on the MAF website. Go to www.
Unit at our May National Conference in Blenheim. maf.govt.nz/mafnet/rural-nz/assistance/

Page 2 Strengthening Rural Communities

Looking Lively for Lepto!
RWNZ Groups around
the country have
been keeping up the
fundraising pace in our
leptospirosis campaign.
In February Central
Taranaki Provincial
held a mixed ambrose
golf tournament at the
Stratford Golf Club,
while Rotoehu branch
had a ‘dress your best’ garden party, celebrating women
and their contribution to the community. Rangitikei/
Oroua Provincial had a monster garage sale at Bulls Town
Hall which raised over $3,000, while Rangiwaea branch
had a big push for their lepto raffle at theTaihape A&P
show in January, with excellent community support.
Leptospirosis was the theme for our stand at the Central
Districts Field Days and the topic of a community meeting
in Pohangina in March. Dr Jackie Benschop of the
Massey EpiCentre unit (who spoke at our leptospirosis
campaign launch at National Conference in Rotorua
last year), spoke at what is hoped to be the inaugural
meeting of a new RWNZ branch for Pohangina. We have
developed Lepto campaign stickers, as pictured above,
to give to people who make donations or attend events.
These have been sponsored by Virbac, a company that
produces leptospirosis vaccines. Supplies of the stickers
are available from national office.
31 March to 4 April is our national “Look Lively for
Leptospirosis Week” with a wide range of events taking
place around the country including a mannequin parade
in Dunedin, a ‘Lite and Luscious Lunch for Ladies,
Lads and Littlies’ in the King Country, a pampering
day in Kaikohe, a quiz night in Taranaki, an “L” day
in Marlborough complete with lollipops and a Lepto
fundraising dinner in Alexandra.
What have rats got to do with it?
Leptospirosis bacteria are
transmitted from a primary host
to a secondary host There are six
different strains of leptospirosis
and rats are the primary hosts
for two of these strains. The
disease can then be passed to
humans, cattle, sheep, goats,
deer and dogs.
People can limit exposure to leptospirosis by
controlling rodents and paying careful attention to
stores of calf feed and other stock food.
Staff, family and on-farm visitors should be informed of
the risks associated with leptospirosis and encouraged
to wear protective gear and to take care with personal
hygiene.
Strengthening Rural Communities
Sushi for Lepto
issues
What do a petite Japanese chef, a bunch of
hungry folk and a life-threatening disease have in
common? Te Moana/Four Peaks RWNZ members
gathered for a “Sea Spree” afternoon where
Naoko, resident chef at Geraldine’s Crown hotel
demonstrated exciting ways to prepare and cook
seafood, with proceeds of the afternoon going to
our leptospirosis campaign.
Members from Lynnford, Kakahu and Hook
branches also came along and learned how to
prepare marinated scallops, smoked salmon, oven
cooked fish parcels, grilled monkfish and gurnard
served with dipping sauces.
“The sushi making demonstration was extremely popular,”
says Sally Mallinson of Te Moana/Four Peaks. “A lot of us
got involved in making our own.”
Later Timaru vet Marnie Crilly gave an informative talk
about leptospirosis. She explained that it is a bacterial
disease passed on to humans through contact with urine
from cattle, pigs, sheep and rats.
Symptoms of the disease range from flu like symptoms
to kidney and liver problems and in the worst cases,
death. Animals can carry the disease with no obvious
symptoms.
Marnie said a simple vaccination programme is available
to immunise animals, while antibiotics are used to treat the
disease in humans.
The strains and hosts of leptospirosis
Bacteria Strain Primary Host Secondary Host
L. hardjo cattle, deer sheep humans, goats
L. Pomona pigs, deer humans, cattle, sheep,
dogs
L. copenhageni rats humans, cattle, sheep,
goats, deer, dogs
L. ballum rats, mice, hedgehogs humans, cattle, sheep,
goats, dogs
L. tarassovi pigs humans, cattle, dogs
L. balcanica possums cattle, sheep, goats
Page 3
feature The Road to Advanced Nursing Practice
Advanced nursing practice is not about replacing doctors,
but providing well qualified nurses who can perform
duties once considered only the domain of medicine.
This is particularly important in rural
areas where Nurse Practitioners can
play a vital role in providing holistic
healthcare services.
We spoke to Joanne Paterson, an
inaugural member of one of RWNZ’s
newest branches, Maniototo, who gained
registration as a Nurse Practitioner at the
end of 2007 specialising in the scope
of Primary Health Care with a focus on
rural practice.
“What’s the difference between a Nurse
Practitioner and a doctor?” I ask Joanne, as she
recounts the long years of study required to gain
registration as a Nurse Practitioner.
“My colleagues and I are often asked this question Joanne Paterson
and we have discussed this on many occasions
during our studies,” says Joanne. “As nurses we approach our
care with a holistic nursing philosophy. There is no substitute for
a great rural GP but our roles are different. There is a need for us
both and the roles are complementary.”
Joanne says the Nurse Practitioner role is gaining increasing recognition
and acceptance by the public since its inception in New Zealand in
2000, thanks to the work of the Nurse Practitioners themselves and
the Nurse Practitioners’ Advisory Committee (NPAC).
Her own journey into advanced nursing began in 1994 when
Healthcare Otago was rationalising rural health services and
Maniototo Hospital was to be closed. Joanne became its Nurse
Manager at the dawn of a new era for healthcare in rural areas.
The local community raised extensive funds to buy the Maniototo
hospital building and refurbish it. A charitable trust was formed
to manage the donations and a public company with community
shareholders and directors was set up to manage the business of
running the hospital and providing health services.
There is a sole GP in the area, and to support him in his role Joanne
and some of her nursing colleagues at the Maniototo hospital stepped
up to the mark and began their training in advanced nursing.
After 12 months study Joanne gained a Post Graduate Certificate in
Primary Healthcare, followed by a Diploma in Primary Healthcare
a year later. She resigned from Maniototo hospital in 2002 and then
went to the United Kingdom to do full time emergency nursing
and to undertake research on a dissertation for her Masters’ degree.
On her return to New Zealand she did a further year’s study at the
Dunedin School of Nursing, graduating with a Masters’ Degree in
Nursing in 2006. She then began putting together her portfolio for
Nursing Council Registration as a Nurse Practitioner.
During this time Joanne was working as a locum Rural Nurse
Specialist on the West Coast of the South Island.
“I work in isolated rural areas and my practice has oversight and
supervision from the GP half a day a week . The rest of the time I am
providing all the primary healthcare and all the emergency response
care in the absence of immediate medical backup. We are rostered
on for 10 days on 24 hour call and then have four days off.”
Page 4
Joanne speaks highly of West Coast District Health Board and
her medical colleagues, whom she says are very supportive of the
role that she shares with other Rural Nurse Specialists.
“I am a locum for five primary healthcare practices. There is a
tremendous network of personal and professional support from
within the community, from my nursing colleagues and the West
Coast DHB.”
Working in rural general practice requires a broad spectrum of
knowledge, she says “There is little room for specialising.” Out of
approximately 40 registered Nurse Practitioners in New Zealand
there are currently less than 10 specialising in primary healthcare
and even fewer practicing in remote rural areas.
Other Nurse Practitioners have specialised in the areas of mental
health, women’s and children’s health, sexual health and wound
care, to name just a few. “These are narrow specialist scopes
of practice with a lot of depth of specialist knowledge,” says
Joanne, whereas a Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioner has a
broad scope of practice with less depth.
As a Nurse Practitioner Joanne can provide consultations and
assess and examine patients, make a diagnosis and proceed with
treatment and follow up. “If it is within my scope of practice I
can complete an episode of care without referring to a GP.”
Joanne is optimistic about the future for Nurse Practitioners,
particularly after her experiences on the West Coast.
“The Nurse Practitioners on the West Coast are consulted by
a huge transient population and this includes a large group of
overseas visitors, many of whom have had their healthcare
delivered by Nurse Practitioners overseas, so they are very
accepting of the role.
“The more Nurse Practitioners that we have practicing in both
urban and rural areas, the more the role will become recognised
and accepted in New Zealand.
“In many rural areas the acceptance of the role of advanced nurses
and Nurse Practitioners has come out of the rural community’s
need to seek healthcare in the absence of medical practitioners.
These rural communities soon come to realise that a nurse with
an extensive clinical knowledge and qualifications is well suited
to care for the primary healthcare and emergency care needs of
their communities.”
Strengthening Rural Communities
Corriedale coloured yarns are Beverley’s passion

o ur p eo p le
by Brendon Burns
Beverley Forrester took over running Black Hills sheep stud “Many people in the world have gone against dyes,”
in North Canterbury when her husband Jim died 10 years ago. she says. The use of natural coloured yarns eliminates
Twenty years earlier, she’d begun breeding black and coloured dyes and in her view, the absence of dyeing chemicals
Corriedales to complement Jim’s white Corriedales. and her use of bio-gro certified animal health products
reduces the ‘prickle’ factor of wool garments.
These days the RWNZ Glenmark Dinner Group member
is exporting yarn to an Oxfordshire showroom for the UK- Beverley’s yarn and garments are predominantly
based business she’s established in Britain with her cousin sourced from Corriedales. “It’s lightweight yet it’s
and his wife. The demand is growing at a rate Beverley never got the bulk and it’s making beautiful garments.”
dreamed of.
It’s a long way from a Hurunui farm but Beverley is
“They are just now being called on to display her designs at fashion
crying
. out for shows here in New Zealand and even London and
New Zealand Beijing.
wool over there.
A collection of her garments was featured in
I can’t believe the
the fashion
reaction.”
show that
Beverley is now concluded
producing wools t h e Wo r l d
from white Corriedale Congress
through six shades in Christchurch in
of grey to black, March 2007.
Beverley Forrester at the Royal New
Zealand Show with the Black and and most recently
As well as designing
Coloured Champion 2006 brown fleece due to
some of the garments,
demand in Britain.
Beverley uses other
The coloured wools are sourced from her own 150 sheep and
fashion designers. A
from those properties that buy her rams. Beverley’s white
team of about half a
Corriedale yarn is supplemented with fleece from Doc Sidey’s
dozen women - family
nearby property, Glenovis. All of the yarn and garments she
members and friends
produces are in natural colours.
in Hurunui and north
Auckland - knit the
garments.
New Year’s Honours Beverley forecasts continued expansion for her yarn and
Congratulations to members who received garment exports. “Britain and Europe don’t want mass-
recognition in the New Year’s Honours: Sherrill
Dackers, RWNZ immediate past president, MNZM for
services to women; Louise Croot, MNZM for services
to health and the community and Frances Bicknell,
RWNZ’s Waihi Provincial President, QSM for services Bully for them ......
to the community.
Rangitikei/
Sherrill Dackers has also been nominated for election
Oroua Provincial
to the 2008/09 Board of Trustees of the New Horizons
for Women Trust. Trustees will be elected at the Trust’s had a lively AGM
AGM on 4 April. lunch with a skit
from members
Secondary Bursaries Linda Welch and
We are pleased to announce that Rural Women New Dawn Nitschke
Zealand secondary school boarding bursaries have been aka “Ken and
awarded to: Ken”, while
Hiwa Baker Sheath - Great Barrier Island Annabelle Sidey
Dean Wardle - Eketahuna modelled the
Sam Pringle - Kurow
Antony Colton - Featherson outfit that won
Olivia Borlase - Nelson her first prize in the Bulls Wearable Arts Competition.

Strengthening Rural Communities Page 5

branchline welcome to new members
Merrion Scott, Helen Heddell, Leigh Catley -
Individual members
Janet Callaghan, Frances Wilcock - Rukuhia
P. Poole - associate member
Muriel Grant - Hazelburn
Valerie Meiklejohn - Aoroa
Edna McLachlan, Daphne Hay - Dunedin
Valerie Meiklejohn - Aoroa
Rae Paynter - Kohuratahi
Jenny Gower, Jane Williams, Maureen Kyne -
Pauatahanui Women in Farming
farewell to old friends
Anne Taylor - Mayfield Dinner Club
Hazel Jago - Kereru
Una Schick - Aoroa
Helen Toia - Puketi
Trixie Taylor - Doubtless Bay
Judith Sturrock - Oruanui-Taupo
Margaret (Peg) Allison - Central Otago
Jean Aitken - Oamaru
Joan Sullivan - Te Rahu
Philippa Gregory - Richmond
Peggy Allison - Hawea Flat
Marjorie McClellan - Greymouth
Doris Bell - Awakaponga
honours board
Branch Bar of Honour
Bere Gibb, Chica Gilmer, Fay Woolerton - Rukuhia
Obituaries
Una Schick ran the ‘engine room’ of Aoroa
branch, of which she was a foundation member.
She held the position of Treasurer for 50 years
and during several periods also held the position
of Secretary, ensuring Aoroa members were
motivated and well informed. She was a life
member of both Aoroa branch and Northern
Wairoa Provincial, of which she was also the
Secretary. In 1993 she was given a Dominion
Service Award. For many years Una was a
regular hospital library visitor distributing books to
patients. She also collected, washed and sorted
stamps, sending them to ACWW to boost funds for
Third-world projects.
Hazel Jago of Hastings passed away in
December, just four months short of her 100th
birthday. Hazel was a long time member of Kereru
branch and was awarded Dominion Member
of Honour in 1976, having served on Dominion
Council from 1971 to 1973.
Page 6
Push for Two-Teacher
Rural Schools
The Rural Education Reference Group
(RERG) chaired by RWNZ Finance
Chair, Jacky Stafford met with Education
Minister Chris Carter this month to press
its case for two full-time equivalent
teachers in all rural schools.
There are about 100 sole charge schools
in New Zealand that receive funding
for 1.3 teachers. Jacky Stafford says
Jacky Stafford finding a teacher to cover the .3 position
is difficult for many country schools due
to the travelling distances involved, meaning the sole charge
teacher gets no release time for administration or professional
development.
“There is also a safety issue in sole charge schools if something
goes wrong. RERG is lobbying strongly for the funding of the
other .7 full-time equivalent hours so that a second teacher can
be employed.”
Release time for professional development is particularly
important in light of a recent Education Review Office report
that says teachers who have been more effective in teaching
reading are those with access to professional development.
Teachers in rural schools are more likely to be disadvantaged
in this respect.
In 1990 an international study of 35 countries revealed New
Zealand, France and Switzerland were the only three countries
where rural primary children achieved more highly than
urban children, and only one - New Zealand - where this rural
advantage extended to secondary level.
“Twenty years on ERO is signalling that our urban children
are now getting a better deal than children in rural schools,”
says Jacky Stafford.
Some of the advantages for rural children in 1990 included
better infrastructure, school housing, mobile libraries and
mobile kindergartens.
The Minister expressed support for having two full-time staff,
though not necessarily teaching staff. However funding to
achieve this is dependent on an increase in the Budget.
Seawards’ Seventy-fifth
Congratulations to Seaward Downs branch, which held its 75th
birthday recently with a lunch at the Ascot Hotel, Invercargilll.
The honour of cutting the anniversary cake went to Helen
McLeary, a junior member in the 1940s, who remembers
going with her mother to help wrap parcels for soldiers during
World War II. Several other members have also been active
in the branch for close on 60 years, says branch secretary,
Mary Duffy.
Strengthening Rural Communities
The Wellington Experience leadership training
Fifteen members from around the country came to Wellington
in February for the three day ‘Wellington Experience’. The
Landcorp-sponsored leadership programme included a tight
packed schedule of presentations from the Ministry of Education,
Horticulture New Zealand, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs,
MAF Biosecurity, NZ Police, Department of Labour, Telecom
and the Department of Health. The women also enjoyed a tour
of Parliament.
Kathleen Gillespie from Aoroa Branch in Dargaville says much
Book Reviews
Looking Flash - Clothing in Aotearoa
New Zealand is a fascinating collection
of essays offering a fresh look at clothes
in New Zealand’s history - some of
which are not that flash!
Take the sealskin castaways’ clothing
from Auckland Islands’ shipwreck
survivors, or the beloved black singlet
made famous by Fred Dagg that
represents a Kiwi culture all of its own.
But the flash clothes are here too, from
smart uniforms and colonial heirloom dresses, to the unique kahu
waero, a rare type of dog hair cloak held in the collection of the
Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa.
The essays are written by university lecturers and museum
curators and include extensive reference notes. Their engaging
stories reveal not only a depth of knowledge, but a passion for
the history of fashion and clothing in this country.
While there is an abundance of guidebooks
that tell you where to go tramping, there is
virtually nothing available that is dedicated
to telling you how to go tramping. Don’t
Forget Your Scroggin plugs this gap.
Everything you need to know is covered
including clothing and footwear, the art of
walking, camping and huts, equipment, food
and cooking, maps, navigation and safety.
There are also tips, tricks, traps and useful
checklists. Along with this information, the
book is brought to life with a range of real life stories from trampers
that illustrate many of the important points.
Strengthening Rural Communities
noticeboard
of the value of the Wellington Experience was in the
people contact with other participants and also with the
national office staff.
“One of the things that really struck me was that every
single place that we went to gave glowing reports about
the work Rural Women New Zealand had done and
how valuable those contacts were. The enthusiasm and
vitality within the group also struck me, being a mixed
age group.”
Kathleen says for her the Wellington Experience
emphasised the need to look at alternative ways to increase
members and new ways to revitalise her group.
She is looking at the possibility of setting up satellite
groups within the branch to cater for women who live
on lifestyle blocks, and those who might wish to meet
in the evenings and enjoy a guest speaker.
As a first step she has invited another women’s group in the
area to join Aoroa branch for morning tea and has asked
Sherrill Dackers, our former national president to speak
about her experiences with RWNZ at national level.
Whakatane-based Denise Muir, a lively
grandmother in her late seventies, felt that
the stories she and her friends enjoyed
reading were no longer being written, so
she decided to write her own novel set
in the South Island mountains she loves
to paint. Muir’s debut Chandler’s Run
adds to the very popular local historical-
fiction genre.
Muir says she was inspired to write the
novel by the courage of New Zealand’s
early settlers - their innovativeness and
determination to survive the hardships, many thousands of miles
from home.
The Longest Journey, co-authored by Diana Patterson and Rita
Turner, is also an historical novel set in
England and the southern hemisphere.
It tells the story of Elspeth, a young woman
adopted into wealthy English gentry, who is
later accused of a crime by her stepbrother.
Unable to defend herself in a court of law,
Elspeth is incarcerated and deported to
Australia. Here she finds employment,
romance and social prejudice.
We have one copy of each of our reviewed
books to give away. Write your name and address on the back
of an envelope along with the book of your choice and post to
RWNZ, PO Box 12-021, Wellington
Congratulations to Marianne Scott, Mrs S Dennis, Lorraine Illston
and Elwyn Ford, winners of our “Road to Castle Hill” and “She’ll Be
Right” book draw in the November 07 issue of Rural Women.
Page 7
Women in Agribusiness
Workshops Offer
As part of our new sponsorship agreement, the Bank of New
Zealand has generously offered to make available three free
places for Rural Women New Zealand members to attend a BNZ
Women in Agribusiness workshop in either Queenstown or Paihia
this year.
The coaching events presented by Sue Lindsey are tailor-made for
women looking to maximise their business and personal potential.
The workshops recognise that the challenges you face as women
Photo by Sonia Simpson
involved in a rural business are unique and focus on renewing and
expanding your clarity, purpose and direction.
Sue Lindsey is an independent member of the Farm First Growth
Programme Faculty and has designed the Women in Agribusiness
workshops to bring together like minded women to develop
themselves and their businesses in a comfortable environment.
The workshops are held over two days and include one night’s stay.
The workshop price for singles is $940 (exc GST) and $1440 (exc
GST) for twin share. The price includes all meals, accommodation
and workshop materials. For more information contact your local
Bank of New Zealand Agribusiness Manager on 0800 BANK
BNZ or visit www.farmfirst.co.nz. The workshops will be held
in Queenstown on 20/21 May or Paihia on 5/6 November.
If you would like to be considered for one of the free workshop
places on offer to RWNZ members, please email or write to
Noeline Holt, our Executive Officer by Friday 11 April with details
of why you would benefit from attending this course and your
preferred location. Places will be allocated by RWNZ National
Council. Email: Noeline.Holt@ruralwomen.org.nz or write to
Rural Women New Zealand, PO Box 12-021, Wellington.
Official Journal of Rural Women New Zealand • PO Box 12021, Wellington
Email enquiries@ruralwomen.org.nz • www.ruralwomen.org
Editor: Head Office, PO Box 12021 Wellington
Page 8
Could 2008 be your year
to get FeedSmart?
This year sees a nationwide push to improve feed planning skills
and tools for sheep and cattle farmers. This could be the time
to start integrating these new techniques and technologies into
your sheep and beef farming business.
Run by AgResearch and funded by Meat & Wool New Zealand
and Pastoral 21, the 2008 beginner FeedSmart workshops will
explain pasture measurement techniques, new calibrations for
measurement devices for sheep and beef pastures, new feed
requirement tables and the basic principles of feed planning.
In more advanced workshops farmers will be presented with
a pasture growth forecaster, a feed budgeting tool (Farmax-
lite) and tools to determine the cost and value of pasture and
supplementary feeds.
Gone is the laborious task of calculating animal demand from
Feeding out: Photo by Cynthia Collier
feeding tables and spreadsheets. Farmax Lite has been developed
to do the hard calculations for you making the process quick
and accurate.
Graeme Ogle of the FeedSmart team says the future has
uncertainty and will unfold independently of your carefully
made plans. The only way to manage this uncertainty is to have
a number of plans covering potential futures.
Financial and climatic changes mean feed planning will be an
integral skill required by farmers, both to minimise problems
and maximise opportunities. Novel sheep genetics for greater
lamb growth, parasite and disease resistance, fecundity and lamb
survival are soon going to be available in New Zealand, but
these improved sheep will require higher quantity and quality
of nutrition to reap the full benefits of the genetics.
Promising research programmes are under way to provide farmers
with tools to measure mass and quality of pasture from the
back of motorbikes. Another promising New Zealand research
programme has shown that satellites can measure pasture covers
in New Zealand dairy paddocks.
If you are interested in registering your
interest in a FeedSmart workshop, call
0800 333 328 for more information.
• Tel 04 473 5524 • Fax 04 472 8946
• ISSN no 1171-4425
• Printer: Precise Print & Design, Paraparaumu
Strengthening Rural Communities