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Swannanoa woman and volunteer firefighter Sarah Starkey was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer three months after a mammogram found no evidence of cancer. When Sarah Starkey received the all-clear following a mammogram last September, she believed breast cancer had effectively been ruled out. It hadn't. Three months later, Starkey, 48, a Swannanoa mother and volunteer firefighter, was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer. By then, she had a l

A breast cancer diagnosis is something most women would rather not think about. But Community Breast Nurse Educator Debra Leutenegger says breast awareness is not about being frightened. It is about knowing your own body well enough to recognise when something changes. “Knowing your normal” is a phrase women hear often, but Leutenegger says it means becoming genuinely familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel. “What’s normal for me won’t necessarily be normal for

New Zealand avocado growers are heading into what could be a record season, with almost eight million trays expected to reach domestic and export markets in 2026-27. The crop is forecast to be worth around $160 million at wholesale level, with close to five million trays destined for export and almost three million expected to be consumed at home. But NZ Avocado chief executive Brad Siebert says producing more fruit is only part of the equation. The challenge is making sure g

Shannon Fry has built her farming career from the ground up, progressing from shepherding into genetics and management at Cleardale Station in the Rakaia Gorge. With a hands-on approach and a strong interest in stock performance, she represents a new generation of women building serious careers on farm. You came from a Christchurch city upbringing and competitive dancing into farming. When did you first feel that agriculture was where you really belonged? Growing up in Ch

Recently, someone with many years in media gave me a piece of advice. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard it. “Be careful not to have too many women in one issue.” Really? Because in all my years doing this job, nobody has ever warned me about having too many men. Well. Hold my gin. Because this issue is full of women. And unapologetically so. October 15 is International Day of Rural Women, and 2026 is also the International Year of the Woman Farmer, so it seemed like the perf

Emma Burke is the woman behind Take the Wheel, an initiative designed to give rural women greater confidence with practical skills such as 4WD driving. Her work is grounded in a simple idea: when women are given the chance, encouragement and support to have a go, confidence follows. You’ve lived rural life in several parts of New Zealand before settling in Canterbury. What has each community taught you about finding your place and belonging? The fact that no one is coming d

Debs Stilgoe-Brooker (middle) with her two daughters, Penny (left) and Amy (right). Backed by the Willowby Fire Brigade, Debs celebrated her extraordinary achievement with both her families. When the siren sounded in Willowby more than 26 years ago, Debs Stilgoe-Brooker stood at a crossroads watching the fire truck wait at its station, with no crew available to respond. “I stood there at the roadside with a friend, while the siren was blaring,” she recalled. “Our husbands wer

A Lighter Touch programme director Livia Esterhazy says pesticide resistance is a growing global threat with implications for crop production and food security. Pesticide resistance is often compared with antibiotic resistance in humans. The more heavily a product is relied upon, the greater the chance the pest, weed or disease it is designed to control will adapt and become harder to kill. For New Zealand growers, that is no longer a distant or theoretical risk. A Lighter To

Rural accounting isn’t a career known for its social calendar, but I’ve recently found myself at a few networking events. There were name tags, stainless steel urns of hot coffee and, of course, allocated mingling time. I appreciate that for many, the thought of compulsory social interaction sounds like a waking nightmare. But anyone who knows me will tell you I’ll rarely turn down a coffee and a chat. For me, networking is a chance to connect with other rural professionals

As I wrote about in Calf Chronicles last month, every Friday, we have lunch with two other farming couples. We usually take turns hosting at each other’s homes. It is not elaborate, yet it has been one of the greatest gifts in helping me properly settle and thrive in farming life. I often say I am lucky to have found my tribe and experience that level of connection. I am, but some of that luck was actually intentional. I met one of the ladies at a course. We shared a bond ove

From left, BetterMan founders Ryan Astle, Todd Astle and Ged Robinson, who are taking a more informal approach to men’s wellbeing through sport, humour, connection and conversation. Former Black Cap Todd Astle is using lessons from professional sport to help Kiwi men talk about wellbeing, but without making it feel like a mental health seminar. Astle is one of the founders of BetterMan, a Christchurch-based wellbeing charity set up with his brother Ryan Astle and former profe

Guests have the chance to get close to the animals and learn how livestock are cared for on a New Zealand farm. For Fiona McQuade, Geraldine Farm Tours began with a simple observation. Tourists were driving past the top of the road, Beauly Farm had a shearing shed and established farm infrastructure sitting underused, and there was a chance to create something new without losing the heart of the place. “I just thought, why would we not do that?” McQuade says. Today, Geraldine

Rose Hinton, left, with Jenny and Wayne Chisnall. The Hursley Terrace and Newcombes Road residents are among those opposing Plan Change 7. Claire Inkson Hurunui District Council says Rosewood Terrace is about giving Amberley Beach residents somewhere to go if natural hazards eventually make relocation necessary. But with around 230 sections proposed, roughly half intended for sale on the open market, opposition from neighbouring rural residents and the beach residents’ associ

Western Southland dairy farmer Kaylene Bennett’s Kellogg research explores the hidden mental load carried by rural women and the impact it can have on their wellbeing, careers and communities. Western Southland dairy farmer Kaylene Bennett has turned her own experience of reaching capacity into Kellogg research examining the mental load carried by rural women and the impact it is having on their wellbeing, careers and communities. For Kaylene Bennett, the realisation that she

Georgie Woods was named the 2026 Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand Rural Ambassador after being nominated by the Northern A&P Association. For Georgie Woods, being named the 2026 Royal Agricultural Society Rural Ambassador was more than a personal achievement. It was recognition of the role young people can play in ensuring New Zealand’s A&P movement has a future. Nominated by the Northern A&P Association, Woods progressed through the competition before taking out the

Record crowds attended the 2026 Wānaka A&P Show, with more than 44,000 people through the gates and an estimated $19.3 million generated in additional regional spending. Supplied After attracting the biggest crowd in its history, the Wānaka A&P Show is heading into its 90th anniversary with a new title partner and a clear message: bigger is not necessarily better. More than 44,000 people attended the two-day Show in March, around 10 percent more than organisers had anticipate

Our farmers work every day to maintain healthy soils, protect waterways, and care for animals — often under intense regulatory, financial, and climatic pressure. Yet online, the public often sees only a narrow slice of this reality. Selective images of muddy paddocks, wet weather events, or isolated moments taken out of context circulate widely, shaping perceptions in ways that feel deeply unfair to the people who live this work. I’ve seen our own animals basking in mud, with

Halter’s new calving detection feature uses collar behaviour data to alert farmers when a cow is calving, helping them prioritise checks and respond sooner. Supplied A new calving detection tool is giving farmers an early heads-up when cows are calving, using behaviour data already being collected through Halter’s virtual fencing collars. The feature analyses changes in cow behaviour and sends an alert directly to a farmer’s Halter app when signs of calving are detected, help

As politicians ramp up rhetoric and roll out the policy ahead of the November election, most New Zealanders want to hear what their solutions are for getting the cost of living down. Whether you’re a farmer out in Stavely or you’re living in the middle of Ashburton, we’re all interested in cutting out things that unnecessarily add to costs. In the last few years, a big focus of Federated Farmers has been to encourage central and local government to streamline and simplify res

Women make up around 40 per cent of New Zealand’s horticulture workforce, but new research suggests many are still working harder than their male counterparts to be heard, recognised and given the same opportunities. And while women want change, they are not necessarily asking for special treatment. Independent research commissioned by Women in Horticulture found 80 per cent of women had experienced discrimination during their careers because of their gender, compared with 28