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The Rural Guardian
From the Editor: Cutting through the noise on rural wellbeing
We talk about rural mental health more than we used to. That is a good thing. For too long, farmers, growers, contractors and rural families were expected to simply get on with it. To push through the hard seasons, the bad prices, the sleepless nights, the droughts, the floods, the debt, the succession worries, the family pressure, the loneliness, and the weight of being needed by everyone and everything. So yes, the fact we are talking more openly about mental health and wel
Jul 133 min read
Let Winter Be Winter
The mornings are slow to lighten. The grass slows. Trees stand bare against grey skies. The ground is heavier underfoot, and evenings draw us indoors earlier. Across many dairy farms, cows are dry and calf sheds are empty between seasons. Elsewhere, there are wintering animals arriving, stock to feed and mud to manage. But winter carries a different rhythm. The natural world does not apologise for this. It contracts and gathers itself before the next burst of growth. Paddocks
Jul 133 min read
Caring for the Carers: The Mental Health Cost — and Gift — of Rural Volunteering
In rural areas, volunteering is more than community spirit. It’s the mechanism that keeps towns functioning. Volunteers run the fire brigades, staff the fundraisers, organise sports teams, check on neighbours, and generally hold the social fabric together. Much of this work is unpaid, unrecognised, and undervalued — a pattern that emerged strongly in the early findings of my recent research on rural wellbeing. Volunteering is often talked about as a positive force for mental
Jul 133 min read
AnnaFit founder recognised for rural health and wellness
When Anna King entered the NZI Rural Women Business Awards, she did not quite realise the scale of what she was stepping into. A client had suggested she apply, and King, founder of Pilates and movement business AnnaFit, decided to give it a go. “I didn’t even know about the Rural Women Business Awards. It was one of my clients who told me about it,” King says. “When I applied, I actually didn’t realise how big it was. I just thought, that looks really cool, and off I went.”
Jul 135 min read
From sharemilking dream, to national stage
"Absolutely shocked!" From right, Michelle, Tony, and Kate Roberts, thrilled to celebrate their unexpected win at Ballance Environment Trust Awards. From Merino Downs, the Roberts' were named winners of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the National Sustainability Showcase in Christchurch on July 2. Supplied. Michelle and Tony Roberts didn't inherit the farming business they have today. Instead, they began with a passion, a move south, and a willingness to build their future fr
Jul 96 min read
RWNZ faces questions over definitions bill submission
Emmy Maxwell says Rural Women New Zealand should have consulted members before lodging its submission on the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill. Supplied. Rural Women New Zealand says its opposition to the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill was a board-led advocacy decision, but one rural woman says members should have been consulted before the organisation spoke publicly on their behalf. Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) is facing q
Jul 95 min read
Mid Canterbury trio strikes a rural chord
Anna Munro (left) Abbey Mackenzie, and Pete Wilkinson bring a country sound to rural stages across Mid Canterbury. The Landgirls are not trying to be a big band. The Mid Canterbury trio, made up of Anna Munro, Abbey Mackenzie and drummer Pete Wilkinson, play the kind of music that fits where they live. Country leaning, harmony driven, and built for rural halls, pubs and paddock gatherings. “It’s definitely got a bit of a country vibe… just songs that people like hearing. It i
Jul 84 min read
Slee keeps family tradition alive with Young Farmer title
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon presents Tom Slee with the FMG Young Farmer of the Year trophy at the Season 58 Grand Final in New Plymouth. Otago Southland dairy farmer Tom Slee has become the third member of his family to win the FMG Young Farmer of the Year title after a dramatic late comeback at the Grand Final in New Plymouth. The reality of winning New Zealand’s most prestigious farming competition had still not fully sunk in for Slee when he returned south. “It’s pret
Jul 65 min read
Chertsey grower digs deep to win regional final
Canterbury Young Grower of the Year winner Amber Davy (right) with Canterbury Growers Association chair Rob Lindsay. Photo: Supplied Amber Davy may have fallen into the potato industry by accident, but seven years on she has firmly established herself as one of horticulture’s emerging leaders. The 29-year-old Eurogrow quality and field manager has won the 2026 Canterbury Young Grower title after competing against six other contestants at Lincoln University on June 25. Davy wi
Jun 304 min read
Riding the land at Awapiri
Awapiri Station owners Eric and Sally Smith are balancing high country farming with diversification and planning for the next generation. There are easier ways to farm than how Eric and Sally Smith do it at Awapiri Station. But easier isn’t the point. Set deep in the Awatere Valley, Awapiri stretches long and narrow across high country, climbing from valley floor to hilltops where access is often old-school. Here, farming still happens largely on foot, on horseback, or increa
Jun 304 min read
Mid Canterbury's Kate Acland Named Rural Woman of the Year
Mid Canterbury farmer and industry leader Kate Acland has been named the inaugural Rural Woman of the Year. Chairperson of Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ), Acland received the honour in Auckland on June 23, at the 2026 Primary Industries New Zealand Awards. “I’m very grateful, and very humbled,” Acland said. “It is very humbling. The two other finalists, Sandra Faulkner and Sarah Donaldson, are both such incredible women, who have done so much for their communities, so this w
Jun 302 min read
Survey seeks to understand wellbeing needs of women in farming
Women working and living on farms across Aotearoa New Zealand are being urged to take part in a national survey researchers hope will help fill a long-standing gap in rural wellbeing data. The Health and Wellbeing of Women in Farming survey is being run by researchers from Massey and Lincoln Universities and is open to women who work and/or live on-farm. Massey University’s Nicky Stanley-Clarke says while rural mental health has become a much more visible issue in recent year
Jun 195 min read
Methven men encouraged to put their health first
Methven men are being encouraged to “take their health seriously”, at a free Men’s Health Night, hosted by the Methven Lions Club and Medical Centre. “Most blokes know full well that they should get checked up and never do anything about it, until they get a nasty shock,” said Methven Lions member Mac McElwain. “This event is about putting the opportunity in front of local men, giving them a chance to understand that if they are worried about something, they’re not alone.” Th
Jun 162 min read
Back to Basics: Why homesteading is finding a new generation
Laura MacDonald says modern homesteading is less about perfection and more about learning practical skills over time. Supplied There is a loaf of fresh bread cooling on the bench, children collecting eggs outside and herbs growing in pots by the door. For many New Zealanders, that kind of life once felt old-fashioned. Now, amid rising food prices and growing interest in slower, simpler living, homesteading is making a comeback. But according to Waikato mum Laura MacDonald of
Jun 156 min read
Little House on the Plains
The Brown Shavers are Emily's "army", a breed known for their consistent egg-laying. It looks like something lifted from the pages of Little House on the Prairie. Or maybe, a scene from ‘The Good Life’. There are chickens scratching in the yard, tomatoes ripening in tunnel houses, herbs hanging to dry in the kitchen, and shelves lined with jars of preserved fruit, pasta sauce, and pickles. A rescue cat patrols the deck while dogs lounge in the sun, unconcerned by the hens wa
Jun 156 min read
From lawn to living larder
A harvest from the garden. What began as a small project has become a steady source of food and flowers. There is something quietly powerful about turning a patch of lawn into something that feeds you. Not in a grand, self-sufficient, off-grid kind of way. Just a few raised beds. A handful of herbs. A couple of rows of vegetables. Enough to change how you cook, how you shop, and how you think about food. That is exactly what Holly van Dam has done. Through her growing online
Jun 154 min read
FMG Young Country: David Reesby
Young Farmers are the future of New Zealand agriculture, so each issue we shine a spotlight on a Young Farmers Club member. Today we chat to David Reesby from Marton Young Farmers Club What is the name of your club, and how long have you been a member? I have been part of the Marton Young Farmers club since 2019 What has been the highlight for you of joining Young Farmers? What are the benefits and experiences that you feel have helped you most? The highlight of joining Yo
Jun 152 min read
Hers Not His: Brie Heuff
Celebrating women in ag and their trusty utes Where do you work? I work in Ashburton at the CLAAS Harvest Centre in the parts department What year, make, and model is your trusty ute? My Ute is a 2018 Mazda BT-50 4x4 What’s your favourite feature (or quirk) about your ute? My favourite feature has got to be the pink suspension! What song is always on your playlist when you’re behind the wheel? Usually play my country playlist! It’s always my go to! What’s your ultimate road
Jun 151 min read
Young Farmers still hopeful despite growing pressure
Cheyne Gillooly says young people still want to farm “as much now, if not more than ever”, but are looking for new ways into ownership and modern farming systems. Supplied. As New Zealand heads towards the 2026 general election, New Zealand Young Farmers chief executive Cheyne Gillooly says one of the biggest frustrations for the next generation is not a lack of passion for farming, but a lack of policy that supports them to succeed. Gillooly says young people remain deeply c
Jun 155 min read
More than being seen
There is a concept in leadership that most people need to “see to be.” Before we can imagine ourselves in certain spaces, we often need to see someone else stand there first. For me, that moment was spring 1999. I was a university commerce student in Wellington when Theresa Gattung became chief executive of Telecom. At the time, Telecom was one of the largest companies in New Zealand. Suddenly, a woman was visible at the head of corporate New Zealand. I remember thinking, if
Jun 153 min read
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