International Rural Women’s Day : Heather Sorensen

As National President of Rural Women New Zealand, Heather Sorensen is helping steer one of the country’s longest-standing rural organisations into its next century. Her focus remains firmly on the women at the heart of rural communities and the connections, advocacy and support that keep those communities strong.

Rural Women New Zealand has more than a century of history behind it. What does the organisation need to be for rural women now?

         Interestingly, when I consider what RWNZ needs to be for rural women today, I find that it is, in many ways,  the same thing it was for rural women 100 years ago. Women need opportunities to get together for social connection, opportunities to learn and share, opportunities to be heard and be involved in a wide range of discussions. RWNZ needs to be the organisation that provides a welcoming, warm and safe environment for women to be able to achieve these things. We enable friendships to be fostered, a wide range of skills to be developed and a pathway for advocacy from local to national issues.

How has the role of the rural woman changed while the importance of community has remained?

     Women have always undertaken many roles and had a wide range of work and volunteer roles which were most often seen as being in the background, as someone's wife or daughter; essentially invisible.  Now there is visibility and women are seen in their own right. There is growing respect for women to be themselves, to be business women, to be leaders, to be whatever and whoever they wish to be which is really great and means that our communities become more vibrant and inclusive as everyone feels more comfortable with the changing scene. The sense of community, of people working together, supporting each other and looking out for each other continues to be very important and now we see more women involved as leaders and drivers of our rural communities. Women have always been involved in communities and are often the 'glue' that keeps things together. The difference now is that we acknowledge and celebrate these women rather than leaving them in the background, most often out the back in the kitchen!

What are women telling you they need most from their rural communities today?

The most common theme I hear from women is the need for connection. Women need to make social connections that they can check in with on a regular basis. I have heard many stories of women who haven't known their neighbours until they have joined Rural Women NZ. It makes so much difference to get to know people and find others you can talk to , seek advice from, share hobbies, share work stories etc. I feel quite sad to learn of the loneliness and isolation that so many women are feeling these days. We need to be making contact and catching up with people, face to face. We need to make sure that people have opportunities for ongoing social connection. It is too easy to hide behind being too busy, too tied to work or property and that's before falling into the trap of thinking that social media, games and other apps are fulfilling the needs. My worry is that we are heading towards greater mental health issues through these situations so it is time to act now and make sure women are provided with opportunities for making real connections. Rural Women New Zealand can play a really important role in this.

As you lead Rural Women New Zealand into its next chapter, what would you like the organisation, and rural life for women more broadly, to look like 20 years from now?

At the risk of sounding corny, I would sum up my response in one word: happy.  Right now we have a lot of people who seem to be angry and negative and hence really good at fault finding. I would love to turn that around as  much as possible. We need to support people to see the good things that are happening and build on that. There are lots of worries at the moment with issues on school transport, increasing numbers of adverse weather events, roading conditions, cost of living and so the list goes on. Sadly, there are no quick and easy fixes available but we need to be working together and developing solutions to put forward. We need to know and experience the strength of teamwork as we work together, ensure we have those ongoing social connections and most importantly appreciate the strength of laughter as medicine.  We can't be happy 100% of the time but I would love to see an increase in the happiness level amongst us all because the powers that be have resolved some of the issues  identified and we are working on those issues that we have some control over ourselves without blaming others.

What does being a rural woman mean to you in 2026?

Being a rural woman in 2026 is about being rural at heart and having a connection to things rural. It is so much more than farming. Farming, in all forms is a really important part of rural New Zealand but we shouldn't lose sight of all the other aspects of rural. I include viticulture, horticulture, forestry, aquaculture, education, transport, health, tourism, infrastructure, other service industries and so on. We have professionals, trades people, volunteers, farmers, workers, business owners, carers and again the list goes on. A rural woman can be so many things but most importantly she is someone who cares about the rural community and willingly plays a role in her own community in whatever capacity suits her most.

What is the one thing you would change for rural women tomorrow if you could?

It is really difficult to come up with just one thing for effective change as there are quite a few on my list. I would sum it up by saying I would ensure an improved provision of services for our rural communities throughout the country. Many rural people feel very let down by the lack of health service delivery, school transport delivery and road maintenance in their area. If I could effect change I would ensure the resources needed to improve the above would be made available as soon as possible.

What’s your rural superpower, the skill, quality or instinct you rely on most?

My superpower is that, above all else, I am a caring human being. I demonstrate that by being a very good listener. I listen with my ears and eyes. I listen to learn, to understand and to gain new knowledge. I use what I hear to help inform my actions going forward. I have a passion for people and I would like to do my best to make people feel important and uniquely special because I listen deeply and respond accordingly. I can't always do what people may think I should but I will always listen and engage in conversation so that all parties feel heard and valued.