International Rural Women’s Day : Kate Ivey

From a high-country farm near Twizel, Kate Ivey has built a nationwide fitness business focused on helping women become stronger, healthier and more confident. Through Kate Ivey Fitness and DediKate, she has turned the realities of rural life, motherhood and limited access to gyms into a business with reach well beyond the farm gate.

You built Kate Ivey Fitness and DediKate from a farm near Twizel. How much did rural life shape the business you eventually created?

It is the foundation of it all really. My fitness platform is built for busy women who are juggling life, farm, family etc – short effective workouts and trainers who get the challenges because they are living it too. Women on farms can’t relate to a fitness model from the Gold Coast, but they can relate to us and that’s so motivating for them.

Rural women are often juggling farm, family, work and community responsibilities. What do you think gets in the way of women prioritising their own health and strength?

We surveyed our community (75% of whom live in a rural or regional area) recently and as expected time was the biggest barrier. I believe it’s also a perceived barrier, because I’ve experienced it myself, where I think I don’t have time, but then I make it happen and actually it makes my day and life more successful. 20 min workouts are key!

Your work increasingly focuses on women through peri-menopause and beyond. What do you wish rural women understood earlier about looking after their bodies as they age? I wish they knew that losing strength and getting frail is not inevitable – with strength training we can improve our capabilities, mental and physical health and strength at any age.

You’ve shown that living remotely doesn’t have to limit the business or career you can build. What has rural life given you that you might not have had in a city? I can’t imagine living in the city now! Rural life has given me community and connection with like-minded people, the ability to overcome challenges and adapt, and for DediKate a point of difference that you can’t fake.

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

 To me it means being whoever and whatever you want to be. As rural women we don’t have to look and be a certain way anymore – we can define how we want our lives to be. But we’re all still united – there’s a deep understanding amongst us, of what it’s like to be a rural woman, what we overcome, the challenges we face and the beauty of it too.

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

I’d like rural women to be more appreciated – for what we achieve and juggle in the home and outside it, what we give back to our communities and the km’s we do!

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

I’d say mine is my work ethic and determination. I don’t give up, I am relentless in what I want to achieve day in and day out.