How to farm without harm
Safer Farms, the organisation dedicated to recognising the benefits of on-farm health and safety, is on a mission to reframe psychosocial harm.
Farmers are backing a nationwide tour by mental health advocate Mike King.
King’s tour hopes to raise community response towards mental health in New Zealand.
In the lead up to Gumboot Friday April 3, King and 30 others will travel 2000kms on a fleet of 20 tractors to host free community and school events throughout the country.
The Gumboot Friday initiative, which launched last year, aims to raise $5 million for free counselling.
Last year Gumboot Friday raised $1.3 million to provide 10,670 critical counselling sessions to more than 2,500 New Zealanders.
Federated Farmers president Katie Milne says rural communities face physical and mental isolation, economic instability and limited access to health services.
She says these are all factors which contribute to poor mental health.
“Too many rural folk are so busy looking after their families, their animals, their friends and workmates that they put themselves at the bottom of the list, and fail to reach out for help.
“Mike King is a champion for getting stuff out in the open, and talking about depression and suicide: good on him.
“Federated Farmers wishes every success to Mike King and the Tractor Trek Team and urges farming families to get in behind the initiative.”
The tour is also supported by Hope Wines, Interislander, Farmlands, Fonterra, Skellerup, Skycity, Starbucks, The Warehouse, TR Group, Z Energy, among others.
Local community groups and service providers wanting to be involved in the trek are encouraged to get in touch via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
OPINION: This old mutt well remembers the wailing, whining and gnashing of teeth by former West Coast MP and Labour…
OPINION: Your canine crusader gets a little fed up with the some in media, union hacks, opposition politicians and hard-core…