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RURAL WOMEN ALIVE!
No. 94 – 8 March 2010
Enterprising Rural Women Award 2010
We received a wide range of entries for this year’s Enterprising Rural Women Award from businesswomen displaying all the entrepreneurial ‘can do’ spirit that we aim to celebrate with these Awards, which we will be promoting over the next few weeks in the media. The judges, Theresa Gattung, Doug Langford and Margaret Chapman, will decide on a North Island and a South Island winner, both of whom will attend the Awards ceremony at the RWNZ national conference in Oamaru, when the supreme winner will be announced. The 2010 Awards are jointly sponsored by Rural Women New Zealand and Access Homehealth Limited.
Sustainable Farming Fund – Lepto application
Rural Women New Zealand (Joan Black) is the chair FLAG – the Farmers Leptospirosis Action Group – which is consulting with Massey University re a new application for research funding through the Sustainable Farming Fund. This application has now reached the second round in the process and is a continuation of our ongoing fundraising for Leptospirosis research. FLAG also includes representatives of Federated Farmers and the Veterinary Association.
Wellington Experience leadership programme
The Wellington Experience ‘master class’ was held last week, with 12 members from around the country enjoying a packed three day programme including leadership training with Reg Garters, a marketing presentation from Gerard Dunne of Access Homehealth, and media training with Greg Ward. They then put their training to immediate use, going out to interview politicians, Wellington’s mayor and MAF’s CEO on their leadership styles.
The Wellington Experience is kindly sponsored by Landcorp, and on the final day the women gave a presentation to Landcorp on Rural Women New Zealand and the synergies between our two organizations, which was well received.
Participant Sue Higgins describes the three day programme as ‘fabulous’. Shortly to be capped herself, she says Reg Garters’ leadership presentation, based on 40 years experience, was ‘like a whole degree in one day’. And on learning more about our organization, Greg Ward waived his fee and became a member! More on the Wellington Experience in the next RWNZ Express.
Sky TV
RWNZ has a wonderful opportunity to contribute to a new regular weekly women’s/rural community programme on Sky99Country TV channel, and they want us to come up with ideas for a presenter. Who would you like to see fronting a programme about rural women, families and communities? The person would have to be able to commute once a week to either Christchurch or Auckland. Please contact asap with any thoughts.
The producers are also looking to us to come up with programme ideas, a month in advance, of happenings in rural areas, and we need you to be our eyes and ears! The channel wants to tell stories about rural New Zealand and things you care about and would like to watch. So put on your thinking caps and email us with information about local forthcoming events (RWNZ and otherwise), interesting businesses, rural women with a story to tell, gardening or cookery ideas, things you are passionate about, things that concern you, things you’d like to know more about – in fact everything that makes up the fabric of your rural community and the things you care about. Keep emailing with your ideas, with as much advance notice as possible. Thanks!
Lower Speed Zones Outside Rural Schools
Lower speed zones outside rural schools is something RWNZ has been pushing some time and on which we made a submission on the Government’s consultation document 2020 Safer Journeys. We were at the launch of the Road Safety Strategy 2 last week, and are pleased to see that one of the first areas of action is going to be improving safety on high risk rural roads, while increasing the coverage of temporary lower speed limits around schools is on the list of further possible actions. We will continue working on many fronts to ensure that our children’s safety around schools and school buses improves. Just this week Anne Prentice from Hook Branch contacted us to say that they are organizing a school bus safety display in the Timaru Library. School bus safety is also the theme of Region 4’s (Central) stand at the Central Districts Fieldays (more below).
Driving Age Limit
In the news this week has been debate over the plan to increase the driving age to 16, also from the 2020 Safer Journeys document. Following consultation with our rapid response group Rural Women New Zealand gave our views on this topic in our Safer Journeys 2020 submission in September, which can be viewed on our website: https://ruralwomen.org.nz/documents/RWNZSaferJourneysSubmissionVersion5.doc.
Rapid Response Groups
Rapid response groups are one of the prime ways we consult with our members on topics, particularly when we are making submissions. If you would like to join one of these groups – there is one for each of our four portfolio areas – health, education, land use and social issues – please contact and ask to be added to a group or groups.
Special Education Review
A reminder that we are making a submission on the Special Education Review with comments required at national office by 12 March. We are commenting on the discussion document that proposes choice about how students with special education needs are supported and creating flexibility around funding. The feedback areas are: successful schools; changing the ways that schools work together; improving inter-agency co-operation and transitions; allocating and using funding and resources; improving the quality of services; improving accountability. Contact .
National Conference 2010
Venue: Oamaru Opera House, Thames Street, Oamaru
Dates: Monday 24 May (evening) to Thursday 27 May (lunchtime)
Theme: “Diversity in Action – Resilient Rural Communities”
All Enquiries: Please contact the National Conference secretary, Agnes Fox
Registration forms: Registration forms and other conference details are included in this month’s RWNZ Express magazine which you should have received in your mailboxes by now. If you have not received your copy, please contact national office. Earlybird registrations close 31 March. All registrations required by 20 April.
Registration forms and other conference information is also available on our website in the Members’ Only area – ruralwomen.org.nz. (If you need the username / password for this section of the website, please contact ).
Beam me up Scotty! RWNZ National Conference goes high tech
If you can’t get along to conference, but can get to Dannevirke, Dargaville, Te Puia Springs, Greymouth, Masterton, Blenheim, Balclutha, Queenstown or Dunston and would like to be part of the Wednesday afternoon panel discussion, you can be, thanks to video conferencing technology being supplied by the Mobile Surgical Services bus which will be at conference.
Three dynamic speakers will take part in a panel discussion on the conference theme - Resilient Rural Communities. They are also being beamed in from afar to share their insights into ways of stimulating community and economic renewal in rural areas. They are: Peter Kenyon, a community development specialist from Perth, Dr Caroline Saunders, director of Lincoln University’s Agribusiness and Economic Research Unit, and Kevin Hague, a Transition Towns advocate.
Walking Access
National Councillor Liz Evans, (Region 3, Top of the South), attended the latest Walking Access Commission stakeholder meeting in Wellington last week. The subjects discussed were the access mapping proposals and signage. The Commission has contracted Terralink to build the mapping system for the Commission’s website. However Terralink will only be using existing LINZ mapping information. Landowners/farmers need to be aware of what that mapping information contains, particularly if there has been some dispute or roads/tracks closed, swapped, developed etc. There will be an email on the Commission’s website for people to write in with their questions and suggestions.
RWNZ Express – environmentally-friendly option
It has been suggested by a member that there should be an option to receive the RWNZ Express by email, to save on postage/paper. The Express .pdf file would be approximately 700KB. If anyone wishes to change to receiving the RWNZ Express by email only, please contact us at .
The cookbook-with-no-name – yet!
Many thanks to those who have sent in name suggestions for our new RWNZ Cookbook, to be published by Random House in July. There will be a free cookbook to the person who comes up with a name if it is chosen by Random House, so keep those inspired thoughts coming. Name suggestions needed by 31 March.
Orders and distribution of boxes of cookbooks will now be via RWNZ national office, following feedback that sending boxes out to the regions wouldn’t be the best method. Books will come in boxes of 16, and will be available to branches at $19.50 a copy, retailing at $29.95 a copy – a great branch fundraising opportunity. An indication of the initial number of boxes your branch would like would also be appreciated by 31 March.
Book Launch: Remember also to let us know of any events planned for the cookbook launch so we can help with publicity – this is a great opportunity to promote RWNZ and hold some fun food activities at the same time. A free cookbook to each group holding an event, so keep us in the loop. Cookbook contact .
RWNZ Newslink
Remember to check out RWNZ Newslink - http://rwnznewslink.blogspot.com/ and save it to your Favourites. News and other items of interest to rural women are added to this website three times a week. These items would formerly have been included in this e-newsletter, but it was decided to set up this blog to give members more timely information, and also to ensure our e-newsletter wasn’t too lengthy.
Branch lists/subs
A reminder that RWNZ subs are due 31 March. If you have any concerns, please contact your branch secretary or Belinda in national office. Branch lists will be sent by email in April to the branch contact (or nominated person with email).
Region 4 (Central) members are working late into the night making funky aprons and oven mitts for their first foray into the Feilding Farmers Market on Friday 19 March. The region has commissioned metres of apron tape printed with our name and web address, raising RWNZ’s brand awareness and profile during Central District Fieldays week and encouraging more people to look up our website to learn more about us. 35,000 people attended the field days last year, a key event in the Southern North Island rural calendar.
School bus safety: Members will also be at the Central District Fieldays site for the three day event pushing our school bus safety message with bold yellow banners reminding drivers of the 20kmh past a school bus rule. To reinforce this, members will be handing out thousands of stick on tattoos, which with selective washing, we hope will be visible for weeks after the field days! Surplus tattoos are available for sale from Wendy – email: .
Region 4 conference
Region 4 members are heading to Napier for this year’s Regional Conference at the end of the month. The theme is ‘Resilience and Adaptability’, and the conference will kick off on Friday with a grand tour of the region, followed by a full programme on Saturday on how a variety of farmers, growers and other rural business people have adapted to changing circumstances, particularly the personal, political and social environment. On Sunday members will address Resilience and Adaptability with the arts, with a session on taking better photos and choosing interior design that will stand the test of time. Individual and branch members from outside Region 4 are welcome to join Region 4 members for the weekend. Contact .
Rural Women Awana Branch will be holding the annual Easter Market on Saturday 3rd April. This is the first of four main markets held on Great Barrier Island. Stall holders come from all parts of the Island and because it is a long weekend when off-Island people come visiting we look forward to good patronage. Contact .
The Last Leaf Falls – a memorial by Bobbie Poll
This booklet has been produced by Bobbie (St Arnaud branch) as a fundraiser for the Nelson Region Hospice. It is the story of her late husband Allan’s eight year struggle with Motor Neurone Disease and is written with the hope that sharing their story will help others facing the same disease or any other terminal illness. It can be purchased for $15 at Nelson Hospital shops or by contacting Bobbie .
What’s up? – Calendar of Events
12/13 March – RWNZ display at the PGG Wrightson marquee at Upper Clutha A & P Show at Wanaka
13 March - Region 3 (Top of the South) regional gathering which is being held in Blenheim, this Saturday, March 13th. Start time is 9am, venue is the Nativity Centre, Alfred St, Blenheim. Guest speaker (at 10am) is celebrity chef, Chris Fortune, on the slow food movement. All members most welcome, especially individual members. Contact Liz Evans, ph 03 5 email: or, Melva Robb 03 5.
16 March - Rangitikei WIF farm forestry day at Denis Hockings at Bulls. Email .
19 March - Region 4 (Central) at Feilding Farmers Market and Central Districts Fieldays.
19/20 March – Region 6 (Wainaki) – Regional conference Te Aroha.
21 March - Pauatahanui WIF – Water feature! Tapping springs, piping water, getting water to stock and more. 100 Bulls Run Road. 2pm. Email .
23 March - Rowley Brooch entries (Otago/Southland speech competition) and Regional Management Team nominations close with Jocelyn McIlraith ‘Glenmac’ 4396 Hakataramea Highway RD1, Kurow 9498. Phone or email .
27 March – Garage sale in Hawera – fundraiser. Contact Helen, South Taranaki Provincial email .
28 March - Federated Farmers ‘Farm Day’ at Silverstream near Mosgiel
29 March – Region 1 (Otago Southland) Regional gathering. At Telford Rural Polytechnic, Balclutha. 9.15am. Keynote speaker Theresa Gattung. Registration $25. Theresa Gattung’s 2pm talk open to public, gold coin donation. Contact Lorraine Pringle or email by 22 March.
31 March – Otago Provincial ‘Friendship Day’ hosted by Middlemarch Branch at Middlemarch 10am. Phone Jan Miller or email .
3 April - Awana Branch market Great Barrier Island contact
9 April - South Taranaki Provincial and Federation Women’s Institute bus trip to Wanganui to visit the FloravisionNZ National Conference. Email Helen .
10 April – Otago Peninsula WIF field day. Contact Peri Spence or .
20 April – Rangitikei WIF – Farm visit Marg and Mike Webster
28 April – RWNZ presents winter fashion in conjunction with Ballentynes, Hawera contact Helen email .
12/13 May Dairy Women’s Network national conference, New Plymouth.
18 May - Rangitikei WIF – Gardening – Taihape
31 May – 6 June – School bus safety display at Timaru Library.
28 June-30 June – Dunedin Experience 2010 leadership programme.
RWNZ Membership Benefits – What’s in it for me? Go to ruralwomen.org.nz
Information: You will receive copies of the internal RWNZ Express after National Council meetings and Rural Women magazine twice a year
Advocacy: At a national level we support rural communities by ensuring that the rural voice is heard when policy is being developed in any of our four portfolio areas: health, social issues, land access and education.
Online Business Directory: If you are an RWNZ member you can add your business to the RWNZ Business Directory. To sign up, go to the Business Directory section of our website and click on the Business Directory enquiry form.
Bursaries: A range of RWNZ bursaries and grants are awarded each year. Check out our website for secondary school bursaries and the Scotlands Te Kiteroa Charitable Trust grant which close in September.
Rural Bulletin: This free monthly publication keeps you up to date with a wide range of issues that affect rural people, and alerts you to consultations and upcoming submission dates.
Membership section: On our website we have a Members Only section. This has all the forms, guidelines, merchandise etc. A password is required. Contact for details.
Newsletter compiled by Jackie Edkins – Communications Officer (RWNZ) . Rural Women New Zealand, 30 Hawkestone Street, Wellington.
Postal Address: PO Box 12-021, Wellington Tel:
If you do not wish to receive this email please let us know by replying to this message. Or if you know someone else who’d like to join, ask them to contact
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