What steps are you taking to stay competitive and resilient in the face of domestic and global challenges?
Rural Women New Zealand was founded nearly 100 years ago and while rural life has inevitably changed, many of the issues we were founded on stay the same.
Like we have since 1925, we offer our members opportunities to get off farm and make connections locally and nationally, as well as offering support through our charitable work and funding grants, especially in times of need, to strengthen our rural communities and build their resilience. This is but one part of what we offer.
Critically, our national network of members are our hotline into the community and inform our advocacy work with Government on issues that affect rural communities including in the areas of health, education, environmental sustainability, and connectivity. Equity of access to services in rural communities is a key theme of our public policy work.
We also run initiatives that recognise, nurture and celebrate the increasing number of women in business in rural New Zealand. Our rural communities must be vibrant and economically viable to retain and develop their populations, which is, in turn, key to retaining and enhancing the availability of rural services.
We have a couple of key initiatives in this space. For instance, this year we have tweaked some of the award categories for our NZI Rural Women New Zealand Business Awards to recognise how rural women run businesses are diversifying to stay competitive. There’s been phenomenal growth in agri-tourism businesses which provide unique experiences, accommodation and hospitality in amazing rural locations, as well as businesses producing and selling incredible products from rural locations.
At a start up level, our Activator programme offers practical advice and connections for women who are just starting out in business or ready to scale up.
Complementing both initiatives, we also recently launched an online business directory called The Country Women’s Collective. The Collective showcases the diversity of enterprises run by rural women. I encourage you to check it out on our website and support local and New Zealand made products and services from our rural businesses, because by supporting them, you are empowering our rural communities to thrive.
The connections built through all of our Rural Women NZ initiatives are incredibly valuable in strengthening and supporting our rural communities to be resilient in these challenging times. If you’re not a member of Rural Women NZ I encourage you to join. The more members we have, the more we can achieve!
