"For me, it’s all about people.
"When we have people in communities, when we have people that feel like they belong, they will contribute ... and it becomes a place people want to work, play and live," North Otago farmer Jo Hay says.
For Jo, it was about working with people to develop strong communities and a flourishing agricultural sector.
"That’s why I get out of bed."
And when she used the word community, there were many parts to that word — "it can mean anything" — it was not just her nearby community of Herbert where she farms with her husband Ross, but it could be North Otago, the lower South Island or agricultural in general.
Jo is on the board of the North Otago Irrigation Company and also Meat the Need, a national charity designed to supply meat — donated by farmers — to City Missions and foodbanks.
"I feel so torn. As a farmer, we produce amazing product, [but] we still have so many hungry people. That doesn’t sit well with me. I’d like to think for most farmers it doesn’t," she said.
She is on the North Otago Sustainable Land Management steering committee and part of the on-farm change and community/engagement subcommittees.
"I love the catchment space as we’re working with a whole bunch of farmers who are motivated to do the right thing. We’re also doing some great work with children of all levels in schools, which is awesome."
A few years ago, she started the Maheno-Herbert Food Fairies group, which cooks meals for families with new babies and those with other extenuating circumstances. She also started a local Facebook page which was handy for newcomers, locating lost stock and dealing with surplus vegetables.
Ross, somewhat of a rugby legend in the area, was recently made a life member of North Otago Rugby. He played 114 first-class games for the Old Golds from 1999-2010.
For nine years, the couple ran junior rugby in Maheno before recognising it was time to hand over the reins. During that time, numbers grew from about 16 to 60 and people wanted to be part of it, Jo said.
Ross is now coaching rugby at Waitaki Boys’ High School while Jo coached touch and helped with sport where possible, although that could be challenging as she was a "fulltime Uber driver" to the couple’s three children — "but we make it happen".
Ross, who returned to the family farm after seven years shearing, is Maheno School’s board of trustees chairman and is also involved with Federated Farmers’ meat and wool section.
"At the end of the day, you’re giving back what you take as a young person ... that’s the gist of it. You don’t expect anything in return," he said of the couple’s community involvement.
Jo was still involved with the Maheno Home and School; like junior rugby, younger ones were coming through, so she tried to let them "jump into it with their youthful passion".
Doing the Agri-Women’s Development Trust’s Escalator course was a huge investment in herself and she honed what she wanted to do, how she wanted to do it and "and what I am".
"One thing I learned, I know what drives me and know what I like and a very clear sense of my values and my why."
— Sally Rae
