With International Day of Rural Women being celebrated this week (15 October 2024), Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is taking a moment to recognise some of the incredible women making waves in New Zealand’s red meat sector and to highlight upcoming events that rural women can attend.
The United Nations’ International Day of Rural Women, celebrated annually on 15 October, acknowledges the critical contributions rural women make to agricultural and rural development.
Here, we introduce you to a few of the extraordinary women who were selected as finalists for the 2024 B+LNZ Awards. The Awards was held on 10 October, view a full list of winners here.
Harriet Bremner-Pinckney: finalist, 2024 FMG Rural Champion Award
Harriet Bremner-Pinckney is changing the narrative around health, safety and wellbeing to a focus on positive messaging, practical tools and honest conversations.
She has written children’s books, hosts The Raw Truth podcast and runs the Think Safe Brain campaign which targets rural schools across New Zealand. All have a common theme of physical and mental safety.
The farming-focused children’s books are colourful and fun, but their messaging is powerful for both children and adults. The Raw Truth podcast is aimed at audiences to normalise conversations around grief, trauma, and mental health.
To extend her reach as far as possible, Harriet has worked in collaboration with rural communities, New Zealand Police, farmers, rural professionals and others in the Think Safe Brain campaign.
Harriet partnered with the New Zealand Merino Company to produce her latest book which celebrates the wonders of wool.
Harriet and her husband Ed, who have recently had their first child Archie, farm a sheep and beef farm in Fiordland and run a dairy farm in Riverton.
Lana Chrystal: finalist, 2024 AgResearch Emerging Achiever Award
Despite growing up on a dairy farm, it was Lana Chrystal’s love of dogs that initially attracted her to the sheep and beef sector.
While studying agriculture at secondary school, Lana was placed on a sheep and beef farm and revelled in the experience.
After leaving school, she secured a job as a junior shepherd and quickly gained a reputation as being extremely hard working and excellent with stock.
But it was her skills with working dogs that set Lana apart and this year she was in the top seven competitors at the New Zealand Dog Trial Championships.
As a senior shepherd, Lana is a role model and mentor to junior staff and is particularly encouraging to those shepherds learning to train dogs.
Lana says she hopes to step up into management roles in the future and ultimately into property ownership.
When she is not working, training and trialling dogs, Lana enjoys playing netball in Taihape.
Anne Ridler: finalist, 2024 Ballance Agri-Nutrients Science and Research Award
An Associate Professor of Sheep and Beef Cattle Health and Production at Massey University, Anne Ridler led a study to learn more about ewe wastage in New Zealand’s commercial ewe flocks.
With the support of both Massey and Lincoln Universities, she gathered robust data about when and why ewes are culled and gained an understanding of when and why ewes die on-farm.
Thirty-eight farms were included in the study and this number provided sufficient data to understand the rationale behind farmers’ culling decisions and the timing and reasons for ewe culling and deaths throughout the year.
The outcomes of this research have been disseminated to farmers through a number of extension activities. Farmers now have the tools and information to help them identify when and why wastage is occurring so they can implement management strategies to minimise it.
Get along to a B+LNZ ladies networking events
B+LNZ hosts numerous events across its regions, including those specifically designed to bring rural women together to learn from and support each other.
Upcoming events include:
- 16 October: B+LNZ Marlborough Rural Ladies Comedy Bash – Blenheim
- 30 October: RST & B+LNZ "Refill your cup"- Ladies Long Lunch Series – Wellsford
- 31 October: RST & B+LNZ "Refill your cup"- Ladies Long Lunch Series – Kumeu
- 31 October: B+LNZ "Rural Women's Financial Success Seminar – Glen Murray
- 8 November: B+LNZ "Rural Women's Financial Success Seminar – Tirau
Events like these are brought to you by your local B+LNZ Farmer Council.