wellbeing

This report examines who the stakeholders are in the rural psychosocial ecosystem, how farmers interact with these stakeholders, and how these stakeholders in turn interact together. It aims to understand the challenges to delivery of psychosocial services, and possible solutions.

The agriculture industry has grown from early Maori, the first settlers in the 1800s through to our second largest export (pre COVID-19). Due to the growth in the industry, roles have been created that cannot be filled by New Zealanders because of a skill shortage. To solve this problem, many businesses now employ migrant staff, from all over the world, to help them run their operations.

This research explores the value of connection to nature and each other. It explores that state of our connection and contrasts connection with rural disconnect (often referred to as the Urban-Rural Divide). Peri-urban catchments are catchments that pass through or border an urban centre. This report identifies these catchments as having an opportunity to connect a significant amount of people to each other and nature. The report starts with a literature review of connection in New Zealand. The study looks at two aspects of connection; the benefits of connection and the current state of connection in New Zealand.

With increasing compliance and environmental changes being introduced and demands on farmers increasing, we will see some dyslexic farmers despairing and wondering how they will cope with the increase in paperwork which they already struggle with. Dyslexia is the new stigma in the agricultural sector which needs to be broken.

Compliance and regulation are the two words that make many farmers roll their eyes. The shed-load of rules and regulations to be aware of and act in accordance with are vast and cover aspects such as staff recruitment and employment, health and safety, animal welfare, water and effluent management and more recently, greenhouse gasses. Many … Read more

The topic of mental wellness has become more mainstream in New Zealand due to suicide rates continuing to climb and as more and more people suffer from stress, depression and anxiety in an ever evolving busy society. Unfortunately the rural sector is not immune. In fact the rural sector has a higher suicide rate per … Read more

The future of the New Zealand Primary industries will rely on its ability to remain agile in the face of ever increasing change. Equally for success to be realised there is a call for the industry to know; where its current position is (and launch from this); how it lifts the level of innovation; increases … Read more