Farmers and shearers need to look after themselves better.

That's the message from Blenheim massage therapist Nicola Smith.

"I appreciate what farmers and shearers do; it's so physically taxing."

Smith knows first-hand, having been raised on a 15,000-acre farm in North Canterbury.

"I spent my school holidays either cleaning water troughs or rousing in the shearing shed.

"I grew up with sheep and cattle."

Smith owns a massage clinic in Blenheim with a clientele dominated by farmers and vineyard workers who appreciate her skill and understanding of the challenging physical nature of agriculture.

"I can appreciate the movements and how they use their body to do things, which then helps me understand why they are sore in certain places."

Smith said she gets effective results for her clients because she works on the root of the problem rather than just the symptom.

"My farming experience has given me a good idea about how their body is moving and causing the pain patterns they are feeling."

Around 30-40 % of Smith's clients are men, which is a good sign that attitudes to wellbeing amongst the male population are improving, and word of mouth has helped build her business.

"My make clients have referred their friends, workmates and colleagues."

Smith's success lies in creating a calm, neutral space that appeals to both men and women.

"When I opened, I didn't want to create a barrier for men by making my clinic a fluffy beauty salon-type space.

"Nothing is excessively feminine or masculine; it's just neutral."

Smith said clients often share their problems and challenges before a massage so that after, they seem considerably lighter and less stressed.

"They come, drop all the stuff they have going on in their mind, and then they lay down and rest.

"But by unloading their stress first, they find the massage more relaxing."

Smith was recently recognised for her work in the rural space and business acumen when she won the Rural Health and Wellbeing category at the NZI Rural Women New Zealand Business Awards late last year.

Smith said she entered the awards for the experience but didn't expect to win.

"I wasn't expecting anything.

"It was the first competition I entered, and I wanted to see what the process was like, and then I'd know next time what kind of information they want."

With major rural businesses making the finals, Smith dealt with a fair amount of impostor syndrome as a small business owner with no staff.

"It was pretty unreal to be up there with the other businesses that I was.

"All of the other businesses were so massive or had marketing degrees or people doing their marketing.

"And then there was just me."

When not in the clinic, Smith still gets her hands dirty on the 1500-acre block she leases with her fiancé just out of Blenheim.

"On my days when I'm not at work, I'm usually busy helping out on the farm in some respect."

Sometimes, getting off the farm to the clinic can be a challenge.

"We live half an hour from town, and we have a ford at the end of our road that floods every time it rains."

A bigger challenge, though, is work-life balance.

"It's hard finding the balance between being in business, being in a relationship and being in a partnership."

Smith often has to cook for shearers or workers before heading to work for long hours on her feet in the clinic.

She has a farmer's attitude to work, though.

"My childhood gave me a good work ethic.

"Just because it's 5 pm doesn't mean you finish or the day."

By Claire Inkson