What are the biggest challenges facing rural people in your region right now – on-farm or off-farm?

Contracts and Employment – change of season for dairy.

Ensuring contracts are being signed before new employees start on farm -Federated Farmers have the resources.

Winter Grazing – compliance and regulation – new policing by MPI’s Animal Welfare.

Succession Planning – the importance to start early and allow for changes.

Economic – Global Dairy Trade, interest rates – looking positive for now.

Ongoing consequences from an extremely challenging Southland 2024 wet spring which brought ongoing animal health challenges, increased feed costs, culminating in high levels of physical and mental fatigue among farm staff and workers.

Climatic difficulties affected all major farming sectors in Southland.

What does support look like in practice for your region?

Calls to 0800 787 254 are picked up by a Southland Rural Support Trust (SRST) facilitator, who passes details onto our wellness coordinator to contact.

Calls may come from an individual client or from friends, whānau, rural professionals (RP’s) and community members.

We suggest that anyone thinking of calling on behalf of someone they are concerned about get their permission first to contact SRST, otherwise they can be surprised and react negatively.

Last year the SRST dealt with 93 cases, with 75% of clients being in the 21 to 50 years age bracket. The dairy sector contributed over 50% of cases with sheep and beef farming making up another 32% of cases.

Our Wellness Coordinator, Rachael, discusses the situation with the client and work through possible options which might work for them.

Often this can be done over the phone allowing a quicker referral to support.

More complex situations, particularly where multiple parties are involved, can require visits to work through the situation and steps forward.

The SRST has a wide range of experts covering many fields of expertise to whom we refer people.

Wellness promotion is part of our work too.

We are often present at major rural events, and we will do presentations for groups and organisations to lift awareness and encourage good wellbeing habits.

Can you share a recent moment or story that captures the spirit of your team’s work?

During the 2024 Southland Wet Spring farmers were so busy doing what they could to manage the situation that the SRST realised that getting messages of support to them by usual methods wasn’t going to work.

For the first time, a dedicated radio campaign (NZME – The Muster on Hokonui & Hokonui Radio) was used to let them know they were not alone dealing with the awful weather, and to get messages of support to them.

The data on the reach showed it was well worthwhile.

What upcoming events, workshops or initiatives are you planning or involved in?

Brunch on Us is a Spring catch-up in some districts around Southland. It is supported by a range of businesses as well as the farming community.

The details and locations for 2025 are in the planning stage so watch out for the dates and locations.

What message do you most want to get across to people in your region who may be finding it tough but have not reached out yet?

Establishing contact can often be the most challenging aspect for individuals experiencing stress.

Connecting with someone who comprehends their situation can and link them to specialised support and can provide significant relief.

by Katrina Thomas

Southland Rural Support Trust social media administrator