Black Heels and Tractor Wheels - Presented by Rural Women New Zealand

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Today, we speak to Raewyn van Vugt who operates a dairy farming business with her husband Rob in Otago. 

Raewyn grew up on the West Coast of the South Island, as a  coal miners’ daughter in a small town called Reefton.  In 1991 she moved to Inch Clutha with her husband Rob, where their farming enterprise started. 

Raewyn has been heavily involved in her community, being a member and Treasurer of Plunket, Playcentre, PTA, and involved with the local discussion group, Large Herds Otago Committee and a Networker for Fonterra. She is also a member of the Inch Clutha RW and is currently the Regional Leader for Region 1. 

Raewyn gives some tips for any aspiring farm owners, details her experiences going from a single mum to operating a successful farming enterprise with her husband, and helpful ways to get involved in your rural community! 

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Today we are speaking to the incredible, 'limb-it-less' Shaz Dagg. She is New Zealand's first elite para-triathlete and Parafed Manawatū's sport development adviser. 

In 2016, Shaz's left arm was crushed by a gate while she was working on a goat farm. After multiple complications, and nine surgeries, the arm was amputated above her elbow. 

Prior to her farm accident, Shaz represented New Zealand at the 2014 ITU world duathlon championships in Spain and raced in a number of Ironman events. She also competed as an age-grade triathlete and decided to come back to the sport after her accident.

By 2018 she had qualified to represent New Zealand at the triathlon world champs on the Gold Coast, becoming the country's first Para triathlete. In 2021 Shaz was the first ever female amputee to complete the Coast – to Coast.  

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Today we are speaking with Maria Kuster, a rural businesswoman with a twist, who along with her partner Sean runs the incredible Pure Salt boat charter business in Tamatea/Dusky Sound. 

Originally hailing from Germany,  Maria stepped on a plane as a young woman arriving in the South Island and found that Aotearoa was where her future and heart lay. 

Since then Maria and Sean have created their business to embrace conservation, right from the beginning with a string of successful projects on land and in the sea, in restoring Dusky to its original state. 

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Today Sophie Hurley joins us on the podcast, who is one half of the duo behind Honest Wolf. Sophie is based in the Turakina Valley in the North Island, where she lives with her husband Sam and son Harry.  

Sophie Sam launched Honest Wolf, a line of accessories made from wool from the family farm, in 2020. Honest Wolf’s goal is to make wool the sustainable go-to fiber in the luggage and accessories industry.

With another baby on the way, Sophie talks to us about her next steps with Honest Wolf, how she juggles running her own business with a young family, and shares her experiences and advice for starting up a business from your passions. 

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Today, Sarah Martelli joins us on the podcast, who amongst many other things is the incredible woman behind Strong Woman. Sarah is a mum to three young children and lives with her husband Mathew, her kids, a spoodle puppy, pet pig and chickens, on a 400 cow dairy farm in Reporoa, New Zealand.  

Life is pretty hectic with juggling kids' activities, helping on the farm, the household, and being actively involved on the PTA committee and as sports co-ordinator at the local primary school.  

Sarah had a Molar Pregnancy - a very rare gynaecological abnormality where instead of growing a baby, the cells didn't form properly and grew into a cancerous tumour called Choriocarsinoma.  

In 2017, she qualified as a Personal Trainer. Sarah runs an Online fitness membership platform, group fitness classes and personal training sessions. In 2020 she completed a Certificate in Exercise Nutrition, and now provides one on one health coaching to women from all over New Zealand. In 2021 she trained to become a Qualified Pilates Instructor. 

If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to visit our Instagram, Facebook, and website, or even become a member! 

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Today’s guest is our 2021 Supreme Winner at the NZI Rural Women NZ Business Awards, Amber Forrest. Amber is based in Wairoa and provides the only full-time beauty therapy clinic with fully qualified staff in the region, a salon called Beauty Antix. 

Amber has built an award-winning business which is immersed in the diversity of its clientele and community. It provides a wide range of expert, professional treatments and provides a career path for young women, particularly Māori, through a nationally recognised Beauty and Wellness Training facility. 

The Beauty Antix motto is Exceeding Expectation with Expertise.  It is an environment that is open, inclusive, and respectful to all customers and serves its community in a uniquely holistic way. 

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Today we are very lucky to speak to Tia Potae, the winner of the inaugural Primary Industries award at the 2021 New Zealand Women of Influence Awards. Tia is based in the sunny Coromandel, but hails from Milton at the bottom of the South Island. 

The Potae name is extremely well known in shearing circles, with her grandfather’s brother George Potae winning the Golden Shears in 1969. Tia herself has been in the shearing industry all her life, representing New Zealand in woolhandling in 2005 and 2013. 

Tia has a huge list of achievements and is truly a champion of rural communities. 

Tia is a Whānau Ora navigator at Tokomairiro Waiora and won the award for supporting shearers and their families through the challenges of Covid-19. During the 2020 lockdown, she developed an online programme for wool, forestry and fishing industry workers who found it difficult to access services after hours. She also helped workers access the Wage Subsidy Scheme.

Tia is also a rural navigator for Tokomairiro Waiora, a Kaupapa Māori Health Service providing Whānau Ora services in South Otago. Her rural navigator programme was a response to a Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu 2019 survey of wool harvesters which found they needed better access to health and social services.

And if you thought she couldn’t possibly do anymore, she also has a small business, Taki Toru Woolshed Services, where she runs her own training programme. 

If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to visit our Instagram, Facebook, and website, or even become a member! 

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We speak with Tyler Langford, a city gal turned farmer, supermum to three boys, and one half of the YOLO team. 

YOLO (You Only Live Once) was the project that Tyler and her husband embarked on when Wayne was battling depression in 2017. 

Tyler tells us that challenges with mental health in the farming community are far more common than we think and she generously shares with us her experiences with how she managed through that particular period of their lives. 

A serial community giver who is both impact and values-based, Tyler also shares her leadership journey and how she manages to look after herself with a busy, but very fulfilling lifestyle. 

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Today we speak to Olivia Caldwell, a journalist based in beautiful Central Otago. Olivia shares with us her career journey from rural life to urban and then bouncing back again to her rural roots. 

We have a really great yarn about the single life, the challenges younger women face today as the dating game changes, and Olivia's tips for having fun along the way. 

If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to visit our Instagram, Facebook, and website, or even become a member! 

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Today on the podcast we talk with Loshni Manikam, originally hailing from Durban in South Africa, and now residing in sunny Southland. 

Loshni speaks to us about the courage it takes to move halfway around the world and then move cross country, with a one-year-old and a three-year-old in tow. 

Loshni discusses both the fulfilling and frustrating aspects of motherhood, as well as finding your own identity. Her passion is now bringing out the best in rural women and her working days are spent travelling around New Zealand activating the next generation of leaders. 

If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to visit our Instagram, Facebook, and website, or even become a member! 

www.ruralwomennz.nz 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.