September 2007 Rural Women Magazine, New Zealand

8/9/2019 September 2007 Rural Women Magazine, New Zealand

1/8Strengthening Rural Communities Page 1

O F F I C I A L J O U R N A L O F R U R A L W O M E N N E W Z E A L A N D ISSUE No.3 September 2007

Valuing Volunteers

Early Childhood Education gaps

A U.S. Perspective

Rattling their Dags

in this issue...

Its a small world and we need to bepart o the whole, says Val Tarrant, whostepped down ater six years as ProjectsCommittee chair or the Associated

Country Women o the World (ACWW)at the organizations recent conerencein Finland.

For 30 years the Projects Committee hasprovided microcredit to the worlds poor,especially women, to enable them to takethe rst steps towards development andprogress.

But despite the act thatVal Tarrant no longergoes to London twice a year or ProjectsCommittee meetings, she certainly doesnt

have much time or putting her eet up ather Taranaki home. She is already bookedor a string o speaking engagements toservice clubs and other groups, whichshe gladly accepts, passionate as she isto spread the word about the impacts o

ACWWs work.

In October she will join JeanetteTarbotton, ormer ACWW South Pacic

Area President, in South Canterbury,where the pair will deliver World RuralWomens Day workshops on this years

theme: The Right to Food: Rural WomenProduce and Provide.

Peace and ood production are inextricablylinked, and women, who are the key oodproducers in both Arica and Asia, needpeace to achieve ood security. There canbe no lasting peace without ood, just asood production cannot take place withoutrst establishing a climate o peace.

Val says getting down to grass roots is thekey, and thats where ACWW operates.

I you dont get it right there, you dontget it right anywhere. Getting it rightmeans providing access to sae water,education about HIV/Aids, agriculture,homemaking and other initiatives to help

raise the living standards o womenin impoverished rural locations.

Some o ACWWs most importantprojects have been to provide sae

water. Food is essential but water iseven more so,says Val. And not just

water, but clean, sae water. ACWWhas helped communities put in ahuge numbero bores and watertanks around the world, says Val.

The need or such basic projects isenormous. 1.1 billion people donot have access to sae drinking

water, and every day 6000 childrendie rom disease related to the lack

o access to sae drinking water.That is the equivalent o 20 jumbojets crashing every day,says Val.

And that comes back to peace,because i people are unhappyand amilies not ed, you havegot problems. I the country ishappy and people are happy,peace ollows. I not, you seethe uprisings around the world.Peace must start close to home, nomatter where home is.

At an international level, the ACWW Conerence in Finlandagreed to lobby the UnitedNations and governments on

water issues, calling or a newculture o internationally agreedprinciples o integrated waterresource management. This wouldcover sanitation, access to saedrinking water and water or oodand ecosystems, based on co-operation with all stakeholders.

The conerence also recognizedthe need to urge governments

who signed the UN Declarationor Millennium DevelopmentGoals, to act upon and work

towards meeting their commitments by 2015,the rst being to eradicate extreme poverty andhunger.

ACWW also agreed to ocus strongly on theimportance o empowering women to takepart in decision making. Through activeparticipation, women will contribute tosustainable development and have an importantinfuence and impact on society.

Val Tarrant says we must think globally but actlocally. What we do here can be magniedaround the world. I we can think about oursisters who are much less ortunate than weare, then we all are going to grow and RWNZmembers are doing that in many areas already.

The Right to Food and Water - ACWWs 30 year crusade

Val Tarrant at RWNZs 2007 national conerence


2/8Strengthening Rural CommunitiesPage 2

Editorial - by Margaret Chapman Early Childhood gapsneed pluggingIn its 2002 documentPathways to the Future, the Government set out

its vision for a decade of improvements in early childhood education

(ECE), when changes to government regulations and funding [will]

have created a framework that makes quality ECE a reality in rural

New Zealand.

Amanda Mason, our American intern, reviewed progress on thesegoals for rural ECE, but uncovered a big gap between the vision and

the current situation. If New Zealand is to achieve the vision by 2012,

there will need to be a serious commitment to understanding rural

ECE needs and targetting sufcient resources appropriately.

While the recent media ocus has been on the Governments 20hours ree early childhood education policy, this is largely an urbanoering, available only in teacher-led centres, that has little or noimpact or many rural pre-schoolers and their parents. There aremore than 3,800 early childhood centres in New Zealand, butonly 93 o these are located in rural centres. Over thirty percento rural centres have no early childhood services at all.

The Correspondence School caters or some o New Zealandsmore isolated rural pre-schoolers, with 716 currently on the roll.However correspondence education doesnt necessarily meetchildrens socialisation needs, nor does it give caregivers child-ree time to carry out tasks on the arm without children in tow,or to pursue other work opportunities.

It is hard to attract early childhood teachers to rural areas, and thenew requirement or three year teacher training has raised the barin terms qualications. Instead, it is parent-run Playcentres andplaygroups that orm the backbone o early childhood educationor many rural communities. However these services do notqualiy or the 20 hours ree subsidy, since they not teacher-led.

Rural Women New Zealand says such subsidies must be air andfexible so that rural amilies have equal access to aordable earlychildhood opportunities.

Three to ve year olds absorb knowledge like sponges and learnvaluable social skills when they mix with their peers. Childrenwho attend early childhood centres show higher cognitive skillsand advanced social skills when they go to school compared withthose who did not attend an early childhood service. But despitethis, early childhood centres are not readily accessible or manyrural children. Increasing the numbers o mobile kindergartenunits would help, as would transport subsidies in some cases.

Also o concern is the lack o screening o rural pre-schoolers, sothat those with special needs or developmental delays are otennot identied until they go to school. Plunket services have beencut, and unless children attend an early childhood centre, it willbe let to parents to recognize and pursue concerns throughtheir GP.

Time is o the essence or intervention and introducing remedialprogrammes, but trying to get assessments and access specialistservices is dicult in rural areas. It is costly or parents too, asthe resources are largely based in urban centres,says RWNZeducation spokesperson, Jacky Staord. There seems to be a reallack o specialist teachers, certainly out in the rural areas.

The Governments plan to increase participation in early childhoodeducation by ocusing on populations where participation is lowis a real opportunity to level the playing eld or rural. It is nowup to the Ministry o Education to ocus on identiying the ruralearly childhood gaps and allocating appropriate resources tomake this goal a reality.

It is good to be able to welcome our two newnational councillors, KerryMaw and Jocelyn McIlraith.I am sure they will nd thechallenge o working atnational level both rewardingand stimulating.

A disappointing aspect othe election in Region 1 was the very low votingreturn. All members had the

opportunity to vote ull inormation on all candidateswas sent out to all nancial members yet only 38%took the opportunity to vote.

At the July National council meeting, time was spentrevisiting our Strategic Plan Plan or the Future. Ascouncillors we looked at the organization and ourvision o how we would like to see it in 20 years time.

Here are two o our statements

RWNZ - the leading rural organisation that osters and enrichesrural communities to create a better uture or all.

RWNZ - the leading rural organisation that all rural women wantto join because it provides a strong voice or rural communityconcerns, nurtures, supports and encourages all women to developtheir ull potential and provides opportunities or social interactionwith other like-minded women.

Do you agree? What is your vision or Rural Women New Zealand?Please tell us by writing or emailing through to National Oce.

We now have to ocus on how we are going to achieve this vision.

The ollowing are some o the ways Council identied:We have to market our point o dierence - that is we arerural and advocate or rural.

We have to market ourselves in a positive way image isvery important.

We have to ask younger rural women the what, when and howis the best way to capture their interest and involvement.

Membership needs to be lexible, more inclusive andtranserable to ensure the uture success o the organisation.

National Council would also like to encourage discussion among

members o issues that are important to rural communities. Wewill be ocusing on the our portolio areas o land use, education,health and social. National Land Use convenor, Liz Evans, hasput out a paper requesting eedback on the ve top infuencesaecting land-use, especially rural land use, in New Zealandtoday. To get people thinking here are some she has identied:

Global warming causing extreme weather how do weadapt?

Water who owns it? How should water be shared?

Rural de-population is the amily arm still viable or willwe be liestylers and corporate employees?

Public perception o arming. Are we losing the PR battlewith the young, urban politically aware voters who valuelandscape not agricultural production?

Do you agree? Please send your comments and top ve infuencesback to Liz.

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Leptospirosis fundraising in full swing

RWNZ branches and provincials are getting behind the RWNZ

Leptospirosis fundraising and awareness campaign with many events

being held around the country. Rafes,lm nights, fashion parades,

garden parties, coin trails, dinners with guest speakers, produce and

white elephant stalls and a monster auction are just some of the

activities being organised by branches and provincials. Money raised

in the campaign will be presented to the Massey University EpiCentre

Research Unit at next years national conference in Marlborough.

Submissions

In the last ew months Rural Women New Zealand has madesubmissions on a range o issues that impact on rural including theRating Review; Criminal Proceeds Recovery Bill; Fire LegislationReview; Paid Parental Leave Evaluation; Telecommunications;Climate Change; Flexible Working Hours, Out o School Services;Policing Review; Drat Standards Determination or UnbundledCopper Local Loop Network.

These submissions can be viewed on our website www.ruralwomen.org.

We are presently working towards making submissions on theHorizons Regional Council One Plan; the Proposed NationalPolicy Statement on Electricity Transmission Evaluation;Telecommunications Service Obligations Regulatory Framework;Caring or New Zealand Carers - Carers Strategy or New

Zealand; Local Government Act Review.

President Margaret Chapman (right) and our Executive Oicer,Noeline Holt, met with the Minister or Womens Aairs LianneDalziel last month.

We had the opportunity to discuss where good policy or

legislation can sometimes be ineective or impact negativelyin rural communities and to talk about how the rural impactassessment toolbox could assist in ensuring the same expectedoutcomes as or urban,says Noeline Holt.

In that context the trio discussed paid parental leave, earlychildhood education and our report to CEDAW.

Hearing loss is something we oten associate withadvancing age, but ACCsay there is evidence thatnoise-induced hearingloss i s increas ing in

children rom armingcommunities.

Young children oten have to accompany parents asthey go about their arm work, such as milking, butACC says it is important that children are protectedas ar as possible.

ACC suggests it is not necessary to block out noise completely,but to reduce it to a level where it does not damage the ears.

There is some evidence that ear mus are less eective than earplugs. The reason being, i you lit an earmu to hear someonespeak, the damage will be similar to not wearing ear protectionat all,says RWNZ executive ocer, Noeline Holt.

ACC says that noise-induced hearing loss will be one o the majorreasons or work related claims in the near uture. Once hearingis lost or diminished it can have a big eect on quality o lie.

Wed like to hear rom any amilies who have taken steps to providea reduced noise environment, so that we can share their tips.

Earplugs may offerbest protection

Call for broadband equityRural Women New Zealand is cal l ing or ruraltelecommunications customers to have access to broadbandservices on the same terms as urban customers.

RWNZ made the call in its submission to the CommerceCommission last month, saying there should be a level playingeld or urban and rural telecommunications.

This ollows the release o the Commissions drat determinationon the unbundling o the copper local loop, which setsgeographically de-averaged wholesale prices or broadband,

which will result in higher prices or rural customers.

We said the new regulatory pricing should be equalisedbetween rural and urban and all decisions should includerural impact assessments, with adjustments to ensure equity

or rural. No amily or business should have to pay more ora service because o where they live.

The unbundling o the copper local loop will see an end toTelecoms monopoly and will allow telecommunicationscompanies to supply a range o broadband services to retailcustomers using Telecoms standard copper phone lines thatrun rom the telephone exchange to the end-users home.

RWNZ said any nal determination made on the standard termsunder which companies will access the copper wire networkshould consider the impact on rural New Zealand, not leastbecause the sector contributes approximately 62% o GDP.

History has seen past reorms to inrastructure networks, such aspower and rail, working against rural communities. We ear thatrural telecommunications needs are going to be pushed urtherout towards the horizon as telecommunications companies lookor economies o scale and are more urban centred.

Rural impacts discussed

The Wellington Experience will take place on 20, 21 and 22February 2008. This programme oers the opportunity or utureleaders in our organisation to upskill and understand the contextin which we operate nationally. No nominations will be requiredthis year as participants will be invited to attend. I you would

like to know more about the selection criteria, please contact yournational councillor.

Wellington Experience

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Comedy CupYouve heard o speed dating, but how about speed knitting? Thiswas just one o the challenges set or the 12 teams rom Waipa-King Country who met at Paterangi hall recently to compete inthe annual Comedy Cup competition.

Margaret Seager rom Mangapiko branch won the sel-portraitsection, with a prize or the best likeness. Other events includeda plant identication challenge and a poetry competition.

The Comedy Cup, awarded or the most points scored over theday went to Te Rore branch, represented by Raewyn Marwood,Heather McKenzie, Olwyn Verhoe and Gloria Hewitt. The SilverBell or a knitted cap and boottees or a newborn went to JillMorrison o Paterangi branch.

Heres a verse rom the winning poem Our Branchthat wonSue Hall the Silver Vase:

Rural Women at Wharepapa stand like a golden chainWelcoming hands to newcomers, extended again and againSo many years o riendship - standing the test o timeHeartaches and ears, laughter and tears, shared through much olies prime.

Kids RockDuring the recents c h o o l h o l i d a y s

Wharepapa Southbranch held a Kids DayOut or the childreno their community.Children o all ages

enjoyed a un day atCastlerock or activitiesat the local hall.

The older childrenl e a r n e d t h eundamentals o rockclimbing and abseilingand experienced theexhilaration o thefying ox. Thanks tothe expertise o branch member Deb Hinde and KevinHammond and a grant rom Trust Waikato, more than 20

children were able to gain condence and learn new skills.

It was supposed to be a kids day with parents having the timeto themselves,said President Pru Fieten,however there werea lot o parents just as keen to be part o the excitement o theday and to have a turn as well.

The younger children had a great day in the hall with hilariousand oten riotous games, painting, a sensory walk, DVDs anda party ood lunch.

Holiday with apurpose

I wouldnt want to go on an ordinary tourist holiday to adeveloping country again. I just dont think it would meananything.Diane Ogle.

Taranaki dairy armers, Les and Diane Ogle recently went toCambodia with Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) and Gecko Trailson an eco-tourism trip called Addventure VSA. Now they saythey wouldnt have it any other way.

The rst week o the two week holiday was spent exploring themagnicent Angkor Wat temple area with 14 other volunteers.While there they learned about the work done by developmentagencies, such as Friends in Phnom Penh, an organisation thathelps street people into jobs. The second week was spent workingat a rural school where theAddventure group painted and set upa library, cataloguing around 800 books. They also helped painta mural and took part in some un English lessons.

Diane says its changed her view o developing countries andwhat just one person can achieve. I saw such resilience in

the ace o such a horric past. The warmth o the people wasunbelievable. Some o these people seem to have come throughthe Pol Pot regime relatively unscathed, or at least able to carryon.

Volunteer Service Abroad saysAdd venture VSA is a orm oresponsible tourism where people who cant commit to a ulltwo year assignment can experience what is being done in aidand development and at the same time get a better idea o someo the challenges acing a developing country.

Diane says it all came home to her when the group visited an eyehospital. Patients were recuperating on hard wooden benches

with no comorts and little assistance. The hospital visit reallyhad an impact.

Addventure VSA will be heading back to Cambodia and toPapua New Guinea early next year. To ind out more go towww.vsa.org.nz

Diane Ogle

All-wool hand-knitted baby singlets to

keep baby smiling are available rom TeKauwhata Branch. Birth to 12 months.

$7 plus postage. Contact AG Hall, 13Homestead Rise, Te Kauwhata or call

(07) 826 3980.



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Introducing our new national councillors We welcome Kerry Maw as our newnational councillor or Canterburyregion. Kerry brings enthusiasmand many proessional and personalexperiences to the role and abackground in arming and rural liethat leaves her well placed to represent

members in the area.

Born and raised in Christchurch,Kerry has worked or MAF in both

administrative and management roles. As Systems Manageror the meat inspection service she had a challenging rolecovering quality system, equal employment opportunities andcommunications strategies, project management and publicrelations.

She has ve children and arms with her husband Geo at Dorie,a arming district about 15km towards the coast rom Rakaia. Thecouple has 1100 acres, where they arm sheep and grow crops

such as potatoes, peas, wheat, white clover and ryegrass.

Kerry is active in the community, has a diploma in ChildPsychology and is currently studying towards a Certicate inLearning Support.

She joined Rural Women New Zealand two years ago and iscurrently President o Seaeld Branch in mid Canterbury. In herspare time she tries to keep up with interests such as gardening,reading, pen-palling, theatre and embroidery.

Rural Women New Zealands

new National Councillor or

Southland and Otago, Jocelyn

McIlraith, sees her new role

as an opportunity to promote

issues that impact on rural

communities.

Jocelyn McIlraith is a reelance

journalist with a background in

teaching. She and her husband own a hill country sheep

and bee arm at Kurow.

I have always been involved in my rural community asI believe it is important to contribute in a voluntary way.For me, its about getting out there and being proactiveto ensure rural people have access to essential serviceslike education, health and a rural police orce. Rural NewZealand makes a valuable contribution to export earnings,

so I believe we earn our right to essential services just asour city cousins do.

Jocelyn has been a Rural Women New Zealand Waitaki Branchmember or over 20 years and North Otago Provincial Presidentsince 2005.

Health and social issues are her particular interest and she seesher new position as a natural extension o her involvement in

local politics and community organisations.

Curling At Naseby

Mary OConnell hones her skills on the ice

Recently 16 members o the Macraes-Dunback Branch tried

the sport o curling at New Zealands rst international andOlympic indoor curling rink at Naseby, in the Maniototo.This is the only dedicated indoor curling rink in the southern

hemisphere and all the members enjoyed the experience.

Recognising a lifetime of service

Otaio gets prepared

I theres an emergency in Otaio, local people will be that muchsaer and more comortable thanks to Otaio Branch RWNZ. Thegroup recently presented the Civil Deence Sector Post with a rstaid kit and blankets. Members raised money or the rst aid kitby holding a car boot sale and the blankets were donated by theWaimate Red Cross.

A lietime o community

service was honouredlast month when BeverleyM c C a w r e c e i v e d aQueens Service Medal atGovernment House.

Bev has been an RWNZmember since 1958, butthat is only a start to hercommunity involvement.She was an instigator othe Kurow CommunityCentre, a local bodycouncillor or many years,a trustee o the Otago Adverse Trust, a JP and

North Otago Registrar and a arm budget advisor. She has also astrong interest in the Presbyterian Church where she is currentlyan elder and secretary o the Parish Management Committee, andhas held the role o secretary or treasurer or numerous other localgroups. She has been a member o the Girl Guide Movementsince 1945, becoming Divisional Commissioner in 1980.

Bev McCaw with the Governor

G e n e r a l , t h e H o n A n a n d

Satyanand

Hot Tip: What to do with used energy

saving lightbulbs. These can now be easilyrecycled. 200 Shell service stations have set

up dropo points in a pilot scheme begunlast month. Previously the used bulbs,

which contain a small amount o poisonousmercury, had to be taken to a hazardous

waste depot at a landll.



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welcome to new membersLinda Savell, Jennifer Hutson - Pauatahanui Women

in Farming

Bronwyn Huddleston, Leona Trimble, Lesley Hale

- Hampden

Marion Wilson - Middlemarch

Angela Hammond, Janet Newton, Carol Bell, Pam

Newson - Pukearuhe-Waitoitoi

Dulcie McArthur, Diana McGregor, Judy Goodall,

Sonji Armstrong - MahenoRaywn MacDonald - Tahuna

Sue Letham, Anne Watson, Joy Hydes - Winchmore

Fiona Ward, Pam Shand - Lynnford

Diana Spittal - Brightwater

Karen Aitken, Morag Tippett, Lynne Stewert, Susan

Ibbotson, Sharon Macdonald, Ali Wilson - Fiordland

Christine Davies - Lower North Women in Agribusiness

Rachael Hyland - Korakonui

Chris Watkinson - Korakonui

farewell to old friends

Gwen Vernon, Beverley Powell - Hamilton

May Crossett - Kaikohe

Mary Gordge - Tahuna

Mary Corkill - Paterangi

Judith Death - Fraser Road

Moira Toomath -Crossroads

Sylvia Crawford - Hawea Flat

Evelyn OConnell, Helen (Nell) Matheson - Middlemarch

Coila Bryson - Waikouaiti

Colleen Reid - Rai Valley

Jean McCulloch - Poatiri

Josephine (Jo) Cullen - Te Kauwhata

Frances Swain - East InvercargillDorothy Lemon - Winchmore

Lorraine Sinclair - Mabel Bush

Esther Croft QSM - North Otago

Florence Smaill - Blenheim

Sally Gallagher - Skinner Road

Irene McEachen - Oamaru

Edna Spencer - Mauriceville-Ihurau

Alice Lawrence - Hawera

Helen Tennent JP, QSO - Mangatoro

honours board

Provincial Life Membership

Dorothy Nevill - Central Otago

Jocelyn Cresswell - Marlborough

Elaine OConnor - Nelson

Provincial Bar of Honour

Mary Neal - Marlborough

Branch Life Membership

Helen Zieltjes, Beverley Roper, Fraser Road

June Schneller - Stratford

Nancy Morrison, Joyce Brown - Kawhia

Branch Bar of Honour

Diane Mavor, Doreen Mavor, Denise Mavor, Oamaru

June Goldthorpe - Maheno Branch

Valuing Volunteers

Tarras Branch, near Wanaka, came runner-up in the Environmentand Heritage section o the recent TrustPower Central OtagoVolunteers Awards, or their recycling depot. The RWNZ groupspearheaded the project that also involved the local school andWastebusters, an Alexandra-based, community-owned, recycling

organisation. The Tarras Recovery Depot is at the local primaryschool and a local company transports the bags o recycling wasteto Cromwell or sorting.

This project, and so many others that our members becomeinvolved in, orms part o a $3 billion dollar a year contributionthat unpaid volunteers make to the economy - the equivalent o133,799 unpaid ull-time positions.

The value o contributions o non-prot institutions has alsobeen measured in terms o gross domestic product, and is on aa similar scale to the tourism sector, which accounts or 4.8% oGDP or $6.9 billion per annum.

These impressive gures emerge in the Non-Proft InstitutionsSatellite Account Report, published by Statistics New Zealand inAugust. This key report now puts a value on the contribution ounpaid volunteers and quanties the size, scale and scope o thenon-prot sector.

Timaru Mayor,

Janie Annear,

presents Jean

M c K e o w n

with a Timaru

C o m m u n i t y

Award

Recognition also goes to Jeane McKeown o Lyalldale Branch, whowas presented with a Timaru District Council Community Awardceremony recently. She was nominated by South CanterburyProvincial in recognition o the work, the riendship and thededicated support she has given to RWNZ at both Branch andProvincial level, as well as the wider community.

Provincial president, Margaret Chapman, saysJean has been a well

respected and active member o RWNZ or 62 years and served onProvincial rom 1987 to 2005. Her leadership and organisationalskills are highly valued. She is involved with the Provincial LiaisonGroup with Access Homehealth and has an ongoing interest in the

Associated Country Women o the World.



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In June, Amanda Mason rom rural Iowa, USA, joined RWNZsnational oce sta or a 10 week internship. Amanda came to

RWNZ through AustraLearn, a study abroad program based in theUnited States specialising in nding US and Canadian universitystudents internships and semester programs in Australia, NewZealand, and the Pacic Islands.

Amanda is inishing up her BA degrees in psychology andsociology at Iowa Wesleyan College, beore going on to graduateschool at Illinois State University to study or her masters degreein developmental psychology and a certiicate in womensstudies.

Growing up in a small arming community in southeasternIowa, Amanda knows rst-hand what lie is like living in a ruralenvironment. Iowa is best known or its corn, pork and bee;

however, it is getting more dicult or armers to keep up witharming costs.

When asked what she thinks about using ood sources orbiouel, Amanda says, Coming rom a armers perspective,people need to realize that at the end o the day armers need tomake money. I biouel manuacturers are oering the highestprice, then armers have to sell to the highest bidder. Much othe countryside where I live has changed rom good armland tohills covered with mansions and large yards. Without nancialassistance, all armland will eventually just be liestyle blocks. So,the problem isnt using ood sources or biouelthe problem isnot paying armers enough money to grow grain or human and

animal consumption.

Amanda has enjoyed her stay in New Zealand. I am so gladI came to New Zealand to complete my internship with RuralWomen New Zealand! I have met a lot o important people andhave gotten a lot o research experience, which is exactly whatI wanted.

I think its important that New Zealanders realize how infuentialthey can be in their own government. In the US there are somany o us that it is hard to make a dierence, but here peopleare doing it every day.

During her time with RWNZ, Amanda accompanied Noeline

Holt, our EO, to many meetings with stakeholders, and also didresearch into early childhood education in rural areas, looked atRural Impact Assessments (RIA), wrote RWNZs consultationdocument or the Ministry o Social Developments Five-YearAction plan or Out o School Services and created the RuralBulletin Survey.

A US Perspective

I t h i n k i t simportant that New

Zealanders realizehow infuential theycan be in their own

government. In theUS there are so manyo us that it is hardto make a dierence,but here people aredoing it every day.- Amanda Mason

Amanda Mason

Winners o the Pup Pen to Paddock book draw

in our last magazine were Eleanor Nimmo,

L.J.Pringle and Jenny Campbell.

Happy AnniversariesSeveral of our branches have had important birthdays

recently. Glenroy celebrated 60 years, with a lunchattended by seven foundation members including Irene

Davies, the rst president, and Mary Hendon, the rstsecretary, who together cut the jubilee cake.

Three family members from Airedale Rosebery branchwere awarded Bars of Honour at the groups 75th birthdayheld at Moeraki, south of Oamaru. Our congratulations

to sisters-in-law Doreen Mavor, Denise Mavor and DianeMavor who received their awards for over 100 years ofservice clocked up between them.

More than 80 people attended the 75th anniversary lunch for

South Canterbury Provincial at Pleasant Point in August.Guests included national president, Margaret Chapman, regionalcouncillor Kerry Maw, Mayor Janie Annear and Jo Goodhew MP.

Margaret Chapman said that the organisation is just as relevantin todays society as it was when it began in South Canterbury in1932. Social, education, health, land and environmental issues

still need to be addressed to strengthen rural communities.

Hamilton Branchs 80th birthday was made all the more specialby the presence of Myra Fairmaid, now 104 years old. She joinedour organisation 64 years ago.

Te Kauwhata Branch celebrated its 70th birthday with onefoundation member present.

The Cambridge Branch marked its 80th birthday recently with

a lunch. Nancy Myers, a member for 60 years, said the branch

donates to the Red Cross, St John, Cambridge Social Servicesand the re brigade, putting in to action RWNZs motto, service

simply given.

Stratford Branch also celebrated its 80th birthday recently witha lunch attended by 73 members and friends. Special guests werenance chair Jacky Stafford, regional councillor Sue Saunders and

Val Tarrant, former ACWW projects committee chair.

Where did you get that hat? Skinner Road Branch members from

Central Taranaki celebrated their 70th jubilee with a lunch at theMidhirst Tavern. They donned their nest hats for the occasion.

Doreen Mavor, Denise Mavor and Diane Mavor


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Ofcial Journal of Rural Women New Zealand PO Box 12021, Wellington Tel 04 473 5524 Fax 04 472 8946

Email [email protected] www.ruralwomen.org ISSN no 1171-4425

Editor: Head Ofce, PO Box 12021 Wellington Printer: Precise Print & Design, Paraparaumu

Women in Farming

Two things sheep armers could be well rid o to reduce costs in thecurrent low-prot times are dags and worms. This was the themeo a seminar by retired scientist Dr Clive Dalton at Pauatahanuirecently, hosted by the local Women in Farming group.

Dr Dalton said the average age o a sheep armer is now 55 years. With approaching hip and knee problems added tocrook backs, dagging is a job that has to stop.

Even when shearers can be ound to do dagging, its nowcosting at least 70c per sheep to remove a worthless product.Investing thousands o dollars in a sheep handling machineis not the answer either, as this still means time wasted in achore that could be better spent on other things.

The solution to both dags and worms is breeding, and DrDalton outlined a simple approach, obvious to anyone who

looks at the paddock where sheep sleep. In their aecalormations you can see a clear expression o their genetic

variation or good health, as they are all on the same eed.

Dr Dalton uses ve grades to classiy sheep aeces. At thermer end are marbles and hand grenades, while the soter

varieties range rom plops and slops to the highly undesirablescours.

Dags are caused by sloppy aeces sticking to wool, but marblesand hand grenades dont stick and orm dags. So i we selectsheep or ability to pass marbles, regardless o the eed theyare on, we will get rid o dags and worms in the one go.

Marbles are a good indication o good digestion, good eedconversion and good natural immunity. Worm larvae die asterin marbles than in sot aeces because o the greater suracearea which increases desiccation and radiation. At least 90% oa worm problem is in larvae on the paddock, so having sheep

Rattling Their Dagspassing marbles is the only way to reduce it.

There is now strong evidence coming through rom armersselecting their sheep or marbles that the aecal egg count in

marbled aeces is lowerthan in plops, slops andscours, so these are clearlythe sheep to breed rom tocut down on chemicals andmove towards sustainablearmingDr Dalton said.

Dr Dalton said the lessdrench given to youngsheep up to eight monthsold the better, as this is the

stage their natural geneticimmunity is developingand they need a wormchallenge or this.

Drenching at dockingshould be avoided along

with drenching at weaning. Any drenching should be doneon the basis o aecal egg counts and not by the calendar.Lambs should be let as long as possible without drench but

with great vigilance in case a crisis such as Barbers Pole wormsappears. Veterinary advice should be sought to work out anappropriate programme and the products to be used to avoid

drench resistance increasing. Drenching ewes, especially withlong-acting products to avoid dagging is not a solution.

When buying rams or next season, armers need to approachtheir ram breeder in good time to say they only want to seerams that produce marbles or hand grenades ater at least twomonths without any orm o drench,Dr Dalton said.

Dr Daltons book Internal parasites o sheep and their control now and in the uture provides ull details on all you mightwant to know about dagging and worms. It is available romRural Women New Zealands head oce 30 HawkestoneStreet, Wellington or $20. Or email [email protected]. We also have a copy o the book to give away. To goin the draw, send an email or write your name on the back oan envelope and post to the above address.

Dr Clive Dalton

September 2007 Rural Women Magazine, New Zealand

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Transcript of September 2007 Rural Women Magazine, New Zealand