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Australian trip hones rural woman's directorship skills

Margaret Chapman, national councillor for Rural Women New Zealand was given the opportunity to attend a prestigious event in Canberra last month.

Margaret was awarded scholarship funding from Meat & Wool New Zealand and Rural Women New Zealand to attend the week long corporate governance course for rural women, and was the only New Zealander to attend.

Of the twenty Australian women on the course, seven were winners of the State Rural Woman of the Year Awards, while the rest were winners of industry partnership programmes between the Australian Ministry of Agriculture and various rural industry sectors.

Margaret says the intensive six-day diploma course was exhausting but very beneficial, covering a number of topics from the practice of directorship to strategic planning and risk management.

“It has given me a lot more confidence in my role as a board member for Rural Women New Zealand, and how I can work more effectively. It was also a wonderful networking opportunity,” she says.

The participants also attended a civic reception at Parliament where each was presented with a plaque by the Australian Minister of Agriculture, Warren Truss.

Meat & Wool New Zealand Chief Executive Mark Jeffries says its support of Rural Women New Zealand is part of a programme to encourage leadership development among beef and sheep producers.  “Rural Women New Zealand is an important organisation to the nation's rural communities and we are pleased to be associated with the development of their leaders,” he says.

For more information contact:

Rebecca Barclay, Communications Project Officer, Meat & Wool New Zealand, / or Jackie Edkins, Communications Officer, Rural Women New Zealand, .

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