The Aftersocks™ NZ campaign has been gearing up over the last few months to become a permanent sub brand of Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) as our rural community continues to endure natural disasters and adverse events.

This award-winning philanthropic initiative assists affected individuals, community groups and organisations in rural areas, with a grant, following disruptive environmental events.

Over 21,000 pairs of New Zealand made merino socks have been sold, with proceeds contributing over $130,000 into communities since 2010. The recent Kaikōura earthquakes heightened the need to continue this support and include adverse events that have since followed; fire, floods and drought.

To support this campaign, RWNZ have launched a website www.aftersocks.nz, where you can Buy, Wear and Share your support with others. You can also apply to the Adverse Events Relief Fund for financial support, through this website. Grants to $1,000, can be approved for a wide range of needs, to those affected in the rural sector.

RWNZ National President, Fiona Gower, is encouraging members to join the campaign on social media, “wear and share your support by uploading a photo and tagging the @aftersocksnz Facebook page. We want to see you wearing your pair of Aftersocks™ in support of affected rural communities”. The campaign aims to attract support for the fund, to then distribute back into those rural communities most in need.

The Aftersocks™ NZ campaign promotes New Zealand supporting New Zealand made, supporting New Zealanders. The rural sector is a valuable industry, and what better way to continue to support this, than producing a product from merino wool. RWNZ has teamed up with The New Zealand Sock Company in Ashburton to produce Aftersocks™. This relationship now spans 6 years, with Sales Manager Jared Moore seeing it as “a privilege to work alongside Rural Women New Zealand, they are proactive, think outside the square, and they are doing great things in the wider community”.

Due to the rise of production costs, there has been an increase in the price of Aftersocks™ from $20.00 - $23.00 including GST.

RWNZ would like to encourage anyone who requires assistance following disruptive environmental events, to visit www.aftersocks.nz and apply for the Adverse Events Relief Fund. If you, your Group, Provincial, or Branch would like to make a donation to the fund, please make your deposits into the RWNZ account, details listed below. Alternatively, if you would like to speak to us directly please call the RWNZ National Office on 0800 256 467 during normal office hours.

Donation Details:
Rural Women New Zealand
ANZ: 06-0501-0778590-00
Reference: Adverse Fund
To request a donation receipt please email [email protected]

 

Dreams have come true for eleven rural schools who are the lucky recipients of $2000 gardening grants announced by Rural Women New Zealand and Farmlands. 

The scheme aims to equip schools to develop productive vegetable gardens and orchards.

“This is the fourth year we’ve given out the gardening grants with funds from the Farmlands Ladies Nights,” says Rural Women New Zealand national president, Wendy McGowan.

“It’s a great way to help schools teach children how easy it is to grow food and what makes a healthy diet. In past years the gardening grants have been used by schools to build tunnel houses, composting systems, buy seeds, plants, fruit trees and gardening equipment.”

This year 52 North Island schools and 38 South Island schools applied for the grants.

“The entries were colourful and enthusiastic, and in some cases included videos created by the children showing what they hoped to achieve in their gardens.”

The lucky winners are:

Otamarakau School, Bay of Plenty
Paparoa Primary School, Northland
Te Horo School, Kapiti
Wharepapa South School, Waikato
Norfolk School, Taranaki
Patoka School, Hawke’s Bay
Lauriston School, Mid Canterbury
Seddon School, Marlborough
Clutha Valley Primary School, Otago
Lake Brunner School, West Coast
Waianiwa School, Southland

The cheques will be presented to the schools at the beginning of the new term.

The schools will also receive fertiliser from Agrisea NZ Ltd and a copy of ‘A Good Harvest – recipes from the gardens of Rural Women New Zealand’ so the children can put all their produce to good use.
Farmlands’ chief executive, Brent Esler, says the company is proud to continue its support of Rural Women New Zealand and the rural school garden grants.

“As a rural co-operative it just makes sense for us to support schools that make up the hubs of the rural communities we service.”

The Solomon Islands have been battered by flooding and recent earthquakes. Rural Women would like to raise funds for the schools affected in order to support their recovery. Books and equipment will be needed to replace those gone missing.

 

You can do this a few ways:

1. Visit us on Give a Little here, or click the Donate Now image below.
2. Raise funds in your community and direct deposit into our Rural Women account. If you need this, please contact head office. Please note in your deposit "Solomon Islands."
3. Send a cheque made out to Rural Women New Zealand and post to: Rural Women New Zealand PO Box 12-021 Thorndon 6144. With a note to give to Solomon Islands.

Please let us know any ideas you have for events or activities to raise funds so that we can publicise and share these with our members.

Fancy a raffle fundraiser? Random House has kindly donated six copies of A Good Baking Day that can be used for a raffle or other fundraising prize for the Solomon Appeal. First come first served to request one these – contact [email protected].

Mary McTavish, our national councillor for Bay of Plenty Coromandel, recently presented a cheque for $2000 to Te Ranga school – the first of 10 gardening grants being given to rural schools this year with funds raised from the Farmlands Ladies Nights.

Acting Principal, Janet Blaauw, said, "I would just like to say a HUGE thank you for the gardening grant that our school received from Rural Women NZ. You all do a fabulous job of helping out rural areas!"

Kiera and Noeline from national office were up at the crack of dawn to take part in the Pat Farry Fun Run/ Walk around Wellington Waterfront in mid- March, supported by friends from The Walking Access Commission, Landcorp and Chorus.

The late Dr Pat Farry was a passionate advocate for rural health. A Trust set up in his name continues his work by providing educational scholarships, which have benefited nine medical students since 2010, who will go on to become rural GPs.

The Trust’s annual Fun Run/Walk supports this scholarship. It is held at the same time as the Rural General Practice Network Conference. National councillors sponsored our staff on the Fun Run/Walk this year.

If you'd like to support the team and the Trust, you can make a donation  via the Givealittle website, or post a cheque to national office.

Pictured above are Penny Mudford, NZ Walking Access Commission board member, Kiera Jacobson, the McKenzie family from Landcorp and Craig Young from Chorus.

The vegetable gardens at South Westland Area School are set for a big boost, thanks to the school winning a $2,000 gardening grant from Rural Women New Zealand and Meridian Energy this week.

Rural Women New Zealand national councillor, Pam Thomlinson, will present the jumbo-sized cheque on behalf of Meridian at a special ceremony to be held at the school on Tuesday 11 December at 9am.  

South Westland Area School was one of fifty-two hopeful South Island rural primary schools that applied for the two grants on offer.  

The other successful application came from Lyttelton Harbour Basin Schools – a grouping of eight schools that collaborate on gardening projects.

Rural Women NZ national president, Liz Evans, said “We are pleased to be able to support children in learning where their food comes from, and how easy it is to grow when you have the right equipment and materials.

“We are also giving the school a copy of our publication “A Good Harvest – Recipes from the Gardens of Rural Women New Zealand” with tips on growing fruit and vegetables, and lots of great recipes for using the produce once it’s grown.”

Meridian is also gifting a copy of the publication to the fifty unsuccessful schools. 

South Westland Area School currently has several small garden plots that are managed by different class levels throughout the school.

However, they struggle with high rainfall, and having to take covers on and off their plots for weeding and planting.

The $2,000 gardening grant will be used to buy a tunnel house with irrigation to extend and optimise the growing season.

Children at six North Island rural schools will be encouraged to get their hands dirty as they develop vegetable gardens and orchards after being selected as the lucky winners of $2000 gardening grants.

Rural Women New Zealand and Farmlands will present the cheques to the schools over the coming week.

National president, Liz Evans, says “This is the third time that Rural Women New Zealand and Farmlands have collaborated to distribute the proceeds of the popular Farmlands Ladies Nights, which are held around the North Island during October.

“The resurgence of interest in eating fresh food and getting back to basics was reflected in the number of applications we received, with 113 rural primary schools applying for grants.”

The money will be used to buy equipment, seedlings or plants to start a vegetable garden or orchard, or further develop one already in place.

The schools will also receive gardening equipment from McGregor’s Gardening, a gardening starter kit from Yates, fertiliser from Agrisea NZ Ltd and a copy of ‘A Good Harvest – recipes from the gardens of Rural Women New Zealand’ so the children can put all their produce to good use.

The successful schools are:

Ohuka School, Wairoa 

Tinui School, Wairarapa

Toko School, Stratford 
Tomorata School, Wellsford 
Pukekawa School, Tuakau 

Tauriko School, Tauranga 

To celebrate the International Day of Rural Women on 15 October, we presented a second car to Rainbow Place, which will be used by its nurses and therapists to travel to families coping with grief and loss due to serious illness or the death of a loved one.

“We presented the first car to Rainbow Place this time last year, thanks to fundraising by Rural Women and a generous bequest from one of our treasured members, Chica Gilmer,” says Rukuhia branch spokesperson, Janet Williams.

Now Chica Gilmer’s estate has made available further funds to present a second car to Rainbow Place, the children and young people’s service of Hospice Waikato.

“Children expecting a visit from a Rainbow Place nurse or therapist can look forward to seeing the cheeky bright red cars, sporting the number plates ‘Chica’ and ‘Gilmer’,” says Janet Williams.

The second car will also mean shorter waiting times for families to see a therapist or nurse, who travel hundreds of kilometers each month throughout the Waikato, King Country,Thames and Coromandel, supporting children and young people.

Both cars have been supplied at by Jim Wright Nissan, who has come up with a generous deal on the new Nissan Micra vehicles.

Penny Parsons, Manager of Rainbow Place, says “The Rainbow Place team are so grateful. We just want to say a huge thank you, not only on behalf of the staff, but also on behalf of the children, young people and their families who we now visit, and those we will be visiting in the future. It is the support of our local community that enables us to carry on doing our work with children young people and their families going through ‘tough stuff’.”

Pictured here are Janet Williams and Jim Wright of Jim Wright Nissan who supplied the car.

Rural Women New Zealand is encouraging youngsters to experience the magic of growing vegetables and fruit by giving away grants to North and South Island rural primary schools to set up or further develop gardens and orchards.

Rural Women New Zealand has partnered with Meridian and Farmlands, which are funding $2,000 cash grants for schools to buy equipment, seedlings or plants.

Click on the links below to find out more:

North Island

South Island

Rural Women New Zealand, in partnership with Meridian has two Fruit and Vege Garden Grants to give away to two South Island primary schools.

Grant Includes:

• $2,000 cash to be used to buy equipment, seedlings or plants to start a vegetable or fruit garden, or further develop one already in place.
• A copy of A Good Harvest - Recipes from the gardens of Rural Women New Zealand.

Find out how to apply here... www.ruralwomen.org.nz/SthIslandSchoolGrants