Ōtane woman Lou White talks about her experience with the You Matter programme. Photo / Warren Buckland
Ōtane woman Lou White talks about her experience with the You Matter programme. Photo / Warren Buckland
Mother of three, farmer’s wife and relief teacher Lou White is picking up the pieces after life changed drastically this year.
White and husband Simon’s sheep, beef and cropping farm in Ōtāne was severely damaged when the Waipawa River burst during Cyclone Gabrielle.
The couple faced a massive cleanup afterlosing 300 hectares of vegetable crop, and considerable loss of income for the season.
“We didn’t know the extent of the damage, and we don’t really like to ask for help, so Simon just got on with it and we cleared it up ourselves,” White said.
Shortly after a family friend suggested she participate in the Agri-Women’s Development Trust You Matter programme, she got off the phone to hear her husband had been in a severe tractor accident while cleaning up silt.
After supporting him through hospital and his rehab journey, she revisited the idea of You Matter and took the opportunity to participate in the programme.
Lou White with her family at a new channel created on the farm after Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Warren Buckland
“I thought it would be a really beneficial thing for me to do not only with the floods but with the accident as well. I didn’t really know what to expect to be honest, because us busy mums we kind of get through day by day.”
Agri-Women’s Development Trust general manager Lisa Sims said the programme is designed to help women with cyclone recovery.
“It’s about giving them some time out, allowing them to take a break, connect with other women who have been through similar but different experiences and really put some support around them,” Sims said.
With both in person and online modules running for seven weeks, the programme allows women to establish and maintain connections, build resilience, focus on wellbeing and take time out away.
“We run a lot of other programmes, and we find that when we connect a group of women who have some sort of common experiences, and can share their goals and aspirations for where they’re going then it creates quite a powerful ripple effect across not only themselves but their families and their businesses.”
White said it was good for dealing with challenges in life.
“A big thing was addressing the balance of being a busy mum and rural woman, the guilt factor of prioritising yourself but actually it’s okay and it’s so beneficial to take time out for yourself.
“A lot of us feel guilty if we do, but we shouldn’t you can’t give everything to others if you have got nothing left for yourself.”
Registrations close on October 9 and are limited to 14 women.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. Michaela covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news, and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
