Women pass Wairarapa muster

Alfredton farmer Lindy Nelson's vision to realise the untapped potential of women in agriculture became clearer this month when the first 11 participants in the Escalator programme graduated.
Developed by the Agri-Women's Development Trust, the programme is one of two arising from Ms Nelson's extensive research into the role of women in the rural sector and low participation rates at leadership and governance level.
"The completion of the programme is really only the beginning of an evolving process for the women who will receive on-going support from the trust and industry partners," Ms Nelson said. "Now it's about the women selecting where to use the skills, ideas and networks they've developed and putting them into practice in a measured and targeted way."
Ms Nelson founded the trust in 2009 while participating in the Kellogg Rural Leadership programme and researching the barriers women face when they want to take their skills to new levels.
The 11-month scheme involved five learning modules in Wellington, individualised distance learning and professional development, supported by the trust, industry organisations and mentors. Topics included leadership, governance, strategy, finance, communication, critical thinking and human resources.
Interest in and support for the programme has been strong across the agricultural sector, including by Beef + Lamb NZ, Landcorp Farming, Agmardt, Ballance Agri-Nutrients and AsureQuality, and Ms Nelson said the trust's ethos of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with its participants had been adopted by the programme's sponsors and industry supporters. "They have shared their knowledge, resources, networks, expertise and then, often, themselves to provide collegial and mentoring support to our participants."
This included taking part in the classroom, networking, involvement in a governance forum, being available for interviews, sharing knowledge of programme development and helping with resources.
The programme has resulted in individual initiatives, including enrolment in postgraduate study, election to industry boards and on-going engagement with experienced mentors.
"Each woman is now developing a five-year individual plan including their leadership visions and who will be involved in that. They have identified their skill sets and how these can be aligned with areas in which they wish to engage within the agricultural sector and their communities.
"This first group of women is not only keen to continue to network as a group but has shown a strong desire to support the next participants on to the programme."
Escalator, which is also supported by the Silver Fern Farms educational trust, Burnside Hart, NZX Agri and the Lottery Grants Board, will be evaluated over the next two months, followed by recruitment for the next programme, which begins in February 2012.
The trust's second programme, First Steps, began in Masterton last month. The community-based, two-day workshop aims to give women greater confidence and insight into the value potential of their skills and a sense of their potential.