Chartered accountants are being trained to do more for farmers and rural businesses than just look after the books.
As part of a series of workshops organised by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ), rural chartered accountants are being trained to recognise, and support, the mental health challenges faced by their clients.
CA ANZ central North Island regional manager Neal McDiarmid said the combined challenges of working on the land, ongoing technological changes and having little control over events such as droughts make farming one of the country's most stressful occupations.
However, research has shown that people living in rural areas visit mental health specialists less often than their urban counterparts.
"Rural chartered accountants have very close relationships – sometimes friendships – with their clients, often spanning generations of farmers," Mr McDiarmid said.