A rural health road map, which sets out top priorities for healthier rural communities, is being explored as one avenue to address the challenges the modern farmer faces.
The Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand (RHAANZ) met last week in Wellington for it second annual Rural Fest, in partnership with Federated Farmers.
For farmers, the focus was on increasing pressure from industry compliance and the stress from dealing with frequent and intense adverse events.
The workshop's principal goal was to give life to the road map, developed following the inaugural Rural Fest in May last year.
Poor broadband connectivity was also raised, along with access to health services and a burnt-out and ageing rural health workforce with lack of succession planning -- all of which are important to keeping farmers connected, and ensuring they have access to services when they need them.