The Country 17/06/25: Sandra Matthews talks to Jamie Mackay

The national president of Rural Women NZ comments on the (sometimes) emotional subject of HRT patches.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sandra Matthews is a Gisbon farmer. She is also the
National President of Rural Women in Z. I don't know
how I go about this one. I might have to
tippy toe around it. Hormone replacement treatment for menopause or woman.
I guess this could be a savior for rural men.
Or am I being a bit cheeky there?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Sandra, Oh, Jamie, you're always cheeky. Good afternoon. It could
be a savior for rural men, the women that are
in periorm minopause and menopause and postmenopause. This is a
game changer for women that go through this period of life,
and we all go through it.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
I looked at your press release and I was thinking,
I'm due to chat to Sandra. Where do I go? Sandra, Ah, Sandra, Sandra,
the other one, Sandra. This is Assandra and Assandra. The
other one is Sandra Faulkner. And she's in the news.
Actually she's in the news. She's jumping up and down
today on behalf of Federated Farmers about rates. I couldn't

(00:55):
agree with them. More farmers get absolutely ripped off for
rates from local body authorities. Don't you reckon that'll get
your hormonal.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Now, Jamie, Yes, yeah, it does. I mean, let's think
about right around the country. The percentage of rate increases
is ridiculous. How do we sustain that in our businesses,
in our farming businesses. And we don't get a lot
for it, that's for sure.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
No, that's absolutely. You don't get the swimming pool, the library,
a lot of the stuff that US TOW needs just
take for granted. Rates. Don't start me on. This should
be user pays, not not a wealth tax. Talk to
me about these HRT Patches' decision. That's good that they're
going to fund another one. One of the issues though,
and it's not only for hormone replacement of medicine, it's

(01:41):
for any sort of medicine. That you can't go to
a doctor and get a prescription that will last for
more than a month. It seems silly, especially for rural
women who may have to travel a couple of hours
each way to renew a prescription. It's weird.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, it's a prescription can be done for a longer time, Jamie.
It's the actual dispensing of the prescription. So when a
woman goes into to grab their patches, they can only
be dispensed one month's supply because of the or what
Farmak is saying that the supply constraints. So for a
royal woman port in View, if you're going to town

(02:17):
and they don't have your patch, or you know you're
not going for another month or six weeks, you can't
get an extra supply to take you through. So what
we are advocating for is that three months supply, especially
for real women that have to drive an hour and
a half each way to get to a chemist, will
get to town.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
YEP, totally with you there. Let's move on from the
subject that spakes me slightly uncomfortable.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Talk to me.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
Talk to me about rural connectivity.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, that's one thing that we've been heavily advocating for.
The copper network being deregulated and obviously closed down. So
it is aging. We do understand that, but they're still
around eighty thousand remaining people on that Copper Copper network
and we've got members right around the country. This thing,
we've got no phone, we've got no cell tower. What
are we going to do? So we're really advocating with

(03:06):
Coorus and with the ministers and departments about a public
education campaign around the alternatives, because there are alternatives, but
some of them are quite expensive, so and how do
we bring people along in this change that have literacy barriers.
So that's what we're advocating for at the moment and
heavily involved in.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Yeah, that's the best thing we could do for rural productivity.
A reduce the rates AWE but for the farmers, but
b have much better connectivity, broadband coverage and obviously mobile reception.
Just to finish on this is a really good promotion,
I guess is it for your one hundreds or one
hundred and fiftieth at Rural Women.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
And Z it's our centennialso it's one hundred years in
nineteen twenty five that we kick off in July, and
these wonderful members down in the bottom of the North
Island has spent four years making on the Rural Woman
Rose with Matthew's Nursery and it's been released for sale
and we have a limited number left on our website.

(04:07):
So we'd love members of our rural community to have
a look a gorgeous lilac colored rose, heavily centered flowers
continuously and there's a few left on the website. So
jump on and grab one.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
Has it got prickles thorns on it?

Speaker 2 (04:23):
Well? Yeah, you know it's thorny as they are, the
more beautiful they are. But I don't think this has
got a lot of thorns. But I haven't seen the
rose itself as yet. But it's stunning Jamie, and definitely
worse one for your gardener.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
Hey, you really quickly to finish on. How's the farming
season going in Gisbon.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Farming seasons good. We've had a little bit more rain
than probably what we need, but I'm never going to
complain about little bits of rain. We've got great grass growth,
there's still growth at the moment. The farmers are looking
at picture. Stock are doing well, cattle are doing well,
sheep doing well. Really from a farming perspective up here,
I don't see we have a lot to complain about.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
Good on you, Thanks for your time, Sandra Matthews, National
President of Rural Women and ZED. Always good to catch up.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
Thanks lot