The Country 29/08/25: Craig Wiggins talks to Jamie Mackay

MATES in Construction New Zealand is proud to announce an exciting new collaboration with grassroots rural mental health charitable trust Whatever with Wiggy through their "Lean on a Gate" initiative.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now Craig Weggy Wiggins joins us out of mid Canterbury.
There's your favor there, Giggy. I think I've got you
to hear. You're doing a great job. Do you work
in with farm Strong at all?

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yeah, we do, mate, but probably what we're doing, like
Farmstrong do a great job with wellness and well being,
we're actually doing something pretty incredible with strong people make
strong communities, and how you can connect with people and
reach out to them when they are in need, and
especially the rural service industries. You know, our stock agents
are agronomous. Even the lady at the front of the

(00:32):
desk and the rural schools can tell when the clients
and colleagues aren't trucking too well. And how do they
actually have those conversations with them and where do they
go for help? And so that's kind of where we've
been looking at. And for the last four years Slade
mcfallan and I have been on the road doing this
work and we've been to some amazing places and clubs
in New Zealand have had us in fourteen or fifteen

(00:53):
different venues this year, and what the people are telling
us is we need to know how to actually look
after our own people and so blessed. You know, there's
a couple of grown men crying the other day in
the boardroom at Mates in Construction when they agreed to
come in to help out with their training program into
rural New Zealand. So lean on the gate and Mates

(01:15):
and Construction have a memorandum of understanding where we will
be able to go into a community and actually train
people to connect with those people that are in need,
have case management and O eight hundred numbers support behind
them and also right through the suicide assist trained eventually
for those that really want to take that step into
this realm, and it's a lot a one stop shop.
We will revisit those connectors and we look after them

(01:38):
in the future to see what they're saying, see what
they need support with and help them too. So this
is a really big thing for mental health and wellbeing
and it shifts the gate way back up off the
edge of the cloth. If we can increase our communities
knowledge awareness and connectivity.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Well good on you, Wigi. And it's been a tragic
week for suicide here in New Zealand. We know that
rural folker farmers are one and a half times more
likely to commit suicide. Tragic as that sounds as urban folk.
And then I know you're working with Slade McFarlane. With
the construction industry, they've got terrible rates there, not good
stats at all. And the construction industry, as we know

(02:17):
right at the moment the New Zealand is going through
tough times.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
One hundred percent. And you know, if you look at construction,
I think you know, I've been able to open the
eyes to mates and construction as to what's out he
have been constructed in rural New Zealand. Even if you
look at fencing contractors, et cetera, which I'm the patron for,
they they've been really supportive of what we're doing because
they believe in it too. And you know, Slades had
his own journeys through mental health and wellbeing and him

(02:41):
and I have been working really hard. We know that
we need this and even Wayne Langford said the other
day on the podcast, you know the time for talking
about it and having guest speakers is probably over. We
actually need to move to the next phase, which is
actually improving our own wellbeing and strength and communities. And
that's what we're offering and we're going to set up

(03:01):
a pilot a launch here in Eshburton in October where
I'm going to knock on some doors and get some
representatives from companies and individual people can come along as
well and actually hold that first training. Eshburton, Mid Canterbury
has quite shocking stats and around mental health, and then
we'll roll it out to the rest of the community.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
Yeah. Sorry, we go just on Mid Canterbury where you're based.
How's the season treating you.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
It's a beautiful day here today. I mean we've had
a really really wet winter. It's probably been one of
the wettest windows we've had for a long time. But
by the looks of the two carves that we just
pulled out this morning, I mean they're done really well inside.
But yeah, it's a beautiful day to day, thank goodness.
But we've had the personal wistness too, so that could
dry things out.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Yeah, okay, good on. You keep up the great work
mates and construction with Slade McFarland and lean on a
gate talk to a mate mental health. Mental Health Initiative's.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
Well done, thanks Jamie, Thanks every Yeah there we.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
Go, Craig Worgie Wagons downhearted if you are a bit downhearted. Remember,
a problem shared is a problem halved.