Men's mental health has generated more attention and awareness, but one expert has warned there's still some progress to be made.
Federated Farmers' Wayne Langford has spoken out about the work that needs to be done - and he joined the Afternoons team to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from news Talk zed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcast now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
We're talking about men's mental health, particularly in the rural sector.
It was on the back of an amazing event you
were part of Matt's in Featherston.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, that's right, and down at the Featherston book Town
on a men's panel with Wayne Langford, the National President
of Federated Farmers. Patty Gower was there, Phil quinn It
it was a fantastic chat, but it actually hit me
quite hard. And you know, I sort of done a
bit of preparation in advance of the speech, but then
just hearing the stories and the full magnitude of how
(00:49):
rough it is out there in rural communities when it
comes to mental health at the moment actually actually hit
me pretty hard.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Yeah. On the line right now is Federated Farmers Dairy
Industry chair person and a man who was also on
the panel in Featherston, Wayne Langford. Wayne, very good afternoon
to you.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
Hey, it's good to be here. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
It was good chat today. Wayne is good to see you.
And as I said to you after the chat, you
I love your I love your boots. And I've been
looking around for a similar heel. They're a good luck here, Wayne.
What are the distinct struggles that farmers face when it
comes when it comes to mental health?
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Yeah, I mean what's really challenging exactly from a farming circumstances.
The way that I describe it is the way that
the fog rolls in so in the way that you
kind of it sneaks up on you, and it catch
up on you like like you don't even know. Often.
You know, you've got a lot of decisions that you're
making on farm every day, whether bev your animals or
(01:47):
about the weather or about the grass or that. And
then and then you bring that home. On top of that,
You've you know, you've got your wife and your kids
and everything else that's going on at home, and in
a lot of cases that home is also on the
farm as well. So every time you look at the window,
you've got you've got this gun on at home, you
got that going on and outside, and sometimes it all
just sneaks up on you. And when I talk about
(02:07):
the fog, I guess you know, it's kind of if
you think about that from a mental picture, where the
fog rolls in and it just kind of keeps us
here a bit there and you get a bit stuck
and losters as a person in the way to go forward.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
The isolation is a big part of it as well,
isn't it. Wayne, You said something yesterday that that really
hit me and that you know, you've got the tanker
driver turning up to grab the milk and that might
be your only contact for quite a period of time.
But he doesn't know how you're feeling. You don't know
how he's feeling. So is that just the fact you're
(02:40):
out on the land by yourself for a lot of
the time part of the struggle.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Yeah, So there's two sides of this, like so on
one side, it's got a whole lot better. We've got
social media now we can talk to each other. You know,
you got your group chats with your mates, that sort
of thing. You can engage. You know, most of the
rugby grounds now I've got sets of lights so we
train into the dark and sort of thing. So we're
set up to connect better. But the problem is is
that when you are in a bit of a dark place,
(03:06):
when you're not feeling too well, it's also very easy
to go the other way and actually be isolated. So
when you know you've got Royal New Zealand can be
can be really good, we can be better connected, but
at the same time it can be a real dark
trap if you do get isolated and do get stuck.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
How important are those male relationships, Wayne, if there are
men who get into that that space and it can
be hard to reach out to their to their male mates.
But how important are those relationships?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Absolutely, absolutely critical. I mean ultimately, just just being able
to tell anyone that that you're battling and struggling or
just something going on as really tough as it is
literally probably one of the hardest things I ever did.
But but but you know guys, well exactly myself, and
(03:57):
it's not always, but a lot of guys, you know,
they just need that mail camaraderie and they need to
have a joke and we we talk and laugh and
we do things differently as guys. Right, And I talked
yesterday when I was on the pan all that you know,
I joined back up to the senior b rugby club
and it wasn't about it wasn't about playing rugby because
I'm not the best rugby player in the world. It
was about you know, you know, having having someone, having
(04:19):
someone run at me, feeling alive again, you know, but
hanging out with the boys and there's nothing like you know,
when you run out on the field at the start
of a rugby game and you're in that huddle and
you look around and there's there's fifteen guys there and
you and you kind of look at the sideline. Is
there anyone else coming here or is it just us?
You know, and that's that sense of belonging, like, hey,
(04:40):
you know, these boys have got my back and I've
got theirs. If you're you know, if you he's not
in the best place. Sometimes something like that is uh,
you know, just pick you up and makes you feel,
you know, like someone's got your back again.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
What did you say yesterday? You said you may not
have made an entire tackle the entire season, but you
held up one side of the scrum and that counted
for something. When you talk about that, that banter with
you know, between blokes is this is kind of banter
and it's you need it and that's where you kind
of wrap the crap out of each other and you know,
(05:12):
you insult each other and there's there's hard jokes and that,
and that feels good because it's as I was saying before,
that's like if someone can insult you, it kind of
means that they love you because you don't hit them
basically as the rationale of that. But there needs to
be another level to it, doesn't it. Because you've got
the banter, but then can you take it to it
(05:32):
to a deeper level with a friend that knows that
that you know you may think is struggling. Is that
an area that you managed to get to with any
of your friends to move it on? You're playing rugby,
you keep catching up, but actually moving that band to
you know, to that deeper level.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Yeah, I think it's really important. And having having a
language you can use as well, which is you know,
a rolling god to a maintain saying hey mate, you
depressed or you know what's going on? You know you
really got up and say you know as you hit
all right at the moment, like you're doing all right?
You know that sort of stuff. You don't have to
(06:07):
go down the you know, the full path of what
you're thinking more, just just say mate, you know, how
are you doing? What's going on? And then and then
the other thing I know, particularly in a rural space
or from a farming sense, is it is just just
checking on some of the decisions I'm making, and and
that's way often from again from a farming point of view,
(06:27):
we see like typically if we if we see any
animal welfare cases or anything like that, a lot of
the times there's some form of mental health involved in
those cases because the farmers just stopped making some critical
decisions there and they all just compound on top of
each other. So if you if you see your main
(06:48):
maybe you should have done something a bit different there,
you know, maybe he's not making that decision for a
reason and it's just just a chance to ask.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, Well, thank you so much for talking to us. Wayne,
really really appreciate it was. It was great to meet
you yesterday. And I think what you do getting out
there and talking to people from that real experience you've
had is just as so fantastic. So you know, keep
up the good worker.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
I really respect it.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
Hey, cheers. I appreciate that. It was great, a great chat.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Thanks very much. Wayne. That is Wayne Langford.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
For more from News Talks b listen live on air
or online and keep our shows with you wherever you go.
With our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to a podcast from news Talk zed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcast now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
We're talking about men's mental health, particularly in the rural sector.
It was on the back of an amazing event you
were part of Matt's in Featherston.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, that's right, and down at the Featherston book Town
on a men's panel with Wayne Langford, the National President
of Federated Farmers. Patty Gower was there, Phil quinn It
it was a fantastic chat, but it actually hit me
quite hard. And you know, I sort of done a
bit of preparation in advance of the speech, but then
just hearing the stories and the full magnitude of how
(00:49):
rough it is out there in rural communities when it
comes to mental health at the moment actually actually hit
me pretty hard.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Yeah. On the line right now is Federated Farmers Dairy
Industry chair person and a man who was also on
the panel in Featherston, Wayne Langford. Wayne, very good afternoon
to you.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
Hey, it's good to be here. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
It was good chat today. Wayne is good to see you.
And as I said to you after the chat, you
I love your I love your boots. And I've been
looking around for a similar heel. They're a good luck here, Wayne.
What are the distinct struggles that farmers face when it
comes when it comes to mental health?
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Yeah, I mean what's really challenging exactly from a farming circumstances.
The way that I describe it is the way that
the fog rolls in so in the way that you
kind of it sneaks up on you, and it catch
up on you like like you don't even know. Often.
You know, you've got a lot of decisions that you're
making on farm every day, whether bev your animals or
(01:47):
about the weather or about the grass or that. And
then and then you bring that home. On top of that,
You've you know, you've got your wife and your kids
and everything else that's going on at home, and in
a lot of cases that home is also on the
farm as well. So every time you look at the window,
you've got you've got this gun on at home, you
got that going on and outside, and sometimes it all
just sneaks up on you. And when I talk about
(02:07):
the fog, I guess you know, it's kind of if
you think about that from a mental picture, where the
fog rolls in and it just kind of keeps us
here a bit there and you get a bit stuck
and losters as a person in the way to go forward.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
The isolation is a big part of it as well,
isn't it. Wayne, You said something yesterday that that really
hit me and that you know, you've got the tanker
driver turning up to grab the milk and that might
be your only contact for quite a period of time.
But he doesn't know how you're feeling. You don't know
how he's feeling. So is that just the fact you're
(02:40):
out on the land by yourself for a lot of
the time part of the struggle.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Yeah, So there's two sides of this, like so on
one side, it's got a whole lot better. We've got
social media now we can talk to each other. You know,
you got your group chats with your mates, that sort
of thing. You can engage. You know, most of the
rugby grounds now I've got sets of lights so we
train into the dark and sort of thing. So we're
set up to connect better. But the problem is is
that when you are in a bit of a dark place,
(03:06):
when you're not feeling too well, it's also very easy
to go the other way and actually be isolated. So
when you know you've got Royal New Zealand can be
can be really good, we can be better connected, but
at the same time it can be a real dark
trap if you do get isolated and do get stuck.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
How important are those male relationships, Wayne, if there are
men who get into that that space and it can
be hard to reach out to their to their male mates.
But how important are those relationships?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Absolutely, absolutely critical. I mean ultimately, just just being able
to tell anyone that that you're battling and struggling or
just something going on as really tough as it is
literally probably one of the hardest things I ever did.
But but but you know guys, well exactly myself, and
(03:57):
it's not always, but a lot of guys, you know,
they just need that mail camaraderie and they need to
have a joke and we we talk and laugh and
we do things differently as guys. Right, And I talked
yesterday when I was on the pan all that you know,
I joined back up to the senior b rugby club
and it wasn't about it wasn't about playing rugby because
I'm not the best rugby player in the world. It
was about you know, you know, having having someone, having
(04:19):
someone run at me, feeling alive again, you know, but
hanging out with the boys and there's nothing like you know,
when you run out on the field at the start
of a rugby game and you're in that huddle and
you look around and there's there's fifteen guys there and
you and you kind of look at the sideline. Is
there anyone else coming here or is it just us?
You know, and that's that sense of belonging, like, hey,
(04:40):
you know, these boys have got my back and I've
got theirs. If you're you know, if you he's not
in the best place. Sometimes something like that is uh,
you know, just pick you up and makes you feel,
you know, like someone's got your back again.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
What did you say yesterday? You said you may not
have made an entire tackle the entire season, but you
held up one side of the scrum and that counted
for something. When you talk about that, that banter with
you know, between blokes is this is kind of banter
and it's you need it and that's where you kind
of wrap the crap out of each other and you know,
(05:12):
you insult each other and there's there's hard jokes and that,
and that feels good because it's as I was saying before,
that's like if someone can insult you, it kind of
means that they love you because you don't hit them
basically as the rationale of that. But there needs to
be another level to it, doesn't it. Because you've got
the banter, but then can you take it to it
(05:32):
to a deeper level with a friend that knows that
that you know you may think is struggling. Is that
an area that you managed to get to with any
of your friends to move it on? You're playing rugby,
you keep catching up, but actually moving that band to
you know, to that deeper level.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Yeah, I think it's really important. And having having a
language you can use as well, which is you know,
a rolling god to a maintain saying hey mate, you
depressed or you know what's going on? You know you
really got up and say you know as you hit
all right at the moment, like you're doing all right?
You know that sort of stuff. You don't have to
(06:07):
go down the you know, the full path of what
you're thinking more, just just say mate, you know, how
are you doing? What's going on? And then and then
the other thing I know, particularly in a rural space
or from a farming sense, is it is just just
checking on some of the decisions I'm making, and and
that's way often from again from a farming point of view,
(06:27):
we see like typically if we if we see any
animal welfare cases or anything like that, a lot of
the times there's some form of mental health involved in
those cases because the farmers just stopped making some critical
decisions there and they all just compound on top of
each other. So if you if you see your main
(06:48):
maybe you should have done something a bit different there,
you know, maybe he's not making that decision for a
reason and it's just just a chance to ask.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, Well, thank you so much for talking to us. Wayne,
really really appreciate it was. It was great to meet
you yesterday. And I think what you do getting out
there and talking to people from that real experience you've
had is just as so fantastic. So you know, keep
up the good worker.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
I really respect it.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
Hey, cheers. I appreciate that. It was great, a great chat.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Thanks very much. Wayne. That is Wayne Langford.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
For more from News Talks b listen live on air
or online and keep our shows with you wherever you go.
With our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
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