October 19, 2025 • 8 mins
Craig "Wiggy" Wiggins looks at some events that are happening in the south this week that are centred around rural mental health.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome back to the Muster, Craig, Wiggy Wiggins, lean on
a gate, talk to a mate. We've spoken to Wiggy
in the past about the work he's doing there around
rural mental health, and we catch up this afternoon. A
couple events on the horizon down here in the Deep South. Wiggy,
how's things.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yeah, it's going to be great to be back in
your area, Andy, to be fair. Looking forward to to
being down there in Clutha Antianna over the next few
days with clump Connet. So yeah, that's great. They told
me the weather's not been that flesh down that It's
been interesting.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
It's been challenging for a lot of people we had
last year. It hasn't been as wet, but only in
some places only marginally dry or Wiggy, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I think it's just spring being spring, but it's just frustration.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah, No, definitely made has been but on and often
Mid Canterbury as well. It's actually we've had huge noll
westers up here and everyone in the second them already,
so a long way to go in that space. So
but never mind, let's talk about what's going on down
your way.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Absolutely now you're coming down Southworth, lean on a gate
talk to a mate. I think all club connect as well.
A couple of cool things going on.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yeah, definitely so Slade McFarlane, myself and Andy Rowland when available,
we have from ForSight Bar have been traveling around the country.
We've been everywhere from Gisbone to down to Greymouth and
in the Cargo of course and up to Auckland and
we're back in that area of yours now because we
really believe that, you know, it's important work we're doing
(01:24):
and club connectors we're Club's New Zealand, the workingmen's clubs
are Risas, et cetera. They've got behind us and said, hey,
we're a bit of a best deal of connection in
rural New Zealand. Would you like to come do some
talks around the country and we can tell everybody what
you've got available and then from there we can find
those people that want to be trained in the area
(01:46):
to be those connectors of people that reach out and
can help people when they're in need, or that people
can go to when a need and they can facilitate
some help. So it's a pretty big project and we're
pretty proud of it. It's been going really well around
the country. And now that we've got a understanding or
a partnership with Mates in Construction to provide training services
(02:08):
throughout rural New Zealand for our really especially our rural
service industries, but big farms and corporates as well. Yeah,
it's going well.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
You talk about mental health issues in the rural sector,
what about what's the tradees, what's it like there?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
So if you actually have a look at construction, for example,
the construction industry is probably number one for suicides in
New Zealand, and the rural New Zealand is right next
to it. The primary industry is right next to it,
not far behind. So there is a lot of a
lot of synerga as I've said, between the two organizations.
And you know, we actually know antecdotically that if you
(02:47):
have a training program in place, if you're a big
business and you actually have a mental health program such
as what we're talking about with the Lean on the
Gate program, you can actually reduce a number of people
thinking about aside at any one time by half just
by having that approach or putting your arm around somebody
and saying that we're here for you. You're a big part
(03:08):
of our organization, and we value your health and well being,
especially mental health, and we have pathways for you to
take if things aren't trucking too well, either in the
business or outside of the business. You know, it's a
great realistic approach, you know. And we all we all
have times in our life where we need somebody, mate,
and so why not have the people that you trust
(03:30):
the most trained up, such as your vets and an
agronomous and stock agents to know how to get help
for you if you need it.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Are we finding in the rural industry in particular the
old star persona. I've talked about this actually quite recently
with Cats and Wright. Are you finding cockies are a
lot more out there as far as opening up regarnding
mental health Wigi?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Yeah, in certain genres there is definitely more about it.
The younger generation seem to be we've done a lot
more work in that and to be fit to the
older generation. It's a little bit of like physical health, mate.
We know a lot more about how the heart and
the arteries and all the organs work, but we also
know a lot more about how the brain works, and
(04:13):
we can actually put labels on things and work within
those confines of actually diagnosis. So the fact that we
can actually do a lot more in that space these
days is there's no more just strawed out pill popping.
There's a lot of other avenues available to doctors and
coaches and stuff like that. So that's opening up the
(04:33):
pathway to a lot more people doing things. But I
still believe one hundred percent that strong people make strong communities,
and strong communities make stronger people. So if we can
at grassroots level get back to the day where we're
communicating with each other and reaching out for help when
we need it and not not just trying to do
it all on our own back, that really helps. And
(04:54):
especially the way the transient nation of work is done,
you know, like there's a lot a lot of people
rotate true jobs around New Zealand now rather than being
in one job for thirty years. So it's a matter
of everybody investing and those that are coming into the
area and also those that are coming into the invarior
areas investing in their communities as well.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
So these events that are happening in about Closer tomorrow
and Tianel Wednesday, what are the details around them.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Yeah, we'll check off at six thirty, Slade and I
will do a talk. We'll all start it off and
Slade will tell his story x Mary all Black, I
had a hell of a journey through mental health in
his own way. And then Rolly Andrew Rowland from down
there and you're into the world. He's a great rugby
referee and he talks a lot about the financial pressures
(05:43):
of life and how to handle those and make good decisions.
And then I wrap it up with a couple of
workshops at the end of it. We should be all
done by around eight point thirty, and we like to
kick around afterwards because there's always a lot of conversations
to have too. So yeah, as I said, six thirty
and start and that's in the balks of the club
and club and we'd really like to see you down there.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
So what's a big takeaway from these events with are
you getting farmers or tradees or whoever coming up to
you after these events and actually being a lot more
open about what their feelings are and the likes without
going or Dean in.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah, one hundred percent. We open up some pretty big
pathways for communication and also the fact that we're offering
those training you know, even people from the Royal Support
Trusts regionally are saying, hey, these trainings will be really
good for us as well. But you know, look, that's
one of the reasons we hang around afterwards. We really
do get a lot of conversations. We're able to facilitate
(06:38):
a lot of help too. But you know, even we've
been into a few schools and universities and young farmers
clubs lately too, and those are where we get a
lot of people reaching out, you know, just to have
the just an older heater and that can just talk
to them and say, look, you know, we can't help
you. You don't need to go through life by yourself. And
you know, some of the young people, you know we
(06:59):
think but soft and stuff like that. I can tell
you anecdotally some of the stories that some of these
young people have been through in their first twenty years
of life. And it's a lot more than what I
had to go through, believe me.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Just finally, you're good made up there, Donnie forty is
all about the yellow O next week or the gold
and no beating Kennerby.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
But you'll be back in the red and black, so
presume Ah.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Yeah, mate, listen, I'm a North Island, the true and through,
and so it's a great way to open up some
controversial conversations. But yeah, forty and nine were neighbors up
to about six months ago, and he puts another flag
up every time something like that. So yeah, I know
you're related to him too, which says a lot. So
we'll watch with baited breaths. But it'll be a good game.
(07:44):
And how to be fair, I'm wondering if the North
Islanders actually have a decent rugby team the way these
guys are playing down here.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
It's one thing to ponder. Hey, good on your Wigi.
Always appreciate your time, mate.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
He thanks Andy.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Craig pig wigins lean on a gates talk to mate.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Those two events happening about clother Antianna Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
You're listening to the muster. Before we wrap up, we'll
talk a bit of rugby, a bit of NPC with
Nick Poley Nicks out of New Storks eb
Welcome back to the Muster, Craig, Wiggy Wiggins, lean on
a gate, talk to a mate. We've spoken to Wiggy
in the past about the work he's doing there around
rural mental health, and we catch up this afternoon. A
couple events on the horizon down here in the Deep South. Wiggy,
how's things.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yeah, it's going to be great to be back in
your area, Andy, to be fair. Looking forward to to
being down there in Clutha Antianna over the next few
days with clump Connet. So yeah, that's great. They told
me the weather's not been that flesh down that It's
been interesting.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
It's been challenging for a lot of people we had
last year. It hasn't been as wet, but only in
some places only marginally dry or Wiggy, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I think it's just spring being spring, but it's just frustration.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah, No, definitely made has been but on and often
Mid Canterbury as well. It's actually we've had huge noll
westers up here and everyone in the second them already,
so a long way to go in that space. So
but never mind, let's talk about what's going on down
your way.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Absolutely now you're coming down Southworth, lean on a gate
talk to a mate. I think all club connect as well.
A couple of cool things going on.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yeah, definitely so Slade McFarlane, myself and Andy Rowland when available,
we have from ForSight Bar have been traveling around the country.
We've been everywhere from Gisbone to down to Greymouth and
in the Cargo of course and up to Auckland and
we're back in that area of yours now because we
really believe that, you know, it's important work we're doing
(01:24):
and club connectors we're Club's New Zealand, the workingmen's clubs
are Risas, et cetera. They've got behind us and said, hey,
we're a bit of a best deal of connection in
rural New Zealand. Would you like to come do some
talks around the country and we can tell everybody what
you've got available and then from there we can find
those people that want to be trained in the area
(01:46):
to be those connectors of people that reach out and
can help people when they're in need, or that people
can go to when a need and they can facilitate
some help. So it's a pretty big project and we're
pretty proud of it. It's been going really well around
the country. And now that we've got a understanding or
a partnership with Mates in Construction to provide training services
(02:08):
throughout rural New Zealand for our really especially our rural
service industries, but big farms and corporates as well. Yeah,
it's going well.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
You talk about mental health issues in the rural sector,
what about what's the tradees, what's it like there?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
So if you actually have a look at construction, for example,
the construction industry is probably number one for suicides in
New Zealand, and the rural New Zealand is right next
to it. The primary industry is right next to it,
not far behind. So there is a lot of a
lot of synerga as I've said, between the two organizations.
And you know, we actually know antecdotically that if you
(02:47):
have a training program in place, if you're a big
business and you actually have a mental health program such
as what we're talking about with the Lean on the
Gate program, you can actually reduce a number of people
thinking about aside at any one time by half just
by having that approach or putting your arm around somebody
and saying that we're here for you. You're a big part
(03:08):
of our organization, and we value your health and well being,
especially mental health, and we have pathways for you to
take if things aren't trucking too well, either in the
business or outside of the business. You know, it's a
great realistic approach, you know. And we all we all
have times in our life where we need somebody, mate,
and so why not have the people that you trust
(03:30):
the most trained up, such as your vets and an
agronomous and stock agents to know how to get help
for you if you need it.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Are we finding in the rural industry in particular the
old star persona. I've talked about this actually quite recently
with Cats and Wright. Are you finding cockies are a
lot more out there as far as opening up regarnding
mental health Wigi?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Yeah, in certain genres there is definitely more about it.
The younger generation seem to be we've done a lot
more work in that and to be fit to the
older generation. It's a little bit of like physical health, mate.
We know a lot more about how the heart and
the arteries and all the organs work, but we also
know a lot more about how the brain works, and
(04:13):
we can actually put labels on things and work within
those confines of actually diagnosis. So the fact that we
can actually do a lot more in that space these
days is there's no more just strawed out pill popping.
There's a lot of other avenues available to doctors and
coaches and stuff like that. So that's opening up the
(04:33):
pathway to a lot more people doing things. But I
still believe one hundred percent that strong people make strong communities,
and strong communities make stronger people. So if we can
at grassroots level get back to the day where we're
communicating with each other and reaching out for help when
we need it and not not just trying to do
it all on our own back, that really helps. And
(04:54):
especially the way the transient nation of work is done,
you know, like there's a lot a lot of people
rotate true jobs around New Zealand now rather than being
in one job for thirty years. So it's a matter
of everybody investing and those that are coming into the
area and also those that are coming into the invarior
areas investing in their communities as well.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
So these events that are happening in about Closer tomorrow
and Tianel Wednesday, what are the details around them.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Yeah, we'll check off at six thirty, Slade and I
will do a talk. We'll all start it off and
Slade will tell his story x Mary all Black, I
had a hell of a journey through mental health in
his own way. And then Rolly Andrew Rowland from down
there and you're into the world. He's a great rugby
referee and he talks a lot about the financial pressures
(05:43):
of life and how to handle those and make good decisions.
And then I wrap it up with a couple of
workshops at the end of it. We should be all
done by around eight point thirty, and we like to
kick around afterwards because there's always a lot of conversations
to have too. So yeah, as I said, six thirty
and start and that's in the balks of the club
and club and we'd really like to see you down there.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
So what's a big takeaway from these events with are
you getting farmers or tradees or whoever coming up to
you after these events and actually being a lot more
open about what their feelings are and the likes without
going or Dean in.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah, one hundred percent. We open up some pretty big
pathways for communication and also the fact that we're offering
those training you know, even people from the Royal Support
Trusts regionally are saying, hey, these trainings will be really
good for us as well. But you know, look, that's
one of the reasons we hang around afterwards. We really
do get a lot of conversations. We're able to facilitate
(06:38):
a lot of help too. But you know, even we've
been into a few schools and universities and young farmers
clubs lately too, and those are where we get a
lot of people reaching out, you know, just to have
the just an older heater and that can just talk
to them and say, look, you know, we can't help
you. You don't need to go through life by yourself. And
you know, some of the young people, you know we
(06:59):
think but soft and stuff like that. I can tell
you anecdotally some of the stories that some of these
young people have been through in their first twenty years
of life. And it's a lot more than what I
had to go through, believe me.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Just finally, you're good made up there, Donnie forty is
all about the yellow O next week or the gold
and no beating Kennerby.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
But you'll be back in the red and black, so
presume Ah.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Yeah, mate, listen, I'm a North Island, the true and through,
and so it's a great way to open up some
controversial conversations. But yeah, forty and nine were neighbors up
to about six months ago, and he puts another flag
up every time something like that. So yeah, I know
you're related to him too, which says a lot. So
we'll watch with baited breaths. But it'll be a good game.
(07:44):
And how to be fair, I'm wondering if the North
Islanders actually have a decent rugby team the way these
guys are playing down here.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
It's one thing to ponder. Hey, good on your Wigi.
Always appreciate your time, mate.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
He thanks Andy.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Craig pig wigins lean on a gates talk to mate.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Those two events happening about clother Antianna Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
You're listening to the muster. Before we wrap up, we'll
talk a bit of rugby, a bit of NPC with
Nick Poley Nicks out of New Storks eb
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.