The Muster- Olivia Weatherburn: Girl Power!

Olivia looks at International Rural Woman's Day and how the rural sector has benefitted from changes in attitudes.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This interview brought to you by Agress into South Branches
in Lawnville, Gord Cromwell, Milton and Ranfilly dropped by your
local Agress into South Branch today.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Olivia Weatherburn joins us this afternoon on the muster. Olivia,
good afternoon and happy happy International Rural Women's Day.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
Thank you man Debth and honor to be a rural
woman on the today.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Well, it's about celebrating everything that is positive with females
in the rural sector. And look, you just think fact
not that many years ago and the opportunities for females
coming into farming were few and far between them for
brutally honest. But the tide has certainly turned.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
It definitely has. Yet there's women taking over leadership roles
everywhere in our sector now, from right through from the shepherds, yeah,
through to our leaders as we look at Kate Action
leading at Beef and Lamb where I work, and many
more in between. And then you see we're all women
celebrating one hundred years this year as well, so yeah,

(01:05):
we're slowly dominating the world.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
But just being involved with agriculture, what is it for
you that you really get a kick out what is
it that really appeals.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
I think it is just that there is such a
network of people out there, and even though we're all
kind of competing for the same thing, we're all willing
to help each other at the same time. So kind
of like farming, really we're all in the same pot,
but we're all out there to help each other. And
there's such a cool network of women at there that
are there to lift each other up. And there's a

(01:38):
great event happening in Gore at the moment there with
the inspiring Women's Event, and it's all about being able
to encourage others and celebrate those women who are doing
amazing things and then take those next steps and apple
people to take get be in the future as well.
So I think it's just that big support network that's
around there and take getting away from that as not

(02:01):
just yet mean that can be those leaders and we
can have families and we can keep going as well.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
We just look at the moment though, at the Young
Farmer movement, this is a perfect example, like the barckup
at Tianaw the other day, and when I speak to
everybody in the Young Farmers slot on the Tuesday, certainly,
once upon a time, there weren't a lot of females
involved for young farmers. Just be honest. But you've got
all these young people coming through wanting to get jobs,
get cadet ships, wanting to be involved the rural sector,

(02:28):
go away shepherding at Waikaia or up around central Otago.
The likes and certainly come back on vogue for young
people as far as being a vocational choice.

Speaker 3 (02:38):
Definitely. And do you look at even the young Farmers
clubs for how they're made up now and the percentage
of women to the males in those clubs, and and
some of the leaders in those and how it has changed.
There's more inviting now you've got the likes of growing
future farmers. Is taking on those who potentially you've never
had the opportunity to come through with a farming background,
to be able to get involved and able to go

(03:01):
out and ye live those dreams that they see on
the country calendars or the lakes and get out there
into the high country, especially in that Wikai aria that
you speak of. And yet go and get a horse
and a dog and get out there and be part
of it. I can remember when I first started many
moons ago, probably here it probably was about twenty so
years ago now that I was shupitting and there was

(03:23):
very few women involved, and we did feel a little
bit of imposter syndrome then and there is still that there,
but there's so many support networks out there and enablement
of people to be able to get out there and
do it, and the training that is getting there and
hopefully is only going to improve with the new Training
Act schemes that are out there now and hope we're
working on that. There's an industry to try and keep

(03:44):
improving that as well, but there are definitely lots of
opportunities and I don't think it's a strange thing now
for a woman to be heard around many tables and
on many farms.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
It has certainly come a long way from New Zealand
being the first country in the world to give thee
the vote.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
Definitely, yeah, And there's look at the amount of females
we see in politics now and whether some of them
should be there or not is another thing, but there's there.
There's so many different ways and that we've been able
to get there. And it's not saying that women need
to be in charge of everything either, but it's a

(04:22):
diversity around a table and be having more diverse boards,
having more diverse conversations, and you just put there into
aspect aspects and like you look at some of the
look at the Zac parades and that that usually have
been in the past dominated by males and usually very
aged ones. And if we don't get young people in there,

(04:45):
like a young woman who there were the women who
went to war, and that as well is a prime examples,
then we lose that. So it's making sure there's diversity
around those tables.

Speaker 2 (04:55):
A great example as well. You're talking about, of course
yourself being involved with the Belt of Five Gate. Back
in the day there was virtually no females, but it's
certainly good to see a lot more of them prepared
to put their hand up and get involved and they're
accepted too, and then so they should be exactly.

Speaker 3 (05:11):
Yeah, yeah, I can remember when I do in Balfad
it was there was I think there was one other
female the yeah, and then yeah, when I went to
Mosborone there was only one as well. But we've come
over the Waikaia and half the brigade as female and yeah,
they obviously had its challenges as well, but at the
same time it keeps. It enables so many different aspects, challenges, conversations,

(05:34):
and there's so many different abilities that we bring to
things as well. I don't think it matters what sex
you are.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
You're capable of anything, absolutely, Olivia. Look, we'll let you
carry on. You got a lot on your plate this afternoon,
but you always appreciate your time. And like you say,
happy Happy International Woman's Day. Great to chat.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
Good Thanks Andy, and just a shout out to all
the royal women out there, keep being the great people
that you are.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
Laugh out loud and proud because life on the land
can be a laughing matter. Brought to us by sheer
Well Data Working to help the livestock farmer.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
A grizzon old sea captain walks into a bath a
peg leg, an I patch and a hook for a hand.
He orders a drink and the bartender curiously starts asking questions.
He asked, how'd you lose your leg? Captain? Ah, I
was chasing the great white whale lad dangerous business bartender
in the hook Yah a swashbuckling incident and the bartender goes, wow,

(06:30):
Then how'd you lose your eye? And the captain turns
around a seagull pooped in me a baiting. The bartender goes, what,
how'd you lose your eye doing that? Captain goes, yeah,
it was me first day with the hook. Just do
that in a pirate voice, ignore the obviously. Hey, I'm
Edie Bauer. Thanks for listening. You've been listening to the

(06:50):
muster on Hockey on me. By the way, thanks to
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Enjoy the Afternoon Say it tomorrow, politic Chas