Young farmers give care kits

Young Farmers northern region vice chair Nikita McCahon, left, and chair Natalie Lynch.

Kaiwaka-based Kaipara Young Farmers Club helped distribute 200 calving season survival kits to fellow farmers throughout the Northern Region before the country re-entered lockdown last month.

The kits included a warm beanie, thermos, coffee, soup, lollies and Berocca.

They also contained materials provided by the Mental Health Foundation, including a “five ways to wellbeing” post card.

Each year during July and August, farmers battle extreme conditions as they carefully monitor their birthing cattle.

Kaipara Young Farmers chair Molly Dagger says calving season is like having to live in Level 4 lockdown every year.

“There’s no time to see friends or have weekends off during calving season. I doubt farmers would have even noticed the change to Level 3 or 2,” she says.

“Farmers are getting up at 4am and finishing at 8pm, and still getting up during the night to check on their dairy cows.”

She says the aim of the “calving survival kit” initiative was to show support for farmers, while promoting the importance of mental and physical wellbeing within the agricultural community.

“They are running on no sleep with little support and are geographically isolated,” she says.

“It’s the most physically exhausting time of the year. There’s no time to make proper breakfast or dinner.”

Supplies for the kits were provided by Kaukapakapa General Store, New World Warkworth, Northland Farm Services, FarmStrong, Whitelaw Weber and Berocca.

The Kaipara Young Farmers club has members from Maungaturoto to Dairy Flat and Helensville.

The Northern Region includes Northern Wairoa, Whangarei, Kaipara, Auckland and Franklin.