A $600,000 boost to Rural Mental Wellness initiative has been welcomed by The Bay of Plenty Rural Support Trust.

The boost will be jointly funded by the Health and Primary Industries ministries, and was announced by ministers Jonathan Coleman and Nathan Guy at Fieldays on Friday.

The Government has announced it will provide a $600,000 boost to the Rural Mental Wellness initiative, which will be jointly funded by the Health and Primary Industries ministries. Photo: File

Chair Sandy Scarrow says the announcement recognises that the trust has ongoing work to do to support the mental health of farmers, their families, employees, and others in rural New Zealand.

'Our trust has been able to increase the number of facilitators on board to work with people in the rural sector. We have also been able to upskill our team,” says Sandy.

'You will see more of us in the next year as one of our facilitators, Igor Gerritsen, rolls out a series of GoodYarn workshops for farmers and rural professionals.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says they recognise rural life goes in cycles, with ups and downs, and the Government is committed to supporting our rural communities.

'The Rural Mental Wellness initiative is the right mix of further raising awareness of mental health issues within rural communities, coupled with practical help to improve the skills of the health professionals who work alongside the rural sector,” he says.

'This joint investment will help to ensure we maintain the momentum achieved last year, while also putting a plan in place for the future.”

Nathan Guy believes the new funding will help strengthen local networks for farmers, workers and families in rural communities.

It will also provide more suicide prevention workshops and employ coordinators to work with Rural Support Trusts.

'Farmers and their families are not alone. There is a wide range of good advice and support from organisations like Rural Support Trusts, Farmstrong, and Dairy NZ.

'While this season may be tough for some, it's important to keep a focus on what we can control and to remember the long term outlook for the dairy sector is bright.”

The first funding boost of $500,000 was announced at last year's Fieldays and has been used to bolster capacity and referral networks. Rural Support Trusts have employed and trained mental health facilitators and had the resource to develop stronger relationships with counselling and mental health services, as well as across industry bodies and rural professionals.

More than 400 rural professionals have been to DairyNZ-led Good Yarn workshops which helps them to identify and manage signs of stress or depression in the people around them, and RHĀNZ-run SafeTalk workshops have trained 900 people in suicide prevention.

MPI will work directly with Rural Support Trusts from the beginning of July on Phase 2 of the rural mental wellness boost focusing on local initiatives including:

• Strengthening networks and relationships with others including mental health services
• Supporting local initiatives that reach farmers, raise awareness and strength the referral network

MPI and Rural Support Trust partners will continue to collaborate and work alongside sector organisations who support New Zealand's rural communities. This includes DairyNZ, Beef+Lamb NZ, Horticulture NZ, Federated Farmers, Rural Professionals, Rural Women's Network, and others.

Rural Support Trusts are a network of 14 autonomous trusts around the country, staffed by local people who know their region and farming. Your trust can be contacted on 0800 787 254 (0800 RURAL HELP) anytime for a free, confidential chat.