Article by: Laura Cannon, Pivot Design, Feilding
As the saying by Phylicia Rashad goes, “anytime women come together with a collective intention, it’s a powerful thing”. The AngusNZ 100% No Bull Weekend, hosted by Tuihaua Angus Stud, was no exception.
The inaugural 100% No Bull Weekend was held in Gisborne over the 26th – 28th October, 2023. Twenty-fiveAngus breeders from all over New Zealand attended, bringing a diverse mix of ladies from both established and brand-new studs. Added into the mix were guest speakers Fleur Gardiner (Craigs Investment Partners), Sage Harding (PBB), Anna Emmerson (Fluid), Adele Gray (Pivot Design), Teresa Sherson (Teresa Sherson Photography), Paul Williams (Turihaua Angus) and Nadine Hickman (Peptalk Media). The weekend included a wide range of activities and seminars, from how to build an investment portfolio, through to yoga and feeding stingrays. The theme for the weekend: no question’s a dumb question.
Thursday night kicked off with a beautiful dinner, providing opportunities for everyone to get to know one another. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, the ladies arrived at Turihaua Angus early Friday morning where they attended an Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) course, learning the value of knowing their strengths and weaknesses, building confidence, and understanding how everyone plays an integral part in their communities, families, and businesses. This was followed by Fleur Gardiner from Craig’s Investments discussing various ways to invest, and after lunch Sage from the PBB registry team answered quick fire questions on all things registry and genomics. Anna from Fluiddiscussed aspects of marketing from websites right through to Facebook and Google Analytics, followed by Adele who went through the new Catalogue Builder Software currently in production by Pivot Design.
Saturday proved to be an entertaining one with a Bull Conformation and Lingo chat with Paul Williams, a photography session with Teresa learning how to photograph bulls for sale catalogues, and stingray feeding, which was a real hit. Nadine Hickman led a Mind Health talk, followed by relaxing yoga and a guided meditation. The weekend concluded with a dinner at The Vines at Bushmere Estate.
When asked what the highlight of the weekend was, a reoccurring theme was networking with other ladies in the same industry and the value it bought in forming connections and friendships with like-minded people. “A big one for me was meeting all the other ladies – most of them for the first time!” says Kate Pont from AngusNZ. “We all got on well and had similar trains of thought when it came to our business’ etc. which made for great learning in all sessions”. One new Angus member loved meeting ladies within the same industry, appreciating the support and sense of community formed – the key to boosting well-being and a sense of belonging.
For many, managing a farm either with a partner or alone can be isolating, and sourcing education on how to run a farm successfully, capturing breed data, understanding Estimated Breeding Values (EBV’s) and knowing how to fill out paperwork amongst other jobs a farm brings can be difficult. “The idea came to me while I was mowing the lawns” say AngusNZ General Manager Jane Allan. “I believed we needed to engage with our wonderful AngusNZ women in greater capacity. In many situations women are the backbone of farming businesses, communities and are ‘jack-of-all-trades’, yet recognition and support are limited”.
She reached out to Sara Williams (Turihaua Angus) asking if she would be interested in taking the idea further, and the rest is history. “It was extremely rewarding to see the level of engagement and commitment from this amazing group of AngusNZ Ladies”.
Based on feedback, topic ideas for future events could include Farm Succession planning, understanding EBV’s, advertising and managing farm debt. A few ladies also see the value in sharing their own skills and experiences with each other, and opening up the event to not just include those who work on farms. Plans for the 2025 100% No Bull Weekender – due to be held in the South Island – are already underway with a date announcement early next year. While the 2025 programme may change slightly, the theme of collaboration, community, engagement, continued education, and entertainment will remain the focus.
Needless to say, the 2023 AngusNZ 100% No Bull Weekend was a huge success!
A huge shout out to the sponsors who participated in this year’s event. Your support was humbling, and we look forward to collaborating with you again in 2025.
We are keen to discuss opportunities for other business organisations who would like to become involved with this amazing event. If this sounds like your organisation, please contact AngusNZ General Manager Jane Allan at office@angusnz.com