North Canterbury News: July 02, 2020

NEWS
20 North Canterbury News, July 2, 2020
Gayle takes over as trust chair
By DAVID HILL
The thought of beingable to help
people led to Gayle Litchfield
joining the North Canterbury
RuralSupport Trust fiveyears
ago.
Five years on and Mrs
Litchfield, who hastraining as a
counsellor, was electedtrust
chairwoman last month.
‘‘I didn’t realise that it existed
untilwehad adairy downturn
aboutfive yearsago. Iwas talking
to afriendand because I’ve had
counsellortraining she said, ‘why
don’tyou getinvolved?’
‘‘I’mlooking forwardtothe role
and the personalgrowthwhich
will come fromit.’’
Mrs Litchfield and her
husband, Stu, areborn­and­bred
dairyfarmers who moved to
Canterbury from the North Island
19 yearsago, buyingafarm at
Bankside, near the Rakaia River’s
northbank.
‘‘It was for the opportunity. We
wanted to be amongst likeminded,
enthusiastic people and
to be part of that pioneering spirit
of agrowing dairy industry.’’
The coupleconverted afarm
whichhad previouslybeen a
sheepand thendeer farm.
The North CanterburyRural
Support Trustserves alarge
geographical area, fromthe north
bank of the RakaiaRiver to the
ClarenceValley,north of
Kaikoura. It has adiversity of
farming typesfrom grapes,
apples, bees, dairying,sheep,
beef,deer and horses.
‘‘Mostly what we do is facilitate
and get the rightconnections for
Looking to the future ... Gayle Litchfield is looking forward to supporting farmers in her new role as North
Canterbury Rural Support Trust chairwoman.
PHOTO: DAVID HILL
whatpeople need,’’ Mrs Litchfield
says. ‘‘Sometimes all it takes is a
listening ear, but sometimes
there’s more involved.Itcan be a
bit of informal counsellingover
the phone,and just allowingthe
farmer to feellike they’ve been
heard is really important.’’
Providing drought supportin
the northern part of the region is
taking up muchofthe trust’s time
thisyear,while the challenges of
farmers meeting compliance
continue to ‘‘fester away’’.
‘‘Hopefullythere will be no
snow event this year,’’ Mrs
Litchfieldadds.
The Covid­19 lockdown
provided both challengesand
opportunities,withfarmers
facingdelaysatthe freezing
works and beingunable to get offfarm,
but they enjoyed having
some downtime, and childrenat
home providedextralabour.
‘‘It wasagreat opportunity for
the kidstoget their hands dirty
and feel important.’’
The ongoing impact of Covid­19
means there is alooming shortage
of migrant labour, but it also
provides more opportunities for
New Zealanders willing to work
on the land.
‘‘Wehave akey staff member
stuck in India and there’s no sign
of him returning before
Christmas,’’ Mrs Litchfield says.
Looking to next year, the trustis
lookingtosecure psychologist and
author NigelLattafor aseries of
talks around the region.
Half of print run sold...
Hurunui Seismic Stories is
stillavailable.
Quake
book
popular
Hurunui Seismic Stories is
proving popular, with more
than halfthe firstprintrun
sold.
The Emily Andersoncompiledbook
on the
magnitude­7.8 November
2016 earthquake, with
photography by Natasha
Shearer,issupported by
the Amuri Community Arts
Council.
Thoseaffected tell their
storiesabout the moment
the quake hit, fleeing for
theirlives,daring rescues,
and the aftermath.
Hurunui Seismic Stories
tellsofloss and fear, hope,
humour and the country
spirit and resilience of a
community pulling
together to recover.
Bookscost $40 and are
available from the Hanmer
Springs I­site, 40 Amuri
Ave, or by phoning 0800 442
663, or go to the Hurunui
Seismic Stories Facebook
page.Postageisextra.
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