Our History

Rural Women New Zealand, originally known as the Women’s Division of the Farmer’s Union, was founded nearly 100 years ago in a search for community and friendship.

It all began in 1925 when a number of farmers’ wives were on holiday in Wellington while their husbands attended the Farmers’ Union Conference. They shared their experiences of the often hard and lonely times on the farm with each other. Stories of women’s loneliness, illness, and lack of support saw a group of 16 women found the Women’s Division of the Farmer’s Union to improve support systems for their fellow rural women.

Nearly 100 years on, RWNZ has been at the forefront of rural issues, working to ensure that the voices of New Zealand’s rural women and their families are heard. We celebrate our heritage, especially as the objectives of RWNZ’s founding members are still central to our authoritative voice on policy and decision-making.