The Country takes a look at the world of farming back in the day. In 1925, 16 rural women went on holiday in Wellington and started a movement that is still active today . The women, whose husbands were attending a conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, were concerned about the hardships farmers ’ wives and families faced living in isolated areas.
Under the guidance of founder Florence Polson, they formed the Women’s Division of the Farmer’s Union; a society dedicated to improving conditions for rural women and children and encouraging cooperation of women within farming organisations. Polson, the wife of New Zealand Farmers Union president Sir William Polson, was president from 1925 to 1929. In 1944, the New Zealand Farmer’s Union became Federated Farmers and in 1947, the Women’s Division of the Farmer’s Union followed suit, becoming the Women’s Division of Federated Farmers.
The Women’s Division of Federated Farmers continued until 1999 when it became Rural Women New Zealand. Women in agriculture have continued to push against the grass ceiling to this day, with Federated Farmers welcoming its first female president Katie Milne from 2017 to 2020, and Emma Poole winning the FMG Young Farmer of the Year in 2023. Back in the 1940s various branches of the Women’s Division of Federated Farmers, or WDFF, were busy celebrating success and offering support for rural women all over New Zealand, as seen in the following newspaper articles.
Te Puke W.D.F.
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