FWT, now a registered charity, also runs skill-based workshops throughout the year which have included operating a chainsaw, driving quad bikes and computer courses.
The group, which now has over 850 members, was the winner of the Excellence Award in the 2021 Tairāwhiti Westpac Business Awards for the Not-for-Profit, Community and Volunteer category.
Australian by birth, Mrs Matthews had a career in banking and finance before marrying Ian, a fourth-generation Tairāwhiti farmer.
For the first 10 years of their married life Mrs Matthews was not involved in the farming business, but that changed when the couple became B+LNZ monitor farmers between 2005 and 2007.
Mrs Matthews received an ANZ Escalator programme scholarship for leadership and governance skill development for women in New Zealand primary industries.
That business experience is now in high demand in her new role as a business coach for The Icehouse, a role she started last year.
Based in Gisborne she is specialising in high-performance teams, business-planning, family and agribusiness.
“I provide tailored one-on-one regular coaching sessions with business owners to improve business structure and processes, assisting clients to achieve their business goals,” she said.
“Through professional coaching I offer an experienced external perspective, energy and support for business owners to grow their business.
“Business owners have a real passion and belief in what they are looking to achieve in their business. New businesses will start with a great idea which is exciting and empowering.
“Some of the challenges I see in agri-business and SMEs, (small and medium business,) is the lack of strategic planning, business planning, process structure and having a thorough understanding of their financial position.
“Business owners come to The Icehouse looking to grow understanding in one or more of these critical business areas. My job as a coach is to assist clients to build and grow their businesses with a blend of all these critical business components.
“Running your own business can be all consuming.
“Stepping back and making time to work on the business not in the business is an essential component to a successful business. Many people say they don't have time as they are too busy.
“As a coach I help owners understand that scheduling specific time to think strategically, that bigger picture longer term view, is essential. A clear plan based on business and personal goals, supported by an effective and efficient structure, will strengthen and grow a business to reach those goals.”
Sandra is well known is rural circles but she also has a financial background working in London, Australia and New Zealand.
“In London I worked for international banks auditing their lending portfolios. This is where my eye for detail and process was enhanced, as the aim was to pick up mistakes not make them. In Australia prior to moving to NZ when I married my husband Ian, I was a branch manager for St George Bank. After moving to New Zealand I worked for ANZ Bank locally as a relationship manager working with SME and Agri-Businesses.
“My financial background, plus running my own successful agribusiness for 20 years, allows me to support my coaching clients with a wealth of broader expertise and experience.
“Every business has similar basic challenges and opportunities. Financial pressure, debt servicing, supply and demand, logistics, telling the story for marketing purposes to grow sustainably — the list is long.
“My own agribusiness has the same challenges. We have met the ups and downs of owning a business too and it's not a straight line to reach our goals. The journey bends and evolves constantly.
“My lived and current experience in my own business is extremely relatable to my clients, helping us work together through what they are looking to achieve in their own business.”
She is board chair of Rural Women NZ, board member of Endometriosis NZ and a trustee of the Rural Communities Trust. She sits on advisory groups for Beef + Lamb NZ Farmer Council, Civil Defence Rural Coordination Group and Federated Farmers.
She is also a founding member of the Wharekopae River improvement project.
“It is crucial to engage as a collective those who know their land, to enable continual environmental sustainability improvements operating within profitable farming businesses.”
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