The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Farmers get down to bare basics to aid mental health charity

RNZ
21 Nov, 2021 09:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Photo / Facebook - Ngarua Young Farmers

Photo / Facebook - Ngarua Young Farmers

By Katie Doyle of RNZ

A group of North Island farmers are stripping down to their birthday suits - all in the name of rural wellbeing.

The Ngarua Young Farmers club has produced a 2022 calendar featuring farmers in the nude, with the profits to be donated to an organisation called Will to Live.

Will to Live works to raise awareness about mental health in rural communities, and it offers three free private counselling sessions for farmers.

Brooke Matthews from Ngarua Young Farmers said her group offers a strong support system for its members, but some farmers are not as lucky.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

That's why Will to Live is so important.

"They make it really easy as well for you to sort of get in at a time that suits you, so if you have gone to them for help they will just make it work, they'll fit you in as soon as they can," she said.

"Farmers aren't always the most willing people to admit that they need help and when you finally do admit that you need help it's probably a bit later in the game so Will to Live is just really good because as soon as you go to them saying 'yes I need help' they will help make it happen."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This isn't the first time Ngarua Young Farmers has produced a nude calendar, the first one was published back in 2002.

Brooke Matthews, who was also one of the photographers, said there was a little bit of initial anxiety about stripping off.

"Everyone's sort of been nervous before, you know, they've started.

"Everyone's actually just had a really fun time doing it and you're sort of a bit distracted with whatever is going on.

Discover more

Marc Gascoigne urges farmers to speak up about mental health

14 Oct 12:45 AM
Kahu

Expert Q&A: Covid's challenges for rural NZ

14 Oct 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Lockdown Heroes: Woman in cold water to bring mental health relief to stressed-out farmers

09 Sep 05:00 PM

'Lean on a gate, chat to a mate'

16 Sep 01:45 AM

"I did one with a few girls and we had two sheep and a dog and they were just so distracted on trying to make the sheep do what they wanted them to do that they forgot about the fact that they were actually posing for a naked calendar."

Matthews said Ngarua Young Farmers is building a website to sell the calendars, but people wanting one can also send Ngarua Young Farmers a message on Facebook.

- RNZ

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

One dead, three injured in Central Otago ATV accident

20 Jun 02:29 AM
The Country

Tonnes of promise: Angus Bull Week set to make millions

20 Jun 12:00 AM
Premium
The Country

50 years on the ice: How an Olympic gold medal kickstarted a couple's business

19 Jun 11:00 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

 One dead, three injured in Central Otago ATV accident

One dead, three injured in Central Otago ATV accident

20 Jun 02:29 AM

One adult died at the scene and three people suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Tonnes of promise: Angus Bull Week set to make millions

Tonnes of promise: Angus Bull Week set to make millions

20 Jun 12:00 AM
Premium
50 years on the ice: How an Olympic gold medal kickstarted a couple's business

50 years on the ice: How an Olympic gold medal kickstarted a couple's business

19 Jun 11:00 PM
Why a 'cute' pet is now included in a pest management plan

Why a 'cute' pet is now included in a pest management plan

19 Jun 10:00 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP