During the same period the previous year, SRST received 16 cases and one for counselling.
Speaking to the Herald, Nicholson said farmers had faced various challenges in the past year, such as declining sheep and lamb prices, commodity fluctuations, and adverse events like floods.
Combined with government policies that weren’t supportive of the agricultural industry, things had been tough for farmers, she said.
A ewe and her lamb seek higher ground during flooding in Western Southland last year that affected the mental wellbeing of a number of farmers. Photo / Anita Erskine
“It’s getting really hard... With farmers, they’re busy enough trying to make money and work hard, and then they’ll get an adverse weather event or another thing and it just sort of adds up and compiles until they’re unable to cope.”
In September last year, strong wind followed by heavy rain hammered the south, causing flooding, killing sheep and cattle and closing roads.
Nicholson said her statistics show there was a particular rise in mental support cases for young men in the 20-40 age bracket, mostly over lambing and calving, with isolation playing a major factor.
“A lot of those guys come to Southland from Northland or wherever, and isolation is huge. They come out and then they don’t know how to actually look after themselves. They’re not eating correctly, they’re not drinking properly, and then they’re doing big hours. It’s a real concern.”
She said there was a focus at Rural Support Trust on teaching farmers coping skills, with several scheduled workshops throughout the southern region.
“It’s just working together to build up those skills so that when things get tough, they know how to deal with it, and in a group they’ll get that connection with other men.
Calving and lambing can be particularly challenging times for farmers due to long hours. Photo / RNZ
“We’re losing a lot of those communities, so it’s about trying to get back that community connection, because then people can help one another out.”
It was apparent many young men were reluctant to seek help or support, with many being referred to the trust by concerned family members and rural stakeholders, she said.
SRST was recently accepted by the national rural support contestable grant fund to run a pilot for a Live Me Well health, wellbeing and mental fitness series of workshops with wellness coach Samantha McBride.
The three workshops will provide younger rural men with tips to grow their self-awareness, tools to improve their mental and physical health, and help to build local connections during and after events.
Nicholson said if the pilot programme went well, she hoped the workshops would continue throughout the country as a way to teach young men resiliency skills to avoid the support service being an “ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.”
Rural Support Trust can be contacted on 0800 787 254. A list of its resources and services can be found on its website.
