Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ), originally known as the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union (WDFU), was founded in July 1925 by 16 women in search of community, friendship and the improvement of support systems for rural women. For a century, RWNZ has been an integral part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rural landscape, supporting and promoting the wellbeing of rural women, their families, and their communities.
Since its establishment, RWNZ has been at the forefront of rural issues, ensuring that the voices of New Zealand’s rural women and their families are heard.
With more than 1,700 members in rural communities across the country, members are inter-generational, community champions, entrepreneurs, businesswomen, mothers, grandmothers and daughters. RWNZ advocates on behalf of its members to ensure the things that matter to rural communities make it in front of decisionmakers, from submissions on things like pay equity, emergency management and access to life-saving emergency medicines to making sure children can get to school on a reliable bus network. Alongside its advocacy work, the organisation also supports businesses and provides professional development for rural women.
