Marking their Centenary, Rural Women New Zealand National President Heather Sorensen says they have grown their membership by 10% in the past 12 months.

“I think we’re doing something right; we are getting younger women joining,” she says.

The organisation, founded in 1925, marked the milestone with a morning tea at Government House hosted by Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, its official patron. The Governor-General or their spouse has been a patron since 1927.

The membership growth result bucks the trend for voluntary groups.

“There’s a lot of competition to get women to be members, but the good news for us is that we are a growing membership.”

She says the focus now turns to rural health, education, infrastructure and connectivity.

“For 100 years, Rural Women New Zealand has made a massive contribution to New Zealand, and we’re not done yet.”

CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.