What began with a simple afternoon tea in 1925 has grown into one of New Zealand’s most enduring voices for rural communities. This year, Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) marks 100 years of service, advocacy, and community; a legacy built on women who refused to let hardship or isolation define their lives. From the first 25 pioneers to today’s nationwide network, the story of RWNZ is one of resilience, connection, and progress - and it’s still unfolding.

It’s 1925, in Wellington and twenty-fi ve women gather at the Farmers’ Union conference and formally establish the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union. Sixteen leave the capital as founding members, carrying with them a vision for connection and support in the most remote corners of the country. Within months, the fledgling organisation is reaching out to women nationwide through thousands of handwritten letters from its first secretary, Mabel Jackson. By 1926, 100 women attend the inaugural national conference - proof that the need was real, and the movement had momentum.

From the beginning, practical solutions to rural challenges were at the heart of the Division’s work. The Bush Nursing Programme sent trained nurses into isolated districts; the Emergency Housekeepers Scheme offered vital relief for families when illness struck; and the Dominion Book Club delivered parcels of books by rail to lonely homesteads. These early projects not only met urgent needs but also built a sense of solidarity among rural women.

Through the 1930s and 40s, that solidarity only deepened. Fundraising efforts like the New Zealand Household Guide and the enduring Countrywoman Magazine became lifelines of knowledge and connection. During the Second World War, members raised enough money in just one month to fund a Spitfire, proudly inscribed with “WDNZFU,” and produced woollen goods for the merchant navy. At home, rest homes were established to give weary farm women a place of recovery and respite.

The organisation’s growth was remarkable: by 1960, membership had soared past 30,000 -meaning one in every 24 rural New Zealanders belonged to the Division in a time when about 30% of the population lived rurally.

The decades that followed saw the organisation expand its influence beyond the farm gate. In the 1960s, it became a champion for equal pay, maternity care, and family planning access. The 1970s and 80s brought attention to mental health, chemical safety, and the shortage of rural doctors, while members took to the streets in protest of government reforms that threatened rural livelihoods.

Modernisation in the 1990s led to a bold rebrand to Rural Women New Zealand - signalling a broader identity while remaining rooted in service. The 2000s and 2010s saw the launch of leadership programmes, the establishment of the Enterprising Rural Women Awards, and national recognition for RWNZ’s disaster response efforts, from feeding Christchurch’s Farmy Army to fundraising through the Aftersocks campaign.

Today, RWNZ continues to adapt, to focus on the needs of new generations of rural women, their families and communities. The organisation has become a storyteller, celebrating the achievements of rural women through projects like the acclaimed documentary She Shears.

Fast-forward to 2025, and RWNZ is celebrating its centenary in full bloom - including the Fordell-Mangamahu branch commissioning a specially bred floribunda rose “Rural Women’, with profits fromsales going directly to education bursaries for rural youth. Regional events are taking place across the motu throughout the year to mark the Centennial, and a book on its history will be launched next year.

For a century now, RWNZ has championed policy change, community building, and the wellbeing of women, families, and the land they nurture.

Looking ahead, the challenges facing rural New Zealand continue to evolve - climate change, biosecurity risks, infrastructure gaps, and digital connectivity are now as pressing as access to healthcare once was. Yet, the ethos that carried RWNZ through a century remains constant: finding practical solutions, amplifying rural voices, and ensuring women and their families have the resources to thrive.

In recent years, the organisation has become a critical advocate for rural broadband, highlighting the inequities that limited digital access creates for education, business, and social connection. This advocacy has been matched with hands-on initiatives - workshops teaching digital literacy, webinars connecting women from Northland to Southland, and mentoring programmes that open doors for young rural entrepreneurs. Just as a century ago, the work balances the urgent with the aspirational.

Another hallmark of RWNZ’s legacy is leadership. Countless members have gone on to serve as local councillors, district health board representatives, and even Members of Parliament, taking the skills they honed in community branches into the wider political sphere. For many, RWNZ was their first platform to practise public speaking, governance, and policy debate - skills that echo through generations. Cultural change has also been central to the organisation’s story.

What began in an era when women were often defined by their husbands’ farms has transformed into a movement celebrating the diversity of rural women’s identities: farmers, teachers, nurses, scientists, small-business owners, and artists. The strength of RWNZ lies not in nostalgia but in its ability to honour tradition while embracing new voices.

As the centenary celebrations unfold, the message is clear: RWNZ’s history is not just about the past but about shaping the future of rural New Zealand. In every community where a branch meets, every family helped, and every policy challenged, the spirit of those first 25 women still endures today.