Naked truth about rural mental health

Kiwi farmers have gone to the extreme to lay bare the harsh effects of a dangerous profession. Gerard Hutching reports.

KIWI farmers are removing their overalls and gumboots in a lighthearted bid to raise awareness about the mental health crisis in rural communities.

Amid stubbornly high suicide rates among the rural community, Australian Ben Brooksby launched The Naked Farmer social media site last year. It quickly caught on and he soon had farmers sending in their disrobed shots from all over the world, including a few from New Zealand.

Tristan Mitchell, a 23-year-old dairy worker from North Otago, sent in a photo of himself surveying the Central Otago hinterland while starkers "for the fun of it".

But he said there was a serious message behind the laughs, adding farming was stressful, especially for owners.

"They can start at five in the morning and are still doing the paperwork at 10 at night. In recent years they’ve had to deal with the ups and downs of dairy prices."

For young people like Mitchell, isolation was also a factor in depression, not so much in his region where there was a supportive community, but for people on sheep and beef farms in hill and high country.

At 16 per 100,000 people, Kiwis living in rural areas are much more likely to kill themselves than those living in cities (11.2 for every 100,000).

Farming is also the most dangerous occupation in New Zealand; 124 farmers have died on the job over the last seven years, far eclipsing the numbers killed in construction and forestry.

In Canterbury, the West Melton Young Farmers Club have followed the Naked Farmer’s lead, with members joining forces with mental health group Daisy Chain Trust to create images for a fund-raising calendar.

Trust founder Tina Rae said she started the organisation last October after someone close to her attempted suicide.

She ¯ O is planning to create a "retreat" on a 4-hectare block at West Melton, where people can come when they are feeling low.

"They can come for a short to medium stay and get access to counsellors or just be with others who are experiencing ’a moment’ ", Rae said.

Building company Cube Cabins has offered to supply cabins at cost price, and Rae is seeking $125,000 to establish the centre by the end of this year.

Brooksby, a 24-year-old farmer from Victoria, said mental illness was a huge issue in rural