Rural women working from home continue to face barriers
SOUTHLAND’S Kim SpencerMcDonald knows a number of women who, like her, fell in love with a farmer but not necessarily their farm.
Over the years, she has had to create her own opportunities to earn an income.
When design ideas come to Mrs SpencerMcDonald in the middle of the night, she gets up and makes a pair of earrings there and then.
‘‘Because I think I’ll remember them,’’ Mrs SpencerMcDonald said.
‘‘And I don’t.
‘‘I’ve learnt the frustration of thinking ‘that’s a great idea’ . . . and then it just being gone.’’
Mrs SpencerMcDonald lives on a 650ha sheep farm deep in the Caroline Valley between Dipton and Lumsden.
Her latest business venture is one of the many jobs Mrs SpencerMcDonald has created or had since moving to the farm when she married.
Mrs SpencerMcDonald admits she is really more of a ‘‘city girl’’.
‘‘Sometimes you fall in love with the farmer and not necessarily the farm.’’
Mrs SpencerMcDonald has worked as a community worker in her district, has been a relief milker, has made candles and offered homebased massages.
She also bought an Invercargill health shop with two other women and, twice a week, made the twohour return trip to work in the business.
Recently, Mrs Spencer
McDonald spoke to an Invercargill women’s group.
‘‘It was from a rural focus and I just looked at the jobs that were advertised locally and if you are not into farming . . . if you don’t want to milk, if you can’t be a herd manager then there are very, very few jobs available.
‘‘You’ve got a bit of child care sometimes. There’s often cleaning and the odd cafe job. It’s a real challenge to find meaningful, stimulating work.’’
She said there were barriers to people working from home in rural New Zealand.
Her internet was patchy, limited and expensive, her mobile phone did not work at home and, because of power cuts, she relied on a plugin landline. — RNZ