Our People

Seeking help early can reduce issues before they become unmanageable, be they weather or environmental related, financial, or personal. If you or someone you know in the rural community need help contact the Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust :

 

Frances Beeston

Wellness Coordinator

Mobile: (027) 878 7254
Email: rst.midcanterbury@gmail.com

 

Freephone: 0800 787 254

Alternatively, you may complete our contact form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allan Baird

Response and Recovery Coordinator

Allan Baird - Coodinator

Allan has an extensive rural background ranging from working on a number of Canterbury farms in his younger days through to 10 years with MAF in Ashburton. Allan has been involved in rural emergency response activities since the 1973 South Canterbury snow storm. He also carried out damage assessments for MAF following the 1986 South Canterbury floods.

Allan was instrumental in establishing the Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust in 1991. With Allan as coordinator from its inception, the Trust has responded effectively to a number of rural adverse events in the intervening years.

Allan Baird

Phone: (03) 308 7594
Mobile: (027) 435 0141
Email: allan.baird@xtra.co.nz

 

 

 

 

Board of Trustees

  • Peter Reveley
    Chairperson
    Farmer
  • Allan Baird
    Trustee and Response & Recovery Coordinator
    Computer consultant
  • Sue Baird
    Trustee
    Self Employed
  • Don Geddes
    Trustee
    Deputy Principal Rural Fire Officer 
  • Marg Verrall
    Trustee
    Farmer
  • Cole Groves
    Trustee
    Farmer
  • Josh Dondertman
    Trustee
    Farmer

News & Alerts

STARTING THE CONVERSATION

The Top Six Inches - breaking the mental unwellness stigma by starting a conversation

Monday, March 1, 2021

STARTING THE CONVERSATION
Author: Marcia

Artist Paul Rangiwahia grew up in the rural town of Hawera and is no stranger to farming stressors. His previous art is displayed outside New Plymouth's Puke Ariki Library and was his first foray into how art could support positive conversations about mental wellbeing. Paul was aware of the pressure farmers faced, not only with new legislation but also with general on-farm stress. To combat the silence and stigma related to mental unwellness he created the artwork called "The Top Six Inches" using the analogy for not only where the majority of the plant roots sit in the soil but also the top six inches of the brain where resilience is developed by farmers who take care of their wellbeing. 

 

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Categories: Uncategorized, National, Northland, Waikato-Hauraki-Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, East Coast, Taranaki, Manawatu-Rangitikei, Ruapehu-Whanganui, Top of the South, West Coast, North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury, Otago, Southland

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Covid 19 'POP UP" Testing in Rakaia on 2nd May 2020

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Author: AllanBaird


 

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Categories: Mid Canterbury

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Feed planning service

NZ-wide: for drought-affected farmers, and those affected by floods eariier.

Thursday, April 2, 2020

Author: Terri Anderson

Feed planning service flyer

MPI and partner agencies DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb NZ, AgFirst and Federated Farmers are providing remote feed planning support to farmers.

How it works

This service is based on level of need and operates on three levels:

1. In the first instance, we’ll work out how much feed you need. A call to an industry or levy body will get you a free stock take assessment of your feed planning needs.

2. In the second instance, where it’s required, we can offer more advice and practical support. An advisor will help you understand what needs to be done and how you can go about it.

3. Finally, we can also refer you to someone who can offer more in-depth support. We can refer you to a farm systems consultant, who can provide help over the phone or visit if it is a serious animal welfare issue. Please note this level 3 support is not free.

Please call one of these toll-free numbers:

Dry stock sector – Beef + Lamb 0800 BEEFLAMB (0800 233 352)
Dairy sector – DairyNZ 0800 4 DAIRYNZ (0800 4 324 7969)
AgFirst 0508 AGFIRST (0508 243 477)

 

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Categories: National, Northland, Waikato-Hauraki-Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, East Coast, Taranaki, Manawatu-Rangitikei, Ruapehu-Whanganui, Top of the South, West Coast, North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury, Otago, Southland

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Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust COVID-19 Response

Continuing Support for Our Rural Communities

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Author: AllanBaird

Health and safety is paramount for the Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust.   We are therefore monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and will make appropriate changes to our work practices in line with the Ministry of Health’s recommendations.

We will continue to deliver our services to support your needs;

However, we will not be doing any on-farm visiting at this stage until the current Covid-19 situation reduces to a level that is safe for us to resume regular business.

We want our rural community, farming families and our team to remain as healthy as possible, so we ask for your cooperation and understanding.

Please make trips off farm for essential supplies only.   If your property needs to go into quarantine and you are unable to leave to get essential supplies, please call us as we are able to arrange authorised delivery of essential supplies to your farm.

If you require emergency service by a non-essential provider, email cdwelf@adc.govt.nz with a clear description of your issue, what you require to remedy it, and your contact details.

If you suspect you may have symptoms of COVID-19 please contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453.

For comprehensive information about COVID-19 please visit:

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact us.

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Categories: Mid Canterbury

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