Celebrating the community, skills, determination and resilience of rural women

HortNZ leadership scholar Manpreet Kaur says one of the best parts of her job as an assistant orchard manager is being able to motivate, encourage and uplift other women and pass on her skills.

“Empowering people is what I am passionate about,” says Manpreet, who is an assistant manager at a T&G Global apple orchard at Twyford in Hastings.

“Rural women are very good at uplifting people. When I joined the sector, there were only three or four women in my area of the business and now they make up more than half our staff.

“I find women in the sector are very patient, they have a clear vision, create a good workplace culture, are good communicators, make good decisions and make sure everything runs smoothly.”

Manpreet joined the sector in 2009, initially working in the packhouse, packing apples. She says she’s had great encouragement from her employers to undertake personal development and progress in her career.

As well as on-the-job training, she has completed all levels of the New Zealand Certificates in Horticulture and Horticulture and Fruit production and achieved the New Zealand Diploma in Horticulture Production Level 5.

“There are so many different career opportunities in the sector, indoors and out, and women can do any of them,” she says.

“The equipment is so sophisticated – if you want to drive huge tractors, you can. I think the biggest challenge is recruiting good people, so we really need to get that message out to more women, that rural women can do any job in the sector.

“For me, International Rural Women’s Day is about celebrating the community, the skills, the determination and resilience of rural women and the ability to uplift one another – and communicating that to future generations.”

Manpreet says she is thoroughly enjoying the HortNZ Leadership programme.

“Details came up at work and I mentioned it to my manager at T&G, and they were so supportive in encouraging me to apply.

“My ambition is to move from assistant manager to be a manager in the sector and I was so excited when I found I had been accepted. I am passionate about learning – I’m a wife, and a mum and work full-time but continued learning is really important to me.

“I am also really enjoying learning alongside participants from right across the horticulture sector and hearing about the work they do with different crops, the challenges they face and how they deal with those and find solutions.

As a rural woman working in horticulture, Manpreet feels proud to be part of an industry that helps feed people and supports communities.

Life in rural areas can be challenging at times, but it also teaches resilience, teamwork and gratitude for the land we work on every day.

“For me horticulture isn’t just a job – it’s a way of life. I’ve learned so much from the people I work with and from the land itself. I want to use my journey to encourage other women, especially young women, to see that there are great opportunities in this industry. With the right support and confidence, rural women can lead, create change and help shape the future.”