As the doors shut on a sports club, another door opens – one that leads to long-lasting support for the rural people of Hawke’s Bay.
While farming is a lifestyle many choose to pursue, it can be a gruelling and isolating journey. Dirk Waldin knows better than most. He’s a sheep and beef farmer who has lived on the land for 30 years and weathered many storms, which is why he’s standing behind a new fund that will help support rural people like him for generations to come.
The Hawke’s Bay Foundation Rural Support Trust Fund aims to help provide long-lasting inter-generational support for farming families, utilising seed money from the closure of the Tuki Tuki Sports Club. Many will also know Dirk as the chairman of the club and its long-standing history as a connection hub for locals. Described by Dirk as an “old-fashioned country sports meeting”, the club attracted members from the Tuki Tuki and Maraetotara area, and attendees enjoyed many exciting events, from dog trials to horse sports. It saw families grow over generations, one of them being the Waldins.
However, over the years, volunteer support dwindled, and, says Dirk, “everyone ran out of puff,” leading to its closure in 2020.
Just a few years later, Dirk lost his wife Kate in traumatic circumstances in August of 2024. She had previous experience of working alongside the Rural Support Trust – an organisation that guides those who are struggling, whether that be from a family loss, a stock management issue, or due to financial difficulties.
It’s also the type of organisation you hope you’ll never need to rely upon.
It was after Kate’s passing that Dirk received welcomed support from the trust’s East Coast arm, in the form of financial aid and grief counselling. “I was totally humbled by the support we got from them,” Dirk tells. “It meant we didn’t have to think about the grind for a little bit,” – he says he and his family could simply focus on making it through each day.
Jonathan Bell is the Hawke’s Bay coordinator for the East Coast Rural Support Trust. He explains that the services the trust provides can help from guidance with financial issues through to support during animal welfare inquiries, with an overall focus on connecting rural people to the right support systems when they need it most. “Isolation comes from working by yourself and not having the ability to bounce things off people,” Jonathan says. “You’re out there with maybe your wife or partner, your dogs, sheep and cattle, and those last three don’t answer you when you talk to them.”
Wrapping up the Tuki Tuki Sports Club meant funnelling its remaining funds elsewhere, and members were clear that they wanted to choose an organisation that had generously helped their community. The club also wanted a way to ensure that the money could be used for future generations and to have a lasting impact. When reaching out to the Rural Support Trust as an option, it was recommended that any donation go through the Hawke’s Bay Foundation.
Donating to the recently established Hawke’s Bay Foundation Rural Support Trust Community Fund, the club’s legacy could continue through supporting future generations, as it had done for so many decades prior. A portion of the interest earned from the seed funding – along with future donations to the named fund – is returned to the East Coast Rural Support Trust, ensuring long-term benefits to Hawke’s Bay locals into the future. “With adverse climatic events like Cyclone Gabrielle only increasing in frequency, it’s wonderful to have a community fund to support those who need help, when they need it,” says Hawke’s Bay Foundation’s Executive Officer, Alesha Hope.
Jonathan agrees. “Droughts will always be around. There will always be financial pressures, and even looking at the recent fuel prices, there is a huge impact on costs for farmers getting product on or off farms.” He says the perpetual distributions from the Hawke’s Bay Foundation Rural Support Trust Fund will ensure continued support to rural communities.
Dirk wants others thinking of donating to the Hawke’s Bay Foundation Rural Support Trust to know how valuable the services it offers are. “It provides support for people who are really struggling in life, and lots of people are,” he says. “Mental health concerns for people in the rural sector are, as we’re all aware now, becoming really apparent.”
Jonathan encourages anyone, including farmers selling their farms, to consider a donation to the fund. “Because it’s not for them, or their children. It’s for their children’s children.”
It’s about supporting farmers when they first need it – not after – and being able to do so for generations to come.
