Rural Support Trust's Time Out Tour - Weston Hall North Otago, 2024

The Rural Support Trust, in proud partnership with ANZ, Bayleys, BDO, Datamars Livestock, Fonterra, and Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), are excited to bring the Time Out Tour to North Otago on October 16, 2024!

Our ambassador, farmer and TV personality, Matt Chisholm, might have removed the biggest stressor in his life when he left the newsroom, but his struggles continued. Eventually, he was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Otago Rural Support Trust has teamed up with Rural Mental Health Advocates Matt Chisholm, Jack Cocks, Lana Van Lierop and Tyler Langford to bring you this new Time Out Tour.

Introducing our fantastic panel:


Jack Cocks is an Otago high country sheep and beef farmer. He regularly speaks to farmer, business, and student groups about farmer resilience and wellbeing. His interest in farmer wellbeing grew from a health challenge he faced and resulted in a Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme study. He is talking at the rural support trust event about how ‘Resilient Farmers Thrive in the Face of Adversity’.

Lana Van Lierop is passionate about seeing people thrive and teaching practical tools to manage stress and support wellbeing. Lana has 20 years' experience as an Occupational Therapist and has provided mental health support and coaching for the past five years.  Lana worked in Alexandra at the medical centres as a Health Improvement Practitioner for over 2 years and now has her own private practice Workitwell, based in Cromwell.  Lana is excited to be part of this event sharing wisdom from her personal and professional experiences.

Tyler Langford, at the heart of it I am a city girl that fell in love with a farmer. I now have the blessing of dairy farming in Golden Bay with my husband Wayne and three teenage boys, Lewis (17) Gordie (16) and Alfie (15). We live and farm in one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand and my children have access to the world’s greatest back yard and we love to be out and about and make the most of it. I am the Executive Director for the Fertiliser Quality Council and the Vice Chairperson for Federated Farmers Dairy Section. I also hold several local governance roles with provincial feds, catchment groups, conservation groups and I chair our local Rec Park Centre. As I said serial committee member. I do all this because I am truly passionate about the connection and resilience of our rural communities. I believe if we strengthen and grow together there is truly no storm, we can’t ride out together. In 2017 our family was in a dark time with my husband suffering from depression, we had just purchased a new farm, a drought and commodity prices plummeting to $3.70!! We then started our YOLO journey, and it led us down a life philosophy that we could never have envisioned. I am honoured now to spend some of my time both locally and nationally spreading our lessons learned, in hope that it will ease or even support someone who in their darkest hour just needs a glimmer of love and hope.

Times are tough in Otago, and we welcome this opportunity to provide a panel discussion on tools that can be utilized to improve and maintain your mental health.

Come along to another great round of the Rural Support Trusts Time Out Tour with this great panel.

• Learn about how Matt found a way through his mental health challenges. 
• Hear about ways rural communities can support each another. 
• Hear about what tools he uses to help manage his anxiety and remain mentally fit for life and what tools are out there and how we can help other people struggling. 
• Prepare to be entertained along the way while catching up with rural people in your community.

6.00 pm doors open 

7.00 pm programme to start. Nibbles on arrival and supper provided.

Free Parking onsite. Tickets are FREE and registrations are essential. This is strictly an R15 event.