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THE Ministry of Primary Industries ran four farmers’ first aid courses in the King Country last month.
The Ministry for Primary Industries’s On Farm Support team sponsored the courses at rural halls located in Ōwhango, Waimiha, Otunui and Matiere.
On Farm Support works region by region, helping farmers and growers access support, information and advice and its courses are being run by provider PracMed with assistance from the Whanganui River Catchment Collective.
“An emergency on a farm in an isolated area like Taumarunui presents a special challenge to a first-aider,” said On Farm Support regional adviser Natalie Davidson.
“While mobile reception is improving, there are parts of the region that aren’t well serviced, and responses can take more than an hour.
“This means farmers and their communities need to be better equipped with the right skills, knowledge, equipment and training so that they are able to respond to an emergency situation.”
Natalie said another important benefit of the courses was bringing together local communities to strengthen relationships and resilience, which created springboard to achieving other common goals.
The coordinator for the Whanganui Region Catchment Collective, Natasha Cave, who is herself a sheep and beef farmer, said she had learned valuable skills at the course she attended.
“There were good practical lessons around attending to major traumas, which is useful as we often have long wait times for ambulances.
“We all felt we had learnt something,” Natasha said.
