{"id":49532,"date":"2022-10-19T12:34:54","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T23:34:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/?p=49532"},"modified":"2022-10-19T12:40:01","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T23:40:01","slug":"comedy-shows-rural-communities-are-keen-to-reconnect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/people\/comedy-shows-rural-communities-are-keen-to-reconnect\/","title":{"rendered":"Comedy shows rural communities are keen to reconnect"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

The Omihi community hall is a monument to rural (taiwhenua) resilience itself, rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2015. It\u2019s a place with a storied rugby history \u2013\u00a0 photos of former All Blacks from the area adorn the walls. But tonight, the hall is full of farmers who\u2019ve turned out in numbers to attend Farmstrong\u2019s comedy night featuring an all-star line up of Nick Rado, Courtney Dawson, Tarun Mohanbhai and Tevita Manukia.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Covid has affected a lot of livelihoods. The comedians themselves are pleased to be back on the road. The event has been postponed and rescheduled several times due to covid-19. Since then, more extreme weather events have hit the region and a polar blast the day before has blanketed the surrounding hills with snow.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the fourth Farmstrong gig I\u2019ve done,\u201d notes comedian Courtney Dawson. \u201cIt\u2019s always so much fun and it\u2019s nice to see the community come together, have some kai, share a laugh. It\u2019s also good for an Aucklander like me to actually meet hard-working people that have proper jobs,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julie and Rob Stokes, who farm in the Lees Valley, have given themselves a night off. \u201cWhy have we turned up? We\u2019re in need of a good laugh,\u201d says Julie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adds Rob, \u201cIt\u2019s been a bit of an awkward spring so far, but it\u2019ll come right in the end. This is a very resilient community, but it\u2019s good to celebrate getting through these things too. It\u2019s good to feel like you\u2019ve made it out the other side of the tunnel and you\u2019re good to go again. It can be as simple as having a laugh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave I ever been a comedian myself? No, I think clown would be a better description,\u201d jokes Rob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julie likes the idea of Farmstrong. \u201cI absolutely believe in it. I think it\u2019s a good cause and it\u2019s doing a good job helping farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill Lott, a sheep and beef farmer from Waiau, has been farming for half a dozen years and is also involved in a local earth-moving business. \u201cThis community has been through a bit. It\u2019s been a testing old winter really. It\u2019s good it\u2019s getting back to normal and you can come to functions like this. It\u2019s good to get out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think Farmstrong\u2019s doing some good stuff. I\u2019m keen to learn a bit more tonight. You do need to be pretty focused in farming and have the right mindset. The \u2018top two inches\u2019 matter. Even if you\u2019re working hard, it\u2019s important to take time off, catch up with locals you haven\u2019t seen for a while and see what\u2019s going on in the rest of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marie Black, mayor of Hurunui, also praises the value of the event. \u201cWe\u2019ve all come through quite a dynamic two- to three-year period. We\u2019ve had the covid effect which has prevented us from actually coming together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur primary producers are the anchor of this district. They are people who roll up their sleeves and make things happen for this community and support New Zealand Inc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think Farmstrong\u2019s ability to bring an event like this to our rural community (taiwhenua hapori) is great because the fellowship that we get from each other at these events is really important.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, I\u2019ve come along to support our district and encourage our people to come along and have a bit of fun. When it comes to wellbeing, there\u2019s nothing like a belly laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MORE: For farmer-to-farmer tips and resources on how to stay Farmstrong, check out farmstrong.co.nz<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You\u2019ve got to laugh, haven\u2019t you?\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":49533,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[25,39,129],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t