True North

• #18: Farmers under stress

  The Black Dog lurks behind the farm gate. How to get tough, stoic Kiwi farmers to ask for help? And when they do, what support is there for them?In this episode we speak with Michelle Ruddell, Chair of Rural Support Te Tai Tokerau, and also Chair of Rural Support’s National Council.Farming’s never been an easy gig. Long days, hard physical work and exposure to the elements have always combinedto make sure that farmers slept well once they finally hit the sack. And, for most farmers, the lifestyle upsides made the hard work worthwhile. But these days the gig has become a lot harder for many - the decisions are more complex, the pressures more intense, and the stakes higher than ever. Farmers are juggling volatile commodity prices, shifting regulations, climate extremes, rising costs, labour shortages, and a constant stream of new technologies they’re expected to master. What once felt straightforward now demands a whole new level of business savvy, resilience, and adaptability. Today’s farmers aren’t just caretakers of the land - they’re risk managers, data analysts, environmental stewards, and entrepreneurs, all rolled into one. The good news? There’s help and support out there – and farmers are learning to ask for it.This is the final episode in this series of our poddy. We’ll be back after the summer break, ready to rock 2026 with a whole lot of fresh content and interesting Northlanders to speak with.Links to items referred to in the show:News desertshttps://informedfutures.org/news-deserts

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• NORTHERN LIGHTS #2: Fiona Bycroft, Naut

  Getting tipsy at work in the course of duty, crushing it in the STEM space, and leading one of Northland’s most innovative companies.In this week’s episode of the True North podcast we publish the second in our ‘Northern Lights’ series of chats with unexpected Northlanders. We speak with Fiona Bycroft, CEO of Whangarei firm Naut, about the intriguing tale that saw a shy, retiring schoolgirl from down the line become one of Northland’s most colourful and extroverted business leaders. And her determination to get Northland firms to learn more about each other – what we do, where our expertise lies, and how we can work together to help each other grow. Because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.Links to items referred to in the show:BusinessDesk article about Infrastructure Pipeline updatehttps://businessdesk.co.nz/article/infrastructure/infrastructure-pipeline-swells-to-275b-but-certainty-stops-at-the-next-election-eaqub-says Infrastructure Commission's Pipeline updatehttps://tewaihanga.govt.nz/the-pipeline/pipeline-snapshot

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• #17: We need to talk!

  How do we take the ‘yuk’ out of conversations about death? Why should we? How can those facing death face it with courage? And what gifts can grief bestow?In this episode we speak with Whangārei business owner Katy Mandeno about Go With Grace, a Northland-based initiative she founded that guides and supports New Zealanders through their experiences with death and dying – a topic that she says Kiwis don’t deal with and prepare for anywhere near enough.Katy talks about the personal tragedies that led to her setting up Go With Grace, the different approaches to talking about death that can create a gulf between those facing it and those who will be left behind, and the challenges facing business and community leaders when it comes to giving people the space they need to deal with grief.Links to items referred to in the show:Governance traininghttps://www.wdc.govt.nz/Events/Whats-On/Governance-Training-20251201

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• #16: Get lost! I’m out!

  Matt King’s journey from political mainstream to the fringe was precipitous. The former National MP for Northland literally fell off the political cliff. In this episode we speak with Matt about the human side of that story. What was going on behind the scenes as his political career was imploding, how did the drama impact his family, what was it like to watch the nomination for National’s Northland seat - a nomination that was surely his to win - pass to someone else? And why did his brand-new political party, built on the back of his random but significant Northland supporter base, fail to fire? We traverse these and other questions to hear the story, first-hand and for the first time, from behind the headlines, the social media posts, the high emotions, and the fire and fury of those hectic pandemic days.Links to items referred to in the show:Email from Northland Regional Council about how Northland tourism spend in Auckland was calculated: The figures derive from the Tourism Electronic Card Transactions (TECTs) dataset, published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE). You can access the relevant page here: ⁠https://www.mbie.govt.nz/immigration-and-tourism/tourism-research-and-data/tourism-data-releases/tourism-electronic-card-transactions⁠ (We) specifically drew on the “Spend per region by origin” section. TECT data is provided by Marketview, who use electronic card transaction (ECT) data from the Paymark network, which covers approximately 70% of total ECT spend, to estimate national totals. These estimates are then filtered to isolate tourism-related spend by visitors within New Zealand. Because detailed address data is no longer available, Marketview now infers cardholder residence from spending patterns via Paymark, down to the territorial authority (TA) level. To align with the agreed definition of domestic tourism - NZ residents travelling more than 40km from home - a hybrid approach is used: spend is counted if it occurs either 40km from the largest urban centre within a cardholder’s home TA, or outside their home TA altogether. To avoid misclassifying regular or commuter activity as tourism, Marketview excludes spend in any TA where a cardholder’s transactions are frequent and substantial, including their home TA. This helps ensure the data reflects genuine tourism behaviour rather than habitual shopping or commuting.In addition, although the concept of the messaging (does) not change, (we are) providing below the data for period YE June 2025, as opposed to the period referred to in the newsletter (YE December 2024), if you were interested in reporting the latest insights:- Aucklanders spent $251 million in Northland (47% of total domestic tourism spend).- Northlanders spent $393 million outside the region, with $247 million going to Auckland.

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• #15: The Path to Governance

  Imposter Syndrome in the boardroom – how does a newbie director fight the self-doubt? And how can a wannabe director target a board position?In this episode we speak with Dargaville business-owner and highly-deliberate governance professional Kathryn de Bruin about her planned, purposeful and impeccably-managed journey to become a director of some very well-respected entities serving the regional and national horticultural sector.What did she learn along the way? And what lessons can she pass on to other Northlanders considering a career in governance?Links to items referred to in the show: The ‘Northland Waters Establishment Advisory Group’ recruitment adhttps://bit.ly/4nVlxbE

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