Welcome to the Sharing Shed!

Rural Women New Zealand is excited to announce the return of its popular webinar series, The Sharing Shed, with a Summer Series!

The Sharing Shed offers members a valuable opportunity to learn, engage, and connect online while being informed, inspired, and entertained.

These webinars are exclusive to members of RWNZ, and past webinars can be viewed in the Member Zone. Not a member yet? Join Us today for $50 and enjoy access to the full series, free for members!

Our third session with Annabelle White - tips on summer entertaining with minimum fuss and maximum enjoyment. Stress free, easy and yet super delicious ideas for those hot summ er nights. Attendees received complementary copies of Annabelle's recipes.

RWNZ Members can watch the recording in the Member Zone.

Tuesday 13 Jan 2026, 7:00pm

  • Popular television and radio cooking personality Annabelle White is synonymous with good food and fun times in the kitchen.  Annabelle believes that keeping food simple, easy, “confidence building” and delicious, mixed with plenty of tips, funny quips and great recipes make for good times for family and friends.

Employing great staff is key to business and personal success. Employers carry responsibility for employees’ economic, social and emotional welfare. Successful business women and HR professional Lee Astridge of #8HR will lead a discussion on what great employers do to recruit and retain great talent.

RWNZ Members can watch the recording in the Member Zone.

Tuesday 27 Jan 2026, 7:00pm

  • As one of the founders of No8HR Lee understands what it means to be a business owner as well as bringing years' of experience in leadership, HR and people development roles.  This includes global experience gained in a range of roles from senior leadership, governance, operational board and management, to technical specialist and advisor.  

    Lee has a strong reputation nationally for both her professional expertise and her abilities as a motivational speaker and facilitator.

Tuesday 10 Mar 2026, 7:00pm

Farmer, AWDT founder, researcher, podcaster and ardent supporter of women, Lindy uses influence and follows her heart to create positive change in the NZ Primary Industry.

Her current mission is to transform how we keep our family, team and communities safe on farm. She believes in the power of women to influence and lead change.

This interactive chat with Lindy will focus on using our influence to change what is important to us and the simple things we can do to ensure the people we love come home safe every night.

Watch the recording here.

  •  She believes women hold the key to supporting and leading much of the change that needs to happen globally, and is active around the world supporting women’s empowerment.  She has spoken at APEC as well as offering strategic advice to the Scottish Government on empowering women in agriculture.

    Her work in the agri sector and with women allows her to influencing main stream media from women’s magazines to supporting Television- connecting the stories of women food producers to their consumers. 

    She is a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to agriculture and women, 2013 Next Business Woman of the Year and named by Primary Magazine as one of the top ten women in agriculture.

International visitors and kiwi tourists are looking for authentic New Zealand rural experiences. What are the pros and cons of setting up an agritourism venture? Join Agritourism NZ CEO Marijke Dunselman and Julia Broughton of Pōhatu Farm Tours to share their insights on setting up successful agritourism ventures.

Watch recording in Members Zone.

Tuesday 10 Feb 2026, 7:00pm

  • Founder & CE Agritourism.nz

    Marijke Dunselman is one of New Zealand's leading tourism business & marketing consultants and trainers and has run her own consultancy and training business for over 23 years. She has worked with hundreds of tourism businesses over the years and has set up several tourism marketing networks. 

    Having worked with many farmers over the years in developing their agritourism business,  she set up Agritourism NZ in 2019 bringing together tourism and agriculture.

Artificial Intelligence is becoming ubiquitous in the work place and in digital consumer marketing. As the tools become ever more integrated into how we work and communicate, the benefits can be enormous. But what tools, where to start and how do I ask a computer a question?

Join us to demystify artificial intelligence tools and discover how to use it in your daily life to power your work and business. Learn practical AI tools, build confidence with technology, and connect with inspiring professionals leading the change. No tech background needed—just curiosity. Watch the recording here:

Tuesday 24 Feb 2026, 7:00pm

  • Kit is a professional facilitator and coach, working in the innovation, entrepreneurship and futures space with educators, executives and startups across New Zealand.

    Kit has 20+ years of experience helping NZ startups, creatives and entrepreneurs grow bold, beautiful brands and websites that actually work.

Rural women experience a unique type of isolation, which can be detrimental to mental and physical health. There are also aspects of rural life that can be protective factors. Join Kathryn to gain insights into the world of rural community connection and friendships, specifically for rural women. These insights have been gained not only from Kathryn’s work with many rural women, but also from her research - where the voices of rural women, came through loud and clear. Kathryn will discuss topics such as:

  • Building friendships 

  • Overcoming fear of vulnerability 

  • Self compassion 

  • Conflict 

  • Community interventions

Open to all - Register now

Tuesday 24 Mar 2026, 7:00pm

  • Kathryn is an NZAC registered counsellor snd Rural Women member that specialises in rural mental health, which she has worked in and researched for 12 years. She is currently in her last year of a PhD that is investigating rural mental health, community connection, and land use change. Kathryn has carried out prior research on young rural men and why they tend to suffer in silence around mental health help seeking, for which she won 2 major awards. She is also on several committees, including a charity that seeks to inform firearms licence holders around mental health help seeking, and runs live webinar training for social services around how to understand the agricultural year, and she is a mental health first aid instructor. Kathryn has written over 300 articles and posts around rural mental health, and has appeared on countless podcasts and speaking engagements. She lives in Te Anau on a deer and beef farm with her husband, and has 2 daughters.

Let’s talk about Pelvic Health

Let’s have a fun and frank discussion about all thing’s pelvic health. We’ll discuss prolapses, incontinence, sexual health, as well as the childbearing year and the effects on your pelvic health. All serious topics but we’ll approach it with a practical focus and a wicked sense of humour!

Dr Melissa Davidson helps people with pelvic health issues gain control, improve their function, regain their dignity, and leave behind the embarrassment commonly associated with pelvic health dysfunctions. Come along and have some fun learning all about your pelvic health.

Register now!

Tuesday 7 April 2026, 7:00pm

  • I am currently the only Specialist Physiotherapist in Pelvic Health registered with the New Zealand Physiotherapy Board. This is my speciality, this is my passion. I graduated in 1990, and since then I have worked hard to extend my knowledge and skills in women's and men's health to ensure I stay up to date with treatments that work.

    I see patients one-on-one for treatments, but I also spend time training other pelvic health professionals around the world. I can only treat so many patients in-person. However, by providing high quality, evidence based training to others, together we can improve pelvic health globally.

Past Sharing Shed Webinars

Harvesting Better Deals: Negotiating a YES

Want to know how to approach difficult conversations, stop being talked over, negotiate better pay or more help around the house? Join Jenny McDonald for a practical webinar for strategies to get that YES.

RWNZ members can watch the webinar on the Member Zone.

Culinary legend Annabelle White provides an exclusive presentation for members of RWNZ. Share Annabelle’s catering stories and tips for successful BBQing for the coming summer months. She will give you suggestions and tips on how to deal with the most complicated social situations around the Grill - so much more than just recipes!

RWNZ members can watch the webinar on the Member Zone.

Get out the BBQ!

Thrive through Christmas ‘25

In the 2nd of our three exclusive webinars Annabelle White shared tips on pulling off the perfect Christmas day gathering, and allowing yourself to enjoy the day too. Simple, easy and fun, who needs extra stress at Christmas! A good time guaranteed. Attendees will receive complementary copies of Annabelle’s recipes.

RWNZ members can watch the webinar on the Member Zone.

Barnyard to Boardroom: Grow your Governance Career

What is ‘Governance’ and how do you do it? Governance is the practice of making good decisions to guide an entity in the right direction. Watch experienced director Jo Cribb talk about all the Governance essentials you need.

RWNZ members can watch the webinar on the Member Zone.

As we know from the TV series, Succession is a complex and emotional topic for families and businesses. Property law specialist Michelle Needham will share key steps to take for constructive succession discussions and what it means for intergenerational asset management.

RWNZ members can watch the webinar on the Member Zone.

Planning for succession success

Personal development for rural women

Join AWDT General Manager Julia Jones for a conversation about women who have enjoyed success in their chosen field and how learning new skills and making new connections have helped them achieve their goals.

RWNZ members can watch the webinar on the Member Zone.

Haybales and Hot Flushes: Navigating Menopause

Dr Anju Basu talks about navigating menopause. A complex topic shares knowledge to encourage women and their whanau to talk about and help manage menopause.

RWNZ members can watch the webinar on the Member Zone.

Optimising saving for retirement income and achieving investment diversification can be a challenge. JBWere investment advisors Harriet Jones and Angus Marks will discuss some of the principles of investment, saving options for rural women, and the miracle of compounding interest.

RWNZ members can watch the webinar on the Member Zone.

Investing for the future

Lawyers Michelle Needham and Gabrielle Thompson join us for a second webinar on rural asset management in a talk about trusts. What are they? What are the pros and cons, and what might trust structures mean for relationship property?

RWNZ members can watch the webinar on the Member Zone.

In Whom We Trust