Breaking The Glass Paddock: A history of Aotearoa’s rural women

In the 1870s, Aotearoa’s farmlands ran rampant with single men. They lived together, worked together, got hammered together, and stuck to themselves and their sheep — you can see where the sheep shagging allegations started.  

But when the men left for war, the women stepped up. And they never left.  

For most of the 19th century, the few women who did live in rural areas were not allowed to farm. Mostly, they were employed as domestic servants. But this changed in 1891, when the Liberal Party won the election with a vision to settle families, not just men, on farms. The Government bought 1.3 million acres of Māori land for $13.3 million ($4.84 billion NZD today) and converted them into family farms.  

Suddenly, there were more women on the land. Farms were no longer boys’ clubs — they relied on woman to hold them together. 

Initially, women’s farm work was mostly domestic: Managing households, tending the gardens, raising children, and bringing food out for smoko. This labour was often overlooked. 

But when World War I broke out in 1914 and men were shipped off to fight, it was the women who kept the farms running. By taking on traditionally ‘masculine’ work, women proved farm work is anything but gendered.  

After the war, women continued to farm — much to some men's dismay. In response, rural women began seeking formal support for their way of life.  

In 1925, at a tea party in Wellington for Farmers’ Union wives, sixteen rural women agreed to form their own organisation. Florence Polson described the “restricted, bare, and lonely lives of [farm] women working long hours with few household amenities and their need for contact with others”. They were done with this. 

The Women’s Division of the New Zealand Farmer’s Union (WDFU) was established the next day, with Florence as President. Despite some resistance from local union branches, the women had the support of their well-established farms, Florence’s husband (who was the Farmers’ Union president), and a £50 grant from the national executive – equivalent to roughly $8,700 NZD today. 

When World War II began in 1939, farming women were left on their own again. But they were more ready this time. The WDFU stepped up, training new female farmers, offering supplies, and helping with farm work. They supported rural women when they needed it most.  

Alongside this, rural women formed the Land Girls – a group that placed women on farms to keep the industry going. Many Land Girls had no farm experience but felt an obligation to serve New Zealand. In the book New Zealand Country Women, author Michelle Moir quotes one land girl: 

“I find myself up early, happy in the determination to serve my country and to support the men overseas. My face may often get dusty, shifting sheep, driving a team or tractor … Please give us Land Girls a chance. We can win this war only by working and pulling together.” 

Without the Land Girls’ efforts, Aotearoa’s economy would have left the war in far worse shape. Today, the WDFU is known as Rural Women NZ, and continues to support rural women — especially when it comes to social isolation.  

In 2017, Michelle Thompson, chief executive of Rural Health Alliance of Aotearoa New Zealand (RHAANZ), told Farmers Weekly: “Women in all walks of life suffer from the burden of historical oppression and discrimination. But in rural communities where they may be geographically isolated adding to difficulty in accessing support ... the burdens can be exaggerated.” 

She explains that poor access to amenities, health services, employment, friends and family, and even reliable broadband makes it harder for rural women to get help.  

“We all know rural women are big on combatting family violence and few people realise that rural domestic violence rates are higher than in urban areas.” 

To help, RHAANZ has been working with other rural groups to reduce rural service delivery inequity. Their many member organisations offer scholarships to support women in leadership, internet-based support groups for rural women, and connect women with health and social services tailored to rural needs. 

Historically, women have farmed in Aotearoa out of necessity. Today, rural women farm for themselves.  

Newer organisations like the Dairy Women’s Network and Women in Agribusiness are connecting and supporting female farmers to grow their own enterprises – not support their husbands’. 

In an industry long dominated by men, the space for women has been carved out by generations of rural women through determination, vision, and community.   

Some farms may still be running rampant with single men, but for different reasons. Women today don’t need a husband going to war to break the glass paddock.