Lincoln University student Elle Perriam is visiting farm communities around the country to encourage rural people to take better care of their own and fellow farm worker's mental health.
The Will to Live campaign (which Perriam co-founded) is named after her partner Will Gregory, a North Otago farm worker who ended his life in 2017.
Via PledgeMe, Perriam and her friends raised $18,500 for the Will to Live 'Speak Up' tour – 10 casual evening events around the country that will "bring everyone out of their gullies around a table to talk about [mental health]".
The events will have food, drinks and a range of speakers – including her sister Kate, a doctor of Chinese medicine – and local farmers or workers who opt to be Will to Live ambassadors.
Good communication is extremely important on a remote farm, Perriam says.
"When you could be up a gully for three months with the same six people you want to feel comfortable enough to go to your boss if you've got a problem."
Photo: supplied
Perriam, who grew up between a West Coast cattle farm with her mum and her dad's place in Central Otago, is passionate about agriculture and health and says isolation can be a factor in people not getting the help they need.
"It's really hard if you want to talk to someone and the nearest town is three hours to Christchurch and you can't get a day off in the middle of lambing or tailing."
Many young farm workers find it "nervewracking" asking for time off work to take care of their mental health, and bosses need to take a deeper interest in their welfare, she says.
"That whole stigma is still here about being weak, but it's not weak to speak."
Will Gregory's three-year-old dog Jess – a black huntaway he broke in before he died – is the Will to Live mascot, who conveniently embodies the 'black dog' metaphor for mental illness awareness.
"We've just got a dog box on our Will to Live ute so we'll have a primo spot for her throughout the country."
Elle Perriam, founder of the rural mental health campaign Will to Live, with mascot Jess the dog Photo: Will to Live / PledgeMe
Perriam says that working on the Will to Live project has helped heal her heal from the loss of Will, who she describes as "just a young shepherd from down south".
"It's definitely really helped me on my grief-riding journey.
"I've got my family and friends and everyone is making sure I'm alright. I feel very supported."
