RWNZ Enterprising Rural Women Award 2011 winners announced

Rural Women New Zealand is delighted to announce the North and South Island winners in the RWNZ Enterprising Rural Women Award 2011.

The winner of the North Island prize, sponsored by Access, is Nestling Limited, a business run by sisters Maria-Fe Rohrlach and Bernadine Guilleux. Based in Mamaku, Rotorua, Nestling produces organic merino and cotton baby wraps and slings. The judges were impressed by Nestling’s use of New Zealand materials and their commitment to manufacturing onshore, as well as their innovative designs, where modern fabrics and colours are fused with the traditional methods of wrapping and carrying babies.

The winner of the South Island prize, sponsored by Telecom, is Lisa Harper of Sherrington Grange. Lisa supplies accommodation, food and educational experiences to a niche market on her farm in the Marlborough Sounds. Lisa has built on family tradition and the skills she learned as a child, and now produces some of the best cheeses in New Zealand. She has developed a wide range of goats’ and cows’ milk cheeses, including full strength European-style cheeses that are not common here. Deliberately cross-marketing her products and services, Lisa also caters for the growing market of travellers who seek experiences, rather than simply accommodation. Many visitors come to take one of Lisa’s cheese making classes as part of their Marlborough Sounds’ stay.

The North and South Island winners will attend our Awards ceremony at the Rural Women New Zealand National Conference 2011 on Friday 20 May at the Waipuna Hotel, Auckland, when the overall Supreme winner will be announced.

The Awards were judged by Liz Evans, Rural Women New Zealand’s National President, Tina Symmans, Telecom’s Director of Corporate Relations, and John Ayling, chairman of Access Homehealth Ltd.

The judges were impressed by the innovation and calibre of all the entrants in this year’s RWNZ Enterprising Rural Women Award.