Enterprising Rural Women Award winners announced

Tineke Verkade.

Rural Women NZ is delighted to announce the North and South Island winners of the Rural Women NZ Enterprising Rural Women Award 2010.

The winner of the North Island prize, sponsored by Access, is Tineke Verkade of Homeopathic Farm Support Limited. Her Waikato-based company supplies high quality homeopathic products and information support to farmers and rural livestock holders throughout NZ and overseas.

The South Island prize, sponsored by Ballance Agri-nutrients, has been won by Tracey Robinson of Cosy Toes Limited. Her company, based in Rotherham, North Canterbury, is an on-line and mail order retail business, specialising in 100 per cent NZ made merino wool socks, merino clothing and other NZ wool products for babies and children.

The Awards were judged by Margaret Chapman, Rural Women NZ’s national president, Theresa Gattung of Wool Partners International and Doug Langford, past chairman of Access Limited.

The judges were impressed by the innovation and adaptability of all the entrants in this year’s Enterprising Rural Women Award, many of whom have had to overcome extra obstacles to run a business from a rural location.

North Island winner Tineke Verkade started her business following a career in nursing, a background in science and an interest in complimentary medicine. She studied naturopathy and medical herbalism as well as homeopathy and has been in private practice since 1991. Her aim is to provide easily available, affordable and effective complimentary animal health remedies.

Margaret Chapman says: “Tineke Verkade has built up an impressive business from early days of skepticism and little belief in alternative methods of healing from the farming community.”

Nowadays more than a quarter of Fonterra dairy farmers and many sheep and beef producers use homeopathy.

South Island winner Tracey Robinson set up her Cosy Toes business after experiencing frustration that wool socks were not available for her two pre-schoolers. Researching the market, she discovered that inexpensive imports of synthetic socks had led to NZ businesses closing down and selling their machines.

She decided to reverse that trend, setting up a business in a rural township with a population of just 300, using the internet to supply a niche, high quality product using innovative marketing, including social networking sites.

Judge Doug Langford says Tracey Robinson is resourceful, passionate and determined to succeed in the face of obstacles.

Theresa Gattung adds: “Cosy Toes is courageous in its inception and spot on in its execution. Cosy Toes is a great example of new ways to reinvent the existing.”

Cosy Toes products are now posted all over the world, and Tracey has gone on to support those less fortunate, including organising the Cosy Toes Sock Drive for orphans in Uganda.