The Rural Support Trust has teamed up with former television presenter turned farmer and mental health advocate Matt Chisholm to generate conversations about resilience and mental wellness in rural communities.

Passionate about agriculture and well-being, Chisholm has signed on as the inaugural ambassador for the trust, embarking on a nationwide Time Out Tour. With support from regional Rural Support Trusts, Chisholm shares the personal struggles that led him to leave his role with TVNZ and move to a sheep and beef farm in Central Otago.

"I don't know if I can call myself a farmer, but I have a 72-acre block in Chatto Creek. I can't afford to buy a big farm, and I don't know if I'm strong or resilient enough to have farming as my main source of income.

" I probably have skills in other areas, but I'm as passionate about farming as I am about anything outside my family, and I'm proud to be a rural New Zealander," Chisholm says.

"I feel like one of my jobs is to bridge the gap between town and country and fly the flag for rural New Zealand. We need to celebrate our farmers every day."

Recent weather events across the country have created additional challenges for rural communities, highlighting the importance of organisations like the Rural Support Trust to help build mental resilience in a primary sector already under pressure.

"Older farmers who have been through deregulation in the 1980s, or Cyclone Bola, talk to younger fellas and say, look, we have lived through these times before, and it looks bloody daunting at the moment.

"But we got through them, and you'll get through them too," Chisholm said. "It's not what happens, but how we react to what happens.

"We learn to react better to what happens to us in life. That's my journey, and probably everyone else's journey too.

"We have to learn to get better at dealing with our weaknesses and our faults. Life is imperfect. We're forever going to have stuff coming at us, but the sun will always come out and show us  that life will get better and that it's worth sticking around for."

The Time Out Tour will allow farmers to hear Chisholm share his experiences with depression, how he was able to move through the mental health challenges he faced, and strategies they can use themselves when times get tough.

"First of all, share. Talk to someone. Tell People. Tell your wife, partner or best mate if you are feeling overwhelmed," Chisholm said.

"Do something for yourself. Get off the farm. Do something that you really, really love, something that blows your hair back and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning.

"You've always got work to do, but write your lists and prioritise what's really important.

"Ask yourself, is this going to be a problem in six months? Or even three months? "Some things we think are vitally important at the time aren't actually that important down the track.

"And if you are struggling, go and see a doctor or talk to a counsellor."

For help and support, contact the Rural Support Trust on  0800 787 254. Their services are free and confidential.

By Claire Inkson