The South Canterbury women behind Irricon Resource Solutions have been named Supreme Winners of the Enterprising Rural Women Awards.
Keri Johnston and Haidee McCabe, who featured on the front page of Courier Country on September 17, won the prestigious title at this month's Rural Women New Zealand national conference in Rotorua.
Irricon, which has offices in Washdyke and Ashburton, is an environmental consultancy that allows its staff to work from their rural homes. They have more than 500 clients ranging from smallholders to corporate farms throughout the South Island.
Irricon services include designing dairy effluent systems, preparing and auditing nutrient budgets and farm environment plans, water quality monitoring, aquifer and irrigation tests, ecological assessments, and resource consent advice.
Mrs Johnston said she and Mrs McCabe, who attended the Rotorua event with their husbands, were ''shocked'' and ''thrilled'' with the win.
As each finalist gave a presentation, she thought ''any one of these would be a great winner''.
''It's a nice wee affirmation'' that showed Irricon was ''really, really relevant to rural communities'' and doing a good job, Mrs Johnston said.
The award organisers said Mrs Johnston and Mrs McCabe had ''gone from strength to strength'' since establishing the business in 2010.
''They now employ nine staff located from Motonau in North Canterbury to Duntroon in North Otago, with expertise ranging from ecology to engineering, and planning to field technicians.
''A key feature of their business is Johnston and McCabe's philosophy of fitting work around family and farming life, wherever that might be.''
The staff choose hours that fit around other commitments. Their employers do not mind if they put in a 10-hour week or a 40-hour one, as long as their contracts are completed on time.
''The reason we exist is our desire to be able to work while on the farm,'' Mrs Johnston said.
''We spent a lot of time putting our systems in place.''
''Five of our consultants are women who would not be working professionally if they didn't work for Irricon,'' Mrs McCabe said.
''Working from home means the best of all worlds for these women, and it allows them the opportunity to work, but be wives, mums and farm workers as well.
''Unless we're in a hearing, we're not a `suit and tie' type of business - our jeans and gumboots are well worn! Our clients really appreciate having someone turn up who knows farming. We can talk to them in their language about the issues.''
Mrs Johnston, who farms 80ha with her husband in Geraldine, has a degree in natural resources engineering from the University of Canterbury, is a professional member of the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand and a chartered professional engineer.
Mrs McCabe, who lives with her husband on an Albury lifestyle block, has a bachelor of resource studies from Lincoln University. She has worked with irrigation companies throughout the South Island and in Western Australia.
Irricon won the ''Help! I Need Somebody'' category of the awards before winning the overall title. Renee De Luca, of Blenheim business Putake Honey, won the ''Love of the Land'' category; Nicola Wright, of Wrights Winery and Vineyard in Gisborne, won the ''Making it in Rural'' section; and Bobbie Mulgrew, of Glenorchy car relocation service Easyhike, won the ''Stay, Play Rural'' section.
- by Sally Brooker