Rural leadership course under way

Press, 12 February 1982, Page 10

Rural leadership course under way

Twenty-four people from around New Zealand are about to start on a course at Lincoln College that will put them in touch with some of the top names in New Zealand politics and help them to become better rural leaders. Twenty men and four women have been selected from about 60 applicants for the Kellogg New Zealand Rural Leadership program. They will meet at Lincoln College from 15 to 24 of this month for the first part of the course. Among the 34 people that will speak to them there are the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Maclntyre), the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling), the Social Credit Leader (Mr Beetham), and M.P.s Marilyn Waring, Philip Burdon, Ruth Richardson, and Geoff Palmer. Also on the agenda are Federated Farmers President, Mr Rob Storey, rural journalist, Mr Roland Clark, Labour party official, Mr Simon Walker, and the Mayor of Wellington, Sir Michael Fowler. They will address the group in what course director, Mr John Pryde, des-

cribes as an intensive, high calibre program designed to develop leadership potential. Participants have been chosen on the strength of their involvement in rural affairs. They all come from farms or horticultural businesses, included are school committee members, Federated Farmers committee members, P.T.A. workers, people from service groups, and a range of interests from farm discussion groups to C.B. radio to jazzercise. After this month’s course at Lincoln College, course members will take on projects in their own areas. They will come together again at the end of the year for another session at Lincoln and a group trip to Wellington. This is the third course Mr Pryde has run. He says the performance of past “scholars" is already showing the course’s value in producing people who can take on leadership roles in their communities. The W.K. Kellogg foundation of the United States gives financial backing for the program.