Due North PR

09/12/2025

Our thanks to all of you who've subscribed to and supported the The True North podcastNorth podcast over the past eight months. Especially those who've taken the time and trouble to provide comments and feedback - that is always hugely appreciated. We're taking a break over summer and plan to be back in February with our second series. ^PH

'The Black Dog' lurks behind the farm gate. How to get tough, stoic Kiwi farmers to ask for help? And when they do, what support is there for them?

In today's episode we speak with Michelle Ruddell, Chair of Rural Support Trust - Te Tai Tokerau, and also Chair of New Zealand Rural Support Trust's National Council.

Farming’s never been an easy gig. Long days, hard physical work and exposure to the elements have always combined to make sure that farmers slept well once they finally hit the sack. And, for most farmers, the lifestyle upsides made the hard work worthwhile.

But these days the gig has become a lot harder for many - the decisions are more complex, the pressures more intense, and the stakes higher than ever. Farmers are juggling volatile commodity prices, shifting regulations, climate extremes, rising costs, labour shortages, and a constant stream of new technologies they’re expected to master.

What once felt straightforward now demands a whole new level of business savvy, resilience, and adaptability. Today’s farmers aren’t just caretakers of the land - they’re risk managers, data analysts, environmental stewards, and entrepreneurs, all rolled into one.

The good news? There’s help and support out there – and farmers are learning to ask for it.

This is the final episode in this series of our poddy. Take a look in the comments below for how to find it. We’ll be back after the summer break, ready to rock 2026 with a whole lot of fresh content and interesting Northlanders to speak with. ^PH

08/12/2025

07/12/2025

26/11/2025

Getting tipsy while working in a brewery (strictly as part of the job), crushing it in the STEM space, and now leading one of Northland’s most innovative companies…

In today's episode of the True North podcast (links in comments) we publish the second in our ‘Northern Lights’ series of chats with unexpected Northlanders. We speak with Fiona Bycroft, CEO of Whangarei firm Naut, about her intriguing evolution from a shy, retiring schoolgirl from down the line to one of Northland’s most colourful and extroverted business leaders.

And about her determination to get Northland firms to learn more about each other – what we do, where our expertise lies, and how we can work together to help each other grow. ^PH

Because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. ^PH

25/11/2025

24/11/2025

Monday morning, every second Monday, is typically The True North podcast production time. This week we profile Fiona Bycroft of Naut - be sure to catch the conversation about her journey to become the leader of one of the most innovative organisations in Northland.

After this week's episode there's only one more before we bring down the curtain on this season - we'll be picking up again after the summer break. If you're a regular - or even occasional - listener please do drop us a note or give us a call with your thoughts on the podcast and how it has evolved over this first season. All feedback is gratefully received and will go towards making the product even better in 2026. Thank you!

11/11/2025

This week’s episode of the True North podcast has dropped. In it we speak with Whangārei business owner Katy Mandeno about Go With Grace, a Northland-based initiative she founded that guides and supports New Zealanders through their experiences with death and dying – a topic that she says Kiwis don’t deal with and prepare for anywhere near enough.

So how do we take the ‘yuk’ out of conversations about death? Why should we? How can those facing death face it with courage? And what gifts can grief bestow? This episode is a fascinating ramble through topics often considered too tough to tackle.

Katy talks about the personal tragedies that led to her setting up Go With Grace, the different approaches to talking about death that can create a gulf between those facing it and those who will be left behind, and the challenges facing business and community leaders when it comes to giving people the space they need to deal with grief.

Make sure to catch the full conversation through any of the links below. And if you haven’t subscribed to the pod yet, please consider joining the growing number of Northland business and community leaders who are doing so. Thank you! ^PH

28/10/2025

Matt King Northland's journey from political mainstream to the fringe was precipitous. The former National MP for Northland literally fell off the political cliff.

In this week's episode we speak with Matt about the human side of that story. What was going on behind the scenes as his political career was imploding, how did the drama impact his family, what was it like to watch the nomination for National’s Northland seat - a nomination that was surely his to win - pass to someone else? And why did his brand-new political party, built on the back of his random but significant Northland supporter base, fail to fire?

We traverse these and other questions to hear the story, first-hand and for the first time, from behind the headlines, the social media posts, the high emotions, and the fire and fury of those hectic pandemic days. ^PH