rivettingKateTaylor

Wife of one, mother of two, sister of three… writer by trade, mother by choice.

If there hasn’t been a new blog for a while… that’s good news. It means someone is paying me to write something else!

This year marks my 29th anniversary in Hawke’s Bay. Thomas has been here longer as he went to Lindisfarne College from the third form after growing up in the Gisborne and Whakatane areas. Many people assume I moved here when I met Thomas, when in fact, I moved here and met Thomas a few weeks later (thank you Young Farmers a.k.a. the rural dating agency). The rest, as they say, is history.

Sarah is doing a music degree (Composition, and Music Technology & Sonic Arts) at Victoria University and Lachlan is doing a Bachelor of Science (Genetics) at Otago University). Thomas works for Ravensdown and I am self- employed (and short).

I have been a journalist since I left school, although I started with radio and only moved into print when I returned from my OE in 1996 to work for the-then Hawke’s Bay Herald Tribune. I left what became Hawke’s Bay Today newspaper in 2000 when Sarah was born, and I have been a freelance (or self-employed) journalist, administrator and event manager ever since.

My current contracts include NZ Herefords (editor of their annual magazine) and Stuff Future Farming features.

I have previously also worked for (and sometimes still do….) Ravensdown, Anzco, Smedley, Ballance Farm Environment Awards, Mt Mable Angus, Perendales NZ, Young Farmers, Hawke’s Bay Federated Farmers, Nuffield NZ, Takapau Health Centre, Dominion Post, Young Country, PGG Wrightson Seeds … and others.

Most of the “stuff” I do is rural or rural community-focused.

I spent a couple of years being a road safety coordinator in Central Hawke’s Bay, then did three years working for NZ Farmer (search for Kate Taylor on the Stuff website to see any of those stories; there’s a few!)

In 2019, I won the Rural Champion title at the NZI Rural Women NZ Business Awards, I wrote a book for NZ Young Farmers called “50 Years Young – A History of the Young Farmer of the Year” and was elected to the CHB District Council (now on my second term). Life’s a bit busy!

And… I am a member of the Takapau Volunteer Fire Brigade. I am an active firefighter as well as the education person running the FireWise programme in the local school and playcentre.

Going back a few years… As Kate Rivett, I grew up in the southern farming district of West Otago … the youngest of four girls. (That’s me in front of Dad on the bike).

Here’s us in 2014 – Maree, Tania, Mum, me and Keri. Sadly Dad died in 2002.

If you listen closely to me talk (okay, not so closely) you can pick up that southern heritage (just don’t ask me to talk about the girrrl in the purrrple shirrrt who worrrked in Gorrre!)