Like many other New Zealand rural women, for Debra Cruickshank, growing up in the country was all about putting your boots on and rolling up your sleeves.
“Work was a seven day-a-week job on our Tannacrieff farm in the Catlins. There was nothing better than helping Dad lambing, milking the pet cow before school, making hay huts for the pregnant pigs and staying up all night to watch them deliver their piglets.”
It’s this get-up-and-go attitude and solid work ethic that helped Debra create a niche market for port with her own wine label, Tannacrieff Wines, and develop a business providing solutions for boutique vineyards with DC Wines Ltd.
“The rural community, I feel, has a huge leg up on the rest of society in terms of getting stuff done! This is absolutely one of the reasons I am here doing what I do today.”
She's operated for 10 years as a one-woman band, which she says has been physically demanding, but she’s thankful for the support of family who help at harvest or during bottling.
Debra recently won the NZI Supreme award at the Enterprising Rural Women Awards, acknowledging her work.
NZI’s head of rural, Jon Watson, said NZI was proud to support the awards that recognises the innovation and achievements of business people like Cruickshank.
“Some of the biggest and best businesses we help protect come out of the regions, and we’re proud to be able to support businesses in rural New Zealand, and help them thrive in the changing world.
“We’re constantly reinvigorating our farm and rural offerings by partnering with valued local brokers who understand farming and rural needs.
“This enables us to develop solutions to meet the changing, complex needs of New Zealand farming and rural communities.”
Watson said Cruickshank displayed a superb work ethic, skill and innovative thinking, that provided a great foundation for the growth of the Tannacrieff Wines brand.
“Debra has demonstrated how to develop a concept to instigation, to a successful business model.
“We are thrilled to be able to recognise her outstanding achievements.”
Cruickshank said she was continuing with business as usual, but continuing to prosper in the process.
“I’m currently preparing for a very early and probably my biggest harvest to date, I’ve also just released a new label – it’s all go.”
