Rural physiotherapist wins at Enterprising Rural Women Award

Media Release
For immediate release
13 November 2016

Rural physiotherapist wins the supreme title at the Enterprising Rural Women Awards 2016

Amy Dibley of Physio Direct Ltd has been named the supreme winner of the annual Rural Women New Zealand Enterprising Rural Women Awards.

Amy is from Rotorua and started up her business to meet a gap in the market. She offers physiotherapy and other allied health services in rural service towns in the Central North Island, and in Canterbury in the South Island.

"Amy was a stand out finalist in the awards," says Wendy McGowan, Awards judge and National President of Rural Women New Zealand.
"The judges appreciated Amy's innovative approach and business planning skills which have grown the Physio Direct franchise. Her team offer a health service that meets the needs of rural residents, who often struggle to access services such as physiotherapy in remote towns. Well done Amy, we wish her every success for the future."  

The judging panel also included Grant Rae, ANZ Private's Associate Director, and SWAZI New Zealand's Sales Manager, Warwick Bean and HP New Zealand's Sales Specialist, David Farquhar. They joined Wendy McGowan in interviewing the four finalists and reviewing their financial information and also their business plans. They were very impressed with the high standard of entries. 

The four winners in the 2016 Enterprising Rural Women Awards are as follows:

Love of the Land Award, sponsored by Agrisea New Zealand: Marian Hirst: Bay Blueberries, Hastings:www.bayblueberries.
Bay Blueberries is passionate about producing quality apples and blueberries in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. It won the 2016 Ballance Farm Environmental Supreme Award for the East Coast Region.

Emerging Enterprising Rural Women Award, sponsored by SWAZI New Zealand: Monique and Lyn Neeson: Shear Warmth, Taumarunui: www.shearwarmth.co.nz Shear Warmth produce top quality wool blankets, made in New Zealand and can be traced back to wool grown on the family farm.

Entrepreneurial Enterprising Rural Women Award, sponsored by Agri-Women's Development Trust: Helen Slattery: Slattery Contracting Limited, Matamata: www.slatterycontracting.co.nz
The Slattery Family has been involved in agricultural contracting since the mid-1950s, starting hay making and cultivating land. The business has grown from harvesting conventional hay bales, ploughing and undersowing to a wide range of services.

Innovative Enterprising Rural Women Award, sponsored by HP New Zealand and Supreme Award winner, sponsored by ANZ Private: Amy Dibley: Physio Direct, Rotorua:www.physiodirectnz.com Amy started Physio Direct when she realised that many small rural areas do not have adequate physiotherapy services.

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