In the river city of Albury, a language classroom hums with Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish. In the small township of Clarence Town, a digital strategist is building artificial-intelligence systems designed to lighten the mental load of rural women running businesses. And in Inverell, a country veterinarian is quietly reshaping how young vets survive and thrive in the bush.
They are not household names. But this week, Kristie Ivone, Emma Spartalis and Dr Sarah Golding were named finalists in the 2026 NSW/ACT AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award, a program that has become one of the country’s markers of female leadership beyond the capitals.
The award, run by AgriFutures Australia, recognises women who are building businesses and community initiatives in regional and rural Australia, often in sectors undergoing profound change. The winner, to be announced on April 22, will receive a $15,000 grant from Westpac, along with access to professional development and a national alumni network.
But the significance of the finalist list extends beyond a single prize. It offers a snapshot of how regional economies are diversifying and how women are increasingly driving that shift.
A Language School as Regional Infrastructure
For Kristie Ivone, the founder of Boas Language Academy, language is more than curriculum. It is infrastructure.
Her social-enterprise school partners with migrants in the Albury-Wodonga region to deliver immersive language programmes for children and adults. The model reframes newcomers not as beneficiaries of services but as skilled contributors – teachers, cultural brokers and entrepreneurs.
“Language can be a bridge,” Kristie said. “It can transform belonging and participation.”
With a background in international relations and regional development, she has positioned migrant empowerment as an economic strategy for regional towns competing for population growth and skilled workers. Her advocacy has also extended to health equity in the regions, informed by her experience as a cancer survivor.
Artificial Intelligence, Designed in the Bush
If Kristie’s work addresses demographic change, Emma is focused on technological disruption.
After leading digital and artificial-intelligence strategy for a billion-dollar brand, she returned to rural life and founded Spartalis Consulting, an advisory firm helping organisations adopt emerging technologies responsibly.
Her latest initiative, AI Doubles, is a digital support platform comprising 12 AI agents co-created with rural women in the Dungog Shire. The system is designed to automate administrative tasks, reduce cognitive overload and give business owners back time.
“Rural women are carrying extraordinary operational strain,” Emma said. “Ethical, practical AI can reduce that pressure without compromising values or wellbeing.”
As debates around artificial intelligence often centre on metropolitan tech hubs, her work highlights a quieter question: whether regional communities will shape – or simply inherit – the digital future.
Repairing a Strained Profession
For Dr Sarah Golding, the crisis is more personal.
A principal practitioner and co-manager of Gowrie Vet Clinic in Inverell, she has spent more than a decade watching newly graduated veterinarians struggle with burnout, isolation and the emotional toll of rural practice. High attrition rates have compounded workforce shortages in country towns.
In 2024, she founded The Vet Mind Mentor, launching a structured mentorship program, The Resilient Vet Mastermind, to support graduates in their first critical year. The initiative provides guided coaching, resilience training and practical career strategies.
The program’s first cohort supported 26 veterinarians across rural Australia. Dr Golding says the goal is not merely retention, but sustainability. “We need vets who can practise with purpose and joy over the long term,” she said.
A Broader Shift in Regional Leadership
In a statement, Tara Moriarty, the New South Wales Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, said the finalists demonstrated the “depth of talent, innovation and leadership” across the state’s regions. Jodie Harrison, Minister for Women, described them as emblematic of the resilience and creativity of regional women navigating complex social and economic pressures.
Jennifer Galloway, General Manager at AgriFutures Australia, said the award was designed not only to recognise achievement but to scale it — through funding, networks and national visibility.
In towns often defined by distance from capital cities, these women are building systems from linguistic, digital to human ones that aim to close other kinds of gaps.
More information about the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award is available at:
Rural Women’s Award | AgriFutures Australia
