While finishing schools may bring to mind lessons on elocution and dining etiquette, a school south of Queenstown is teaching anything but.
The Southern Girl Finishing School near Kingston is all about instilling capable young women with important farming skills like jump-starting a tractor, while also helping build up their confidence.
"I believe that you earn it by doing things that are a little bit uncomfortable, a little bit outside your comfort zone and you prove to yourself that you are capable of more than what you think," instructor Laura Koot told Seven Sharp.
Koot, who was often bullied, began teaching the workshops seven years ago after swapping the world of finance in the capital for farming in the south.
"We all come from different backgrounds. We're all shy and don't know each other and then at the end of the day, we're like best friends," student Brooklyn Bevin said.
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