Brown of Pahoia, just north of Tauranga, has been involved with Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) since the late 1990s, first hearing about the organisation when she worked at CRV Ambreed.
She quickly became a member of what was at that point a largely internet-based network and attended the organisation’s first conference in 2001.
She and husband Peter have two teenage children and run a dairy farm in Galatea, a kiwifruit orchard in Te Puke and an avocado orchard in Pahioa, where the family lives.
Brown said she was looking forward to being able to serve the organisation that has given her so much over the years, and that she is so passionate about.
“The Dairy Women’s Network is a great place to belong, and is extremely valuable to dairying women at any stage of their career.
“It is still nimble enough that it’s able to respond quickly to the needs of its members and the industry and does a wonderful job at providing relevant training, and is able provide support to its members when things aren’t going well, which happens from time to time.”
Kidd echoes Brown’s sentiments about the valuable place DWN holds in the New Zealand dairy industry as she reflects back on her time as chairwoman.
“DWN really is a unique organisation doing things that make a real difference to real people in NZ’s biggest export-industry sector,” she said.
“It’s a great place to grow, encourage and support talent in our dairy industry and a place to go to get inspired, get that bit of ‘oomph’ back to take on your own next thing no matter how big, small, challenging or business-as-usual that is.”
Kidd was appointed chairwoman in 2014 to support specific change and growth that DWN had prioritised.
She said the board and management team have worked well and that the objectives set have progressed positively.
“The Dairy Women’s Network is a great place to belong, and is extremely valuable to dairying women at any stage of their career.”
Cathy Brown
DWN
“The job is never over, but I feel like I have added value and DWN is in a good place to appoint their next chair as originally planned.
“I’m really thrilled the board is now in a place where internal succession is happening.
“As an organisation, DWN is also ready for the change – it feels like we are at that tipping point of entering the next stage of growth.
“The timing couldn’t have been better from that point of view. A change now will support and be another catalyst for cementing the progress we have made to date.”
