Thursday, March 28, 2024

Celebrating dairy women

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New Zealand’s dairy women will have the chance to join their peers for celebration, learning and friendship in April during one of three Allflex and DWN2021 Step Up Together conferences around the country.
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Held as three regional one-day conferences in Taupo (April 8), Ashburton (April 13) and Queenstown (April 15), the conference is a chance for women to get off-farm, hear thought-provoking and entertaining speakers, and spend time with like-minded people while learning and socialising.

Formerly presented as one national conference, held annually in varying regions, the decision was made to reinvent the traditional conference following the success of DWN2020’s online conference, which showcased the resilience and the dedication to connection and learning within the farming community.

“While we know our members appreciate the chance to get together, some women may struggle to get off the farm for a few days to travel to a national location,” conference chair Renee Fa’atui says.

“We see this new format as a great chance to try something new, while meeting our members halfway and recognising that their needs may have changed in the past year.”

The regional conferences will maintain the organisation’s reputation for relevant and informative workshops, gala dinners and brilliant keynote speakers – which, for 2021, has been announced as former Black Stick and three-time Olympian Gemma McCaw.

“We’re excited to have Gemma share her journey with us as a well-known ambassador for women’s health and wellness,” Fa’atui says. 

“Through her career, Gemma has gained knowledge into teamwork and resilience, and as a mum she’s learnt how to balance work, home and family – something many of our attendees are going through as well.

“We think Gemma’s story will resonate with a lot of dairy women.”

Each regional conference will include two workshop sessions: Clear as Water – getting an understanding of the Freshwater Policy, and What Success Looks Like for You – ideas for other ways to invest in your farm and your future.

A third interactive session was chosen based on the needs of the region and include getting hands-on with hoof health, robotics and a genetics specialist from LIC (Taupo); You Only Live Once: talking about mental health (Ashburton); and Breeding Success – a look at the ultimate breeding herd health.

The Taupo conference will host a gala dinner, themed as Party Through the Decades, to announce both the Fonterra Dairy Women of the Year and the Dairy Women’s Network Regional Leaders of the Year for 2021.

Ashburton and Queenstown conferences will finish the day with a networking hour, while also celebrating the Fonterra Dairy Women of the Year and DWN Regional Leader of the Year awards by recognising any finalists and recipients from the region.

This will be the second year that women at the grassroots of DWN have been recognised with the Regional Leader of the Year award.

The award is a celebration of the regional leaders’ role in connecting the network with rural women and the wider community and industry.

“These women are an integral part of DWN; leading, organising and hosting events that encourage learning and connection,” DWN chief executive Jules Benton says.

“As a partner of the Dairy Tomorrow Strategy, DWN supports the building of vibrant and prosperous communities through strengthening community connections. 

Dairy Women’s Network chief executive Jules Benton says the annual conference is a time members can really connect with each other and be a part of something bigger.

“Our Regional Leaders are key to the success of this commitment, and they demonstrate our values of inclusivity, building connection and seizing opportunity every day,” she says.

“It’s important that the time these women contribute to their regions, and to building and maintaining community relationships, is acknowledged.”

And now in its 10th year, the 2021 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year will be awarded to its next inspiring and passionate leader.

The award recognises an outstanding woman who has contributed to the dairy industry with passion, drive, innovation and leadership.

In February, finalists were put before a judging panel composed of Dairy Women’s Network trustee Sophie Stanley, 2019 Dairy Women of the Year Trish Rankin and representatives from Fonterra, Global Women and Ballance Agri-Nutrients.

The winner will receive a scholarship of up to $20,000 for an approved development programme, professional/business coaching and/or learning experience – or combination of these – of her choice. 

“As always, we have another incredible conference planned,” she says.

“The conference is DWN’s biggest event on the annual dairy industry calendar.

“Our members are involved in DWN courses and events quite often, but our conference is a time when they can really connect with each other and be a part of something bigger.”

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