Rotorua dairy farmer Chris Paterson heard about the Pathways programme at the DWN conference earlier this year and thought it sounded like a good place to start to improve her skills.
“I hope to gain better communication skills and an ability to motivate people ‘to have a go’,” Paterson said.
“I also want to learn how to lobby people of influence better, and feel a little more confident in myself as someone that can take the initiative and make things happen in my community.”
Pathways spans six months and involves two two-day learning modules, individual coaching, and mentoring.
Some of the skills covered over the course of the programme include confidence in strategic thinking, conflict management, and achieving personal growth to lead change in farming businesses.
The pilot phase of the project is being funded by DairyNZ and the North Island programme runs from November 4-5 in Hamilton, with a second programme taking place in the South Island next year from May 20-21.
