The Dairy Women's Network Te Awamutu business group includes Angela Vincent, Daisy Higgs, Lyn Johnstone and Denise Knop.
The Dairy Women's Network Te Awamutu business group includes Angela Vincent, Daisy Higgs, Lyn Johnstone and Denise Knop.
The Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) is empowering women dairy farmers to focus on farming for the future through a special programme run by its dedicated business groups.
The business groups provide women dairy farmers with a forum to tackle challenges in their farming businesses, opportunities to learn together and provide different perspectives.
So far, there are two of these business groups operating in the Waikato - one in Putāruru and the other in Te Awamutu – along with others in Rotorua, Whangarei and Gore.
DWN’s chief executive Jules Benton says the business groups are meant to prepare women dairy farmers to run thriving and sustainable farming businesses in a sector where there continues to be rapid change.
“The Farming for the Future Leadership Programme that the groups are embracing teaches skills and shares knowledge.”
The DWN is a nationwide-operating organisation based in Hamilton, that wants its members to be able to grow, adapt and change out of positivity, not because they are being driven by fear.
Dairy Women's Network CEO Jules Benton.
Benton says: “Through the business groups and the Farming for the Future Programme our members can confidently build the skills, knowledge, experience and networks to allow them to better manage current and future challenges so they can be successful no matter how the dairy sector changes.”
Farming for the Future Project Lead Karen Bain says amongst the key learnings of the programme is how to develop and manage a strategic business, navigate change and identify new opportunities to provide additional revenue streams.
The Te Awamutu business group is led by Lyn Johnson, Angela Vincent and Aimee Wilson, and not all members are locals. The Te Awamutu business group draws members from an area that also includes the Waitomo District and Tirau.
Johnson, who emigrated from the United Kingdom 26 years ago, is the founding member of the Te Awamutu business group and also farms in Te Awamutu.
Vincent has farmed in the Waitomo district for the past 27 years and Wilson has been farming on the outskirts of Te Awamutu for the last 11 seasons.
The Dairy Women's Network Putaruru business group includes Sian O’Mahony, Maree Rodgers, Wendy Drysdale, Karla Coxon, Nia Jones and
Kate Pascoe (pictured with baby Will).
Vincent says: “Getting together and sharing what’s happening in our lives is cathartic and supportive. It’s a safe environment and everyone knows that what’s said in the room, stays in the room.”
Johnson adds: “We’re at different stages of our careers. Some members are in their first 10 years of farming, and some of us have been farming for 30-plus years... Farmers learn from farmers.”
Wilson says: “The wonderful thing about our business group is that we decide what’s relevant to us and what we want to learn about.”
The group regularly invites guest speakers to meetings to share their knowledge on different topics. Previous speakers included renowned agronomist and science administrator Dr Jacqueline Rowarth and National MP for Waipa-King Country Barbara Kuriger.
Meanwhile, the Putāruru business group has been running for five years and is led by Sian O’Mahony, who migrated to New Zealand with her husband Eion and currently share milks 730 cows with him across two farms.
O’Mahony says leading the group made her go out of her comfort zone.
“I wanted to ... take on the responsibility to support, lead and inspire the group. When we meet every month, it’s important that we all get value from the session. We’ve really focused on personal wellbeing because, I believe, if you’re functioning well your business will also function well.”
