increase font size
Chief executive Zelda de Villiers.
Dairy Womens Network will hold its annual meeting this week with the theme celebrating success and reward for hard work.
Chief executive Zelda de Villiers says there is plenty to celebrate: higher membership and event numbers, new commercial partners, financial stability and innovative ways of working.
"Looking back at the last 12 months, we have achieved a lot," she says. "It has been a year of growth and change and developing pilots -- in particular with the modified Dairy Modules in place of Dairy Days." The modules have drawn bigger numbers, she says.
"DairyNZ was instrumental in the development and funding of the module concept and we are grateful for their ongoing support."
Some 991 people attended the Dairy Modules in the last financial year, half of them non-DWN members. Membership rose from 5000 to 8100 in that time, and event numbers from 134 to 214.
"We... are committed to offering and facilitating quality connections for our members that make positive differences to their personal lives and businesses," says de Villiers.
"An organisation that connects like-minded, successful people is necessary at the best of times and crucial in the current climate.
"With our commercial partners we have been able to offer a wide range of opportunities for our members to connect, learn and upskill in the business of dairying."
The network signed up commercial partners LIC, Whatever Marketing and FMG during the 2014-2015 financial year. MSD Animal Health and Farmsource increased their support, and "a very generous donation" came from gold partner ASB.
The network has re-established inactive regional groups, recruited new regional convenors and increased the regional group count from 26 to 33.
"We have developed and centralised our database so we have a much better understanding of the demographic and profile of our members.
"Justine Kidd also signed on as our board chair.... She is doing a wonderful job, as are the rest of our dynamic team."
The network held a conference in Invercargill in March, with trade stands and "inspiring" key speakers.
de Villiers says the network is stable financially, its first audit showing it to be on track to keep growing its balance sheet year on year.
Its next conference will be in Hamilton in May, themed 'United to succeed'.
"And upcoming modules 'Taking care of your cash' and 'Step up to safety' are relevant to the climate."
The network has set up a group at Lincoln University for young women entering farming.
The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.
DairyNZ deputy chair Cameron Henderson has been re-appointed unopposed for another term.
OPINION: The stats speak for themselves.
Farms across the upper North Island are trialling different pasture mixes as part of a research programme that aims to build greater resilience into farming systems.
Waikato milk processor Tatua has again declared a record milk payout to farmer shareholders, leaving other processors in the dust.
A Labour-led Government won’t be bringing back the controversial freshwater rules of 2020.
National’s much-touted free trade deal with India featured in the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek, Hamilton on Wednesday night.
New Zealand's 2026-27 freshwater fishing season has opened, with anglers encouraged to head to rivers and lakes over the coming days as conditions look favourable across much of the country.
Central Otago District Council (CODC) has voted against a plan to spread treated sewage sludge from Cromwell and Alexandra on farmland near Lauder, a decision Federated Farmers says reflects strong opposition from rural residents.
Pāmu has released its FY26 Integrated Annual Report, reporting a Net Operating Profit of $113 million, more than double the $49 million recorded in FY25.
OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.
OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.
