Milk processor’s delight

 Westland’s chairman Matt O’Regan says the award is fitting recognition for Milne’s passionate dedication to dairying on the West Coast and, through her work with Federated Farmers, as a national advocate for the industry.

Milne has been a shareholder supplier of Westland Milk Products for at least 20 years, O’Regan says.

 “In that time her advocacy for the dairy industry has hugely benefited the Coast, especially in the incredible amount of work she has put into TB prevention and infection control. TB is still a serious issue on the West Coast, with some 35 of the South Island’s 58 infected herds located here. But compare that to a decade ago when there were 253 infected herds in the region.”

The Dairy Woman of the Year award celebrates women making a difference in the dairy industry, in their dairying businesses and in their communities. It recognises those who have significantly contributed to the dairy industry through passion, drive, innovation and leadership.

Milne is the West Coast chair of TB Free and previously a member of the West Coast focus farm advisory board. She has also been a management group chair for Sustainable Farming in the Lake Brunner catchment project.

“Katie is a ‘feet-on-the-ground’ Coaster who has managed to build influential connections with national decision makers,” O’Regan says.