Rural women shaping New Zealand’s sustainable horticulture future

This year’s United Nations’ theme, “Rural Women Sustaining Nature for Our Collective Future,” shines a global spotlight on women’s contributions to biodiversity, climate resilience, and land stewardship.

In New Zealand, women in horticulture are not just sustaining the land, they're shaping the future of the sector.

From orchards to research labs, boardrooms to packhouses, rural women are at the forefront of shaping a resilient and sustainable future for our food systems.

Kirsti Lovie, business performance and sustainability manager at Craigmore Sustainables and associate director on the Horticulture New Zealand Board, says she believes that women bring a fresh and essential perspective to leadership in rural communities.

“When it comes to women in horticulture, I see more opportunity than challenges.  There are so many career pathways and already many examples of women in prominent leadership positions,” she says.

Lovie, who is also taking over a 120Ha Canterbury growing business with her partner, says supportive networks and leadership programmes across the sector have played a vital role in her journey.

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“Mentoring, micro-credentials, governance training — the pathways are there. Now we need to keep communicating that.”

T&G Global assistant orchard manager and Horticulture New Zealand leadership scholar Manpreet Kaur agrees.

“When I started, there were just a few women working alongside me — now more than half of our team are women.  For me International Rural Women’s Day is about celebrating the community, the skills, the determination and resilience of rural women and the ability to uplift one another, and communicating that to future generations,” says Kaur.

Since starting in a packhouse in 2009, Kaur has completed national qualifications in horticulture and now mentors others on their career paths.

“I’m proud to be part of an industry that helps feed people and supports communities,” she says.

Meanwhile, Phoebe Scherer - the newly crowned Young Grower of the Year 2025 - is proof that the next generation of women is already making waves.

A lab manager at Apata in the Bay of Plenty, Phoebe didn’t come from a rural background — but she found her purpose through science, mentoring and community.

United Fresh’s Women in Horticulture initiative, continues to champion this momentum — offering leadership pathways, networking, and visibility for women across the fresh produce value chain.

“Whether it’s managing orchards, leading research, or sitting at the board table — rural women are at the heart of a thriving, sustainable future for horticulture in Aotearoa,” says Stephanie Wrathall, project manager for Women in Horticulture.