News
Award nominations open to recognise the incredible women making a difference in the dairy sector
The Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) is excited to announce the opening of nominations and applications for the prestigious 2025 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year Award. This award celebrates outstanding women who have made significant contributions to the dairy sector, showcasing their passion, drive, innovation, and leadership.
2025 will be the 14th year for the award and we encourage you to nominate leaders who go beyond the farm gate. The award is open to nominations and applications for women who support the wider dairy sector and its people, are committed to giving back to their communities, and have a vision to add value to the future of dairy through their leadership aspirations.
This year’s recipient Katrina Roberts demonstrated her passion and commitment for the sector through her role. “As a dairy vet, I believe that we are an integral part of the farm team and the strong relationships with our clients contribute to the success on farm. What drives me is helping my farmers and my community – giving my time and serving others,” said Roberts.
Jenna Smith, DWN Trustee and Lead Judge says “the judges will be looking for a Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year who demonstrates diverse leadership talents. She will embody the skillset needed for the current and future state of dairying in Aotearoa – a blend of community engagement, environmental stewardship, professional expertise, and commercial insight. This woman will know how to influence change and have the courage to steer down the challenges and opportunities our sector presents.”
Previous finalists say that going through the award process and being named as a finalist is a very humbling experience, a significant honour that can have a lifelong impact and validates the work that they do within the sector.
The 2025 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year will receive a scholarship to the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, which includes the programme fee, travel, and accommodation, mentoring and access to DWN and Fonterra platforms to share their research.
The recipient will also join previous recipients include Barbara Kuriger (2012), Justine Kidd (2013), Charmaine O’Shea (2014), Katie Milne (2015), Rebecca Keoghan (2016), Jessie Chan (2017), Loshni Manikam (2018), Trish Rankin (2019), Ash-Leigh Campbell (2020), Belinda Price (2021), Donna Cram (2023), and Katrina Roberts (2024).
Click here to find out more and apply or nominate.
Applications and nominations close 28 February 2025.
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Photo: Supplied by DWN; Anne Douglas (Group Director, Farm Source), Katrina Roberts (2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year), and John Nicholls (Director, Fonterra)
For more information:
Sarah van Munster
Insights and Media Manager
Phone: 07 974 4852
media@dwn.org.nz
