DWN has 30 regional groups – 12 in the South Island and 18 in the north. Two new convenor coordinators will each spent 20 hours per week supporting the 30 dairying women who voluntarily lead the regional groups. This effectively doubles support, Wilson says.
Cathie Cotter, a farmer and registered nurse, is the South Island appointee. She lives at Woodlands where she and husband Phillip own and run 119ha, milking 340 cows this season. They also graze their young stock, take on grazing winter cows and operate a rock quarry on an extra 184ha.
Cotters sharemilked in Southland in 2000, also that year winning the Auckland/North Waikato sharemilker of the year competition.
Cathie is a longstanding member of the DWN and has led the Invercargill/Southland regional group. She was until recently a nurse at an oncology/medical day-stay at Invercargill Hospital.
“Convenors are the face of the network in their local regions and they are the conduit for translating information from the network into the regions.”
North Island appointee Emma Gardiner, Waikato, grew up on a farm and lives 10 minutes from her parents’ 67ha Gordonton dairy farm. She worked in dairying during university studies and will rear calves for her family this year when she’s not working at DWN.
“I will be supporting regional groups to plan their events and get some synergy going between them all. We are also improving how we communicate between groups to help the regions connect more easily and share information; we are doing this within and across the islands.”
Gardiner discovered the network while researching an assignment for her university studies. She was impressed by the network’s purpose and its formal recognition of the contribution women make as dairy farmers.
Wilson says the combined experience and fresh thinking of the new appointees is a valuable resource. Among other responsibilities, the convenors will develop the network’s first regional group strategy, which includes using social media tools such as Facebook, to improve communication.
They will also review the network’s regional areas to identify gaps where new groups could be created or where boundaries could be increased or reduced.
The network is looking for regional convenors to for groups in Taranaki, Taupo and Cambridge.
