Conference to inspire women

The conference will be held at Rotorua's Millennium Hotel on March 21 and 22.

The 2012 conference theme is 'Dairying with Resilience' and much of the programme is aimed at inspiring women and giving them the necessary tools to be resilient at home and on the farm.

Kicking off the conference is keynote speaker, Sarah Kennedy, CEO of RD1 – the Network's new, exclusive sponsor of its Regional Groups. Sarah will talk about her journey into industry leadership and what it takes to achieve positions of influence.

"Many of our speakers and workshops will be focused on giving women tools they need to overcome life's challenges – and we all know dairying certainly has its ups and downs.

"Our conference speakers will talk about what it takes to get through challenges as they arise," explains Sarah Speight, CEO of Dairy Womens Network.

Conference topics not only touch on business challenges faced by dairying women, but also personal challenges often experienced with raising children, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and maintaining good mental health.

Other drawcard speakers include Dame Susan Devoy and psychologist and author Nigel Latta.

A panel discussion on the first day of conference is expected to be a highly impactful session, with various women talking about how they've bounced back from events such as their involvement in major environment issues, surviving physical trauma and losing a partner.

"Through this panel discussion, we will be noting how the dairy industry and dairying communities have helped these women get through hard times. We'll also be looking for gaps in these support systems and what we can do as an industry body to help create resilient businesses and resilient communities," says Kennedy.

In January, the Dairy Womens Network announced it has teamed up with Fonterra to offer New Zealand's first, annual 'Dairy Woman of the Year' award. The winner will be announced at a gala dinner at the conference.

The winner will be awarded a position on the prestigious Women in Leadership 12 month course run by Global Women, which is valued at $25,000. The scholarship is sponsored by Fonterra Milk Supply.

Speight says: "the purpose of the award is to profile and celebrate women who are making a real difference in the dairy industry, in their dairying businesses and in their communities."

Nominations are now open for the award and close on 24 February. Due to seating limitations, tickets to the gala dinner are limited to conference registrants.

Women can register for the conference at www.dwn.co.nz .