Dairy Women’s Network Names 2026 Regional Leader Award Finalists
Ashleigh Gordon and Leilani Lobb have been named as the two finalists for Dairy Women's Network's (DWN) 2026 Regional Leader of the Year Award.
The 'Brighter, Braver, Bolder Conference' will be held in April in Invercargill.
Conference chair Rebecca Green says the event will feature a programme of interactive workshops, keynote speakers, a breakfast session and a gala dinner.
It will be designed to help attendees equip themselves with the resources to create a bright future.
These sessions will fall under one of four pillars: Your Farm, Your Business, Your Community and Your Industry - with topics focused on farm practices, the business aspect, farm teams and personal wellbeing, and the role of dairy in the global market.
"I want to celebrate how amazing our industry is, what we have overcome and achieved, and to know that we can tackle anything that comes our way, together," Green says.
The committee is working to create a programme with new lessons and tools to help the industry through the different scenarios it is facing.
Green is joined by vice chair Nicola Bryant, and committee members Aimee Wilson, Kielee Mathis, Rachel Usmar, Davinia Harrison, Maria Alvarez and Olivia Byars.
The committee are grassroots and dairy farming in rural communities around New Zealand, and bring an understanding of the needs of their fellow farmers to the planning process - including clear solutios and actions to help equip them with the knowledge and tools for their businesses now and in the future.
"I want people to come to conference and walk away feeling energised, hopeful, brighter and braver to face what's going on," says Green.
The move from regional conferences back to a national conference will see some changes made to the conference format, including the length of the event.
The two-day conference will feature the gala dinner, at which the 2022 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year and the Dairy Women's Regional Leader of the Year will be announce.d
"Great people are what make our industry what it is. We look forward to honouring the hard work, dedication and success of our North and South Island award nominees, and hosting an industry-wide celebration," she says.
