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.
Forlong has been part of DWN since 2002 as a member based in Rotorua before joining the board in June 2016.
Forlong was heavily involved in the DWN Conference committees in 2005 and 2012, before becoming conference chair in 2014.
In March of that year, she joined the head office team as North Island convenor co-ordinator, supporting 18 volunteer Regional Leaders to deliver events to members.
In 2019, Forlong became DWN Trust board chair and then later chair support.
“It’s been such a privilege to participate in and work in DWN and then to support the governance,” says Forlong.
“I’m proud of how we navigated Covid-19 and the changes we made to support our volunteer Regional Leaders and stay real and relevant to our membership,” she says.
Forlong adds that the thing she is most proud of from her time as chair is driving the Associate Trustee opportunity and bringing it to life in partnership with AgMardt.
“Seeing Jess [Moore] take the reins and watching how brilliant she is in her uptake of the opportunity is living proof of how powerful the initiative is,” she says.
DWN board chair Trish Rankin says the organisation has been lucky to have Forlong on the board for so long.
“Karen has true pink blood having proudly been a member of DWN for many years in different roles,” Rankin says. “I want to acknowledge and thank her for her amazing commitment, her time and everything she’s done for DWN and our sector.”
Of Moore, who took up her position at the DWN board meeting today, Rankin says she represents that the organisation continues to grow and empower the next generation of dairy women.
“Jess represents what our young women can be in dairying,” she says. “She is engaged, passionate, empowered and driven to help the sector to succeed as well as those around her.”
Moore lives with her husband Don and their three children near Gore in Southland. The couple owns a dairy farm and leases a nearby support block.
Until recently, Moore was the chair of her local DWN Business Group and says she enjoys connecting people.
“I joined DWN to push myself out of my comfort zone and build my confidence in public speaking,” she says. “It’s wonderful to join the Board and become a Trustee. I look forward to the discussions, and being part of a fantastic group of women who are as passionate as I am in making a positive difference to our sector.”
