Hear & connect with some of Aotearoa’s most esteemed leaders in our rural sector & beyond…
Dame Dr Farah Rangikoepa Palmer (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato).
Former Black Fern Captain of 3 world cup winning teams, with leadership and governance roles in sport and academia.
Dame Dr Farah Palmer is a distinguished figure in New Zealand rugby, celebrated for her contributions both on and off the field. As a three-time Rugby World Cup winning captain for the Black Ferns, she has made significant strides in rugby administration and academia. She holds leadership and governance roles in rugby, sport, and in academia. Including being the first wāhine on the New Zealand Rugby Board and she is an advocate for Māori and women’s rights in sport and education.
Farah grew up on a sheep and cattle farm in the King Country, in Piopio and enjoyed the rural life and all that taught her in terms of resilience, problem-solving, can-do attitude, not being afraid of a bit of hard-work, and rolling your sleeves up and doing your part.
Dr Denise Quinlan
Dr Denise Quinlan, Co-founder of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience
Dr Denise Quinlan’s mission is to Make Work Better, preventing burnout, protecting wellbeing and enabling sustainable performance. Her research and workshops enable change, inspiring hope and sharing practical tools and insights. Recognised as one of the world’s leading resilience experts and a world-class facilitator, Denise’s immersive retreats and Diploma level training is most frequently described by participants as ‘life-changing’. As an award-winning guest lecturer at globally ranked IE Business School in Madrid, Denise has taught Strengths-based Leadership to senior executives from Fortune 500 and leading global organisations. Co-founder of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience, an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the University of Canterbury, Denise’s work is published in international academic journals and has won her international impact awards.
More about Dr Denise Quinlan & the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience
Dr Jo Cribb
Dr Jo Cribb is a professional director and consultant with a focus on governance, strategy, leadership coaching, and gender-focused initiatives.
Recent projects include evaluating Sport NZ's gender equity in governance policy, leading sessions at APEC 2023 on gender equality and drafting papers for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Jo previously served as the Chief Executive of the Ministry for Women, former Deputy and holds directorships on various Government and NGO boards, including the New Zealand Winegrowers, New Zealand Media Council, and Royal New Zealand Navy.
She earned a Doctorate in Public Policy, focusing on government-NGO contracting relationships and has undertaken research on the future of work, including co-authoring the recently re-released book "Don't Worry About the Robots: How to Survive and Thrive in the New World of Work". In 2020, she co-authored "Take Your Space: Successful Women Share their Secrets," with all proceeds going to charities who support women. Jo's accolades include being a finalist in the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards, receiving a Westpac Leadership Fellowship, and winning Governance NZ's Women in Governance Community Award. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors.
Jo owns a small vineyard in Martinborough, and writes a regular wine column for Your Weekend magazine (Stuff) and Your Home and Garden. She is also studying for her WSET Diploma of Wine. You can follow her adventures in wine and viticulture at @winesauvy on Instagram. She also enjoys distilling her own gin.
Loshni Manikam
Loshni is a coach, facilitator, and author, who has three sometimes-lovely children and an equity partnership in Southland on a 600-cow dairy farm with her husband Donald Kidd.
Her fascination with human behaviour has seen her career transition from law to dairy farming to leadership coaching before setting up her business Thriving Farming Women.
Loshni’s work to create positive change in the sector was recognised with the award of Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year in 2018.
She specialises in working on people development in the food and fibre sector because of her conviction that people are the key component of the continued success of the sector – unlocking their potential has benefits for the individual, their farming/growing businesses, their communities, and our sector.
She is the creator of her own clone (LOSHNI-AI), a digital coach and companion to support rural women build their confidence, connections and selfcare so that they can thrive. https://www.delphi.ai/loshni
Gill Naylor
National President | Tumuaki Mataamua
Rural Women NZ
Gill is Southland born and bred and farmed with her husband, Dave, for 38 years in Becks, Central Otago, and are now based on the outskirts of Alexandra. Although no longer farming themselves, they maintain a strong interest in the industry and all things rural. Gill has been actively involved in her community as a member and office holder of RWNZ over many years and has held a number of offices at all levels during her time at RWNZ.
Gill has also served as a Trustee and Vice-Chair of Life Education Trust Heartland Otago Southland, is a member of the Central Otago A & P Society Home Industries Committee, and in 2012 was appointed Chair of the Central Otago District Council Representation Review Panel.
Gill truly values the opportunities that are a part of living in a small rural community and has enjoyed contributing to the groups that are so necessary to keep those rural facilities and services functioning.
More about Gill Naylor & Rural Women NZ
Kate Scott
Chair Rural Leaders NZ, Executive Director Landpro
Kate is the executive director of Landpro, an environmental consultancy business that provides aerial surveying, surveying, resource management, and environmental and GIS services for farmers and growers across New Zealand. Starting with just one staff member, the organisation now employs over 75 staff nationwide, serving various segments of New Zealand's agricultural sector.
Kate also chairs the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust, which runs Nuffield farming scholarships, the Kellogg rural leadership programme, and the Value Chain Innovation programme. She was awarded a Nuffield farming scholarship in 2018, which enabled her to travel extensively and explore global farming systems and technologies. Her research focused on improving enabling better environmental outcomes in agriculture and benchmarking New Zealand's environmental performance against other major agricultural nations.
Originally from Taranaki, Kate moved to Central Otago in 2006, managing a family dairy farm with her husband before founding Landpro in 2007. She holds a degree in Geography and Political Science from Victoria University and has a background in planning and project management. Outside of work you can usually find Kate spending time with her free range family on their small Bannockburn Vineyard.
Our Day Panel Speakers share their stories of
“resilience & caring for our people”
Serena Lyders
Founder of Whānau Consultancy Services
Serena Lyders, of Ngāti Pōrou descent, resides in Murihiku/Southland. She is a mother of six adult children and a proud grandmother to six beautiful grandchildren. Serena is the founder of Whānau Consultancy Services, a company that provides a diverse range of services with traditional healing and other wellbeing services.
With deep roots in the shearing industry, Serena is the fifth generation in her family to work in shearing sheds. She grew up in Ohai, Western Southland, where she started in the sheds from a baby and was senior wool handler at about 13. Her extensive experience in the shearing industry has given her a unique perspective on the challenges faced by this often-overlooked community. Serena has dedicated her life to addressing issues such as long hours, transient work, and limited access to essential services like counseling, addiction help, and mental health support.
After transitioning from shearing to becoming a primary bilingual teacher, Serena furthered her commitment to helping others by becoming a social worker, a role she has fulfilled for over 16 years. Her work focuses on supporting young people and addressing the high suicide rates among young Māori. Serena organizes courses for rangatahi that cover topics like mental health, financial literacy, and cultural education, aiming to equip young people with the skills and confidence to thrive.
Serena's passion for her work is driven by her desire to create a better world for her family and community. She strives to utilize her skills to foster change and support others in realizing their potential. Her dedication to addressing the social challenges within the shearing industry and her unwavering commitment to her values make her a powerful advocate for resilience and community support.
Recent awards:
2022 Winner NZI Rural Women NZ Business Awards – Rural Champion
2023 Winner Kuma Māori Business Awards – He pito Mata – Emerging Business Leadership
2023 Finalist Findex Southland Business Excellence Awards – Rural Sector Excellence Award
Join Serena on the panel to hear her inspiring stories of resilience and her efforts to support the shearing community and beyond.
Gynaecologist & Co-Director of Te Waka Wahine Hauora – The Women’s Health Bus
Helen started daydreaming about a Woman’s Health Bus in 2015, and is a co-director. The Woman's Health Bus is a mobile health service, focused on womens health travelling to regional locations across Otago and Southland. They bring qualified health professionals to regional areas. Helen is passionate about education and is an active educator for nurses, GPs, and is senior lecturer at the Dunedin School of Medicine University of Otago.
Dr Helen Paterson
Kusitina Colailago
Founder of Pasifika Central Otago
Kuisitina Colailgo is the founder of Pasifika Central Otago, a community organization in Cromwell dedicated to supporting and connecting Pasifika people in Central Otago. Having moved to rural New Zealand in the 1980s and settled in Central Otago two decades ago, she used her experiences to help others integrate and find strength in their cultural identity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she partnered with Pacific Trust Otago to provide essential support to the Pasifika community. Recognizing an ongoing need for connection, she organized various events, including barbecues, sports afternoons, and a successful Pasifika Christmas celebration, which have brought together people from across the region.
Under Kuisitina's leadership, Pasifika Central Otago has grown significantly, hosting a school holiday program, community fundraising nights, and NCEA information sessions in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Her efforts have empowered children to confidently embrace and display their cultural heritage. A year since its founding, the organization connects individuals from 11 different nations and is working towards becoming a registered charity to further expand its impact. Kuisitina envisions establishing a physical space for the group to continue fostering a strong, united Pasifika community in Central Otago.
Bernadine Balle-Guilleux
Bernadine Balle-Guilleux - Chair of NZ Good Agricultural Practice
Bernadine has extensive experience in the FMCG sector, and is known for developing innovative products and strategic marketing initiatives. She has collaborated with government organizations on fresh produce marketing, lobbied for Japanese car manufacturers in the EU, and consulted on consumer insights across Europe. Bernadine holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from Auckland University of Technology, a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from René Descartes, Paris V University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from ESSCA Business School, and a Master’s degree in Strategic Marketing and Communication from University Sciences Po Paris.
Bernadine is based in Wanaka and holds a number of Directorships within or related to the primary sector.
Celebrate the stories & achievements of our Dinner Speakers woven between three delicious courses at the Finery in Alexandra…
Dr Kate Dixon
Clinical Director - Dr Kate Dixon, and General Manager of Health Central, Alexandra
Dr. Kate Dixon, Clinical Director and GP, along with General Manager Jenaya Smith, will share their story opening Health Central's new Urgent Care Centre in Alexandra earlier this year. This new facility, provides a walk-in service for non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses daily, with no referral or appointment needed. They handle a variety of medical issues, and patients are advised to call 111 in the event of an emergency. After hours, calls to Health Central are redirected to a tele-health provider to ensure patients receive necessary care.
Dr. Dixon and Ms. Smith believe that opening the Urgent Care Centre is of significant benefit to the wider community, demonstrating what can be achieved in a small, rural area by two passionate women with very different backgrounds. This project addresses the critical gap in urgent care services in Central Otago, which currently lacks an emergency department or funded accident and medical clinic. Health Central, the largest primary care practice in Alexandra, aims to enhance urgent care access and support for the community through this new facility.
Kate Scott
Chair Rural Leaders NZ, Executive Director Landpro
Kate is the executive director of Landpro, an environmental consultancy business that provides aerial surveying, surveying, resource management, and environmental and GIS services for farmers and growers across New Zealand. Starting with just one staff member, the organization now employs over 75 staff nationwide, serving various segments of New Zealand's agricultural sector.
Kate also chairs the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust, which runs Nuffield farming scholarships, the Kellogg rural leadership programme, and the value chain innovation programme. She was awarded a Nuffield farming scholarship in 2018, which enabled her to travel extensively and explore global farming systems and technologies. Her research focused on improving enabling better environmental outcomes in agriculture and benchmarking New Zealand's environmental performance against other major agricultural nations.
Originally from Taranaki, Kate moved to Central Otago in 2006, managing a family dairy farm with her husband before founding Landpro in 2007. She holds a degree in Geography and Political Science from Victoria University and has a background in planning and project management. Outside of work you can usually find Kate spending time with her free range family on their small Bannockburn Vineyard.
Megan Longman
Megan is a local physiotherapist and mum of three primary aged children & co founder of Journeys.
She's been exploring in the outdoors since childhood having grown up on a high country station adjacent to Queenstown, and since her teenage years has been a whitewater kayaker, mountain biker and more recently enjoyed adventure racing. After moving to Alexandra in 2007 she has realised that along with being active in the outdoors, investing in her community is what fills her tank. Observing the drop off in physical activity in young women combined with the consistently fewer numbers of girls and women in adventure activities such as kayaking and mountain biking led her to explore what the barriers and motivators might be to change this. Personal experience taught her the value of outdoor adventure in growing self worth and self belief, and our supportive community was the ideal setting to pilot then develop Journeys along with Kim Froggatt - a returning local and like minded long time friend.
Since its 'just an idea' pilot with seven participants in late 2018 (which Megan and Kim delivered while both heavily pregnant!) Journeys has grown to become a Charitable Trust and each year sees around 100 girls, 20 volunteer female instructors and 10 older teen girls (in our supportive youth leadership programme) adventuring together in our local wild places.
Kim Froggatt
Kim Froggatt Co-founder of Journeys
Kim co-founded Journeys with Megan and Penny way back in 2018 and has been hooked ever since! She is now a trustee, contracts as one of the 2 Journeys programme managers and volunteers as a Journeys Instructor. She has a background in Outdoor instructing, with time spent working for Christchurch YMCA, Outward Bound and most recently Dunstan High School.
Kim loves being involved in all levels of Journeys; being able to adventure alongside kōhine, support our amazing volunteer instructors and also contribute to long-term strategy and board decisions is a real plus.
She is passionate about continuing to grow an organisation that enriches the lives of its volunteers and improves the hauora of young people.
Dame Dr Farah Rangikoepa Palmer (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato).
Former Black Fern Captain of 3 world cup winning teams, with leadership and governance roles in sport and academia.
Dame Dr Farah Palmer is a distinguished figure in New Zealand rugby, celebrated for her contributions both on and off the field. As a three-time Rugby World Cup winning captain for the Black Ferns, she has made significant strides in rugby administration and academia. She holds leadership and governance roles in rugby, sport, and in academia. Including being the first wāhine on the New Zealand Rugby Board and she is an advocate for Māori and women’s rights in sport and education.
Farah grew up on a Sheep and Cattle farm in the King Country, in Piopio and enjoyed the rural life and all that taught her in terms of resilience, problem-solving, can-do attitude, not being afraid of a bit of hard-work, and rolling your sleeves up and doing your part.
Evening MC - Loshni Manikam
Loshni is a coach, facilitator, and author, who has three sometimes-lovely children and an equity partnership in Southland on a 600-cow dairy farm with her husband Donald Kidd.
Her fascination with human behaviour has seen her career transition from law to dairy farming to leadership coaching before setting up her business Thriving Farming Women.
Loshni’s work to create positive change in the sector was recognised with the award of Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year in 2018.
She specialises in working on people development in the food and fibre sector because of her conviction that people are the key component of the continued success of the sector – unlocking their potential has benefits for the individual, their farming/growing businesses, their communities, and our sector.
She is the creator of her own clone (LOSHNI-AI), a digital coach and companion to support rural women build their confidence, connections and selfcare so that they can thrive. https://www.delphi.ai/loshni