DairyNZ's 15 October recognition of rural women focused on work that happens well beyond the milking shed. Its International Day of Rural Women article profiles two women whose farming experience now informs benchmarking, regional advice and decisions about looking after land and waterways.[1]
Jodie Goudswaard and Stephanie Gudgeon arrived in dairy through different routes. Their stories put specific work behind the recognition: running farm businesses, interpreting information and helping other farmers use it. This year's international theme, "Rural Women Farmers Caring for Mother Nature", connects that work with environmental care.[1]
Who did DairyNZ put in the spotlight?
Goudswaard manages DairyBase, DairyNZ's dairy-farm benchmarking service. She grew up on a dairy farm and describes being as comfortable with hands-on dairy work as she is with statistics and sector groups. That combination matters in benchmarking: figures need to be understood alongside the farm decisions and operating conditions behind them.[1]
Gudgeon is an Area Manager in DairyNZ's regional team. She came from a city background, met her husband during a short rural placement and has now been farming for 20 years. She describes an early learning period that included understanding farming terminology, seasonality and the demands of the work.[1]
Her current role includes helping other farmers apply science-based advice. She says she enjoys encouraging women to become knowledgeable, confident farmers. The profile offers a useful example for someone entering dairy without a farming upbringing: experience can be built over time, rather than being a prerequisite for belonging in the sector.[1]
How does land care fit with farm management?
DairyNZ reports that both women have planted riparian margins and native species and protected waterways on their farms. These are concrete examples of work that sits alongside running a productive business. The announcement does not quantify the environmental outcomes of those plantings, so it should not be read as a measured comparison between farms.[1]
Goudswaard explains the personal connection directly: "Farming is a business, but it's also your home, so it's easy to become deeply involved in it." Her comments place planting and waterway care within everyday farm ownership and management, rather than treating them as a separate ceremonial role.[1]
Where can women in dairy find practical support?
Goudswaard points to Dairy Women's Network as a way to connect with others in the industry. The network's public offering includes nationwide workshops and opportunities for connection and support across different ages and stages. Its events directory gives farmers a place to check what is available in their region.[1] [2]
That is an existing support route, not a new programme launched by this announcement. For someone building confidence in a farm role, the practical next step is to identify a skill they want to strengthen, then check the relevant workshop or local network. Availability and suitability need to be confirmed with the organiser.
What comes after the recognition?
The two profiles show women involved in both farm operations and the services that support them. Keeping that experience visible matters when the sector discusses training, advice and farm decisions. The useful follow-through is to include the people doing the work in those conversations, not just acknowledge them once a year.
For DairyTech, that means hearing from the people who actually manage non-saleable milk when developing an on-farm recovery option. Their operating experience matters to our prototype validation; this news does not imply a partnership or endorsement from either organisation.