Dairy Women's Network founder leaves digital 'mark' on dairy industry

The woman who helped turn the internet into a means of communication between New Zealand dairying women has decided to take more of a backseat role with the group her vision helped build.

Putaruru dairy farmer, Christina Baldwin, steps down this month as a founding member of the Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) board, and attributes the group’s beginnings to the place where many good rural ideas come from – around the kitchen table.

“I got together with Hillary Webber, Robyn Clements and Willy Geck after returning from an international conference on women in agriculture. It was an incredibly invigorating conference that left me convinced there was an opportunity for us to achieve more here in New Zealand for dairying women,” says Baldwin.

From the very start she recognised the value the internet could play in connecting women scattered in all parts of the country, often constrained by work and family and unable to make the commitments of evening meetings.

“We wanted the network to be just that, a network connected through the internet from the very start, and dairying women were quickly recognising the value of computers on farms.”

She had just invested in her first computer during her studies for a Masters degree at University of Waikato, and quickly saw numbers grow in a “pretty organic” manner.

A key appeal of the early network was the ability to share ideas and suggestions through the online forum. Communications since the E-forum started back in 1999 have increased four-fold.

With most women being the “gate keepers” for information that comes into the farm, electronic communications have proven ideal for fitting around busy farming and family schedules.

However, it is also the face-to-face contact through hugely successful annual conferences that have engendered the Dairy Women’s Network to new and long-term members, says Baldwin.

“There has always been a big focus on having very good annual conferences, with speakers that are there to motivate and inspire. I think a couple of the first we had with one in the South Island and one in the North really marked the point where the Network became so much more than what it had been.”

The Network’s growth has also accompanied a doubling of dairy cow numbers in New Zealand over the past 10 years, with dairying now part of the landscape in regions where sheep had reigned for generations.

Baldwin and her board have recognised this growth, ensuring contacts and regional representatives now in all parts of the country, literally from Kaitaia to Bluff.

She says her interpretation of what a dairy farming woman is has always been a broad one.

“She may not be milking every day, but she may well be preparing meals at home, helping rear the young farmers of tomorrow – either way she is still very much part of the dairying partnership, wherever she is working.”

The Dairy Women’s Network has kept a strong focus on helping dairying women through self improvement and knowledge, with many of its conference speakers focussing on the need to have clear personal and business goals in their lives. One such speaker has included renowned corporate coach and motivator Sue Lindsay, who has stepped up to be on the Dairy Women’s Network board.

“The fact we can attract such star talent as Sue gives me great peace of mind that there is plenty of ability out there ready to take the place of people like me,” says Baldwin.

The last 20 years have seen an incredible amount of energy and commitment from her to family, farm and study where she has completed two degrees, including a Masters from Waikato University.

After being admitted to the doctoral programme, her PhD thesis was on women’s involvement in the dairy industry but was unfortunately put on hold due to family commitments.

For the future, her greatest hope for the Network is to see it continue to build on its grassroots growth. Given dairying’s rapid growth in recent years she believes there are still hundreds of busy dairy women out there who are potential members.

A self confessed computer nut, Christina believes the rate of advancement in computing will only continue to make belonging to, and enjoying, the Network easier and increasingly interactive. The Dairy Women’s Network is presently revamping its website with this in mind, and has also recently created a Facebook site.

“Christina has been a leading light for the Network, and it is a tribute to her web-based vision that we have been able to grow so quickly. She has left a solid foundation for us to take our organisation to the next level,” says Dairy Women’s Network chair Michelle Wilson.

While Christina Baldwin claims she is to retire, history suggests this dynamic dairying woman will keep a passionate eye on the growth of the Network she played such a big part in creating.