Dairy Womens Network

What Dairy Womens Network does

Dairy Women's Network (DWN), legally The Network for Women in Dairying, is a New Zealand not-for-profit charitable organisation founded in 1998 and headquartered in Hamilton. It operates as a community-led membership organisation serving women across the New Zealand dairy sector, including farmers, contract milkers, sharemilkers, farm owners, rural professionals, and industry service providers. The organisation is governed by a Trust Board (currently chaired by Karen Forlong, with CEO Jules Benton leading operations) and has operated continuously for more than 25 years.

DWN's core product is a membership platform delivered through a WordPress-based website (dwn.co.nz) with no mobile app, public API, or proprietary AI/ML capabilities. Member-facing offerings include the annual DWN Conference, regional workshops and informal gatherings (Udderly Honest Women's Series, Coffee and Connect), an ongoing webinar series, the Milking It educational blog, the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award (with Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme scholarship), an Outward Bound scholarship programme for members aged 18-26, calf rearing seminars and expos, and a volunteer Regional Leader network that delivers local programming nationwide. DWN also hosts People Expo 2026 as a flagship event alongside the Calf Rearing Expo 2026.

Revenue is generated through four streams: annual membership subscriptions, paid conference and event registrations, paid webinar access, and a multi-tier partner sponsorship programme (Founding Partner DairyNZ; Gold Fonterra Farm Source; Prime Rabobank; plus LIC, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Figured, Xero, Craigs Investment Partners, Bayleys, MediaWorks/REX, Finance House Group, AgriHealth, NZAgbiz, CMK, SealesWinslow, and CowManager). GTM is community-led, distributed via the dwn.co.nz website, regional events across New Zealand, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter/X, LinkedIn), email newsletters, and earned media through the Rural Exchange radio partnership. Some events are free (Coffee and Connect, Udderly Honest) while membership pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Dairy Womens Network

Legal name

The Network for Women in Dairying trading as Dairy Women's Network

Website

https://dwn.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dairy Women's Network is a New Zealand not-for-profit membership organisation, founded in 1998, that connects and educates women across the dairy sector through regional events, webinars, workshops, an annual conference, and the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership providing access to community, resources, workshops, webinars, and events for women in dairy sector.
2. Event and Conference Registrations: Revenue from paid conference tickets and event registrations including annual DWN Conference.
3. Webinar Access: Revenue from webinar participation including educational sessions on farming topics.
4. Partner Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from dairy industry partners at various tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze) providing funding and co-marketing opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dairy Women's Network is a membership-based not-for-profit organization that delivers networking, education, and professional development services to women in the New Zealand dairy sector. Its core offering is an annual membership providing access to regional events (workshops, Coffee and Connect gatherings, Udderly Honest Women's Series), live and recorded webinars on farming and rural topics, an annual conference, the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award, the Outward Bound scholarship program, and the Milking It educational blog. The offering is supported by a nationwide network of volunteer Regional Leaders and corporate partner sponsorships from major NZ dairy industry organizations.

Product overview

Dairy Women's Network operates as a membership-based professional development organization for women in the New Zealand dairy sector, offering a platform for connection, education, and empowerment. The organization's offerings include a membership platform, regional events (Udderly Honest Women's Series, Coffee and Connect), webinar series, the Milking It educational blog, and the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award program. Strategic partnerships with Xero and Figured enable financial management education, while collaborations with NZAgbiz and AgriHealth deliver animal health workshops. The network also facilitates Outward Bound scholarships for leadership development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Milking It: A blog series providing practical information and guidance for dairy farmers.
• Outward Bound Scholarships

Products and services

• Dairy Women's Network Membership An annual membership providing women in the New Zealand dairy sector with access to community forums, regional events, workshops, webinars, and educational resources for personal and professional growth.
• Webinar Series

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered partner, prime partner, conference partner, founding partner, gold partner, prime network partner, media partner, silver partner and bronze partner.

• AgriHealthpartnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026AgriHealth is a kiwi owned and operated farm animal health business. Partnership announced February 2026 to deliver workshops and webinars on animal health topics including mastitis, on-farm diagnostics, and herd health.
• NZAgbizpartnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026NZAgbiz is part of the Fonterra family manufacturing calf milk replacer and animal nutrition products. Partnership announced February 2026 to make evidence-based calf rearing practices accessible to all farm teams.
• Finance House Group LimitedpartnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2024Finance House Group Limited is a network of Financial Advisers specialising in insurance solutions for rural and business communities. Partnership announced October 2024 to provide specialised insurance solutions to DWN members.
• Rabobankprime partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Rabobank is New Zealand's only specialist food and agribusiness bank. The partnership aligns with Rabobank's focus on building and strengthening rural communities and supports the work of DWN in connecting, informing and empowering members.
• Figuredconference partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 September 2021Figured provides agri financial management software for farmers. Partnership announced September 2021 to educate, inspire and support DWN members in using smart financial management software for efficiency and profitability.
• XeropartnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 September 2021Xero provides cloud accounting software. Partnership with DWN and Figured announced September 2021 to help farmers access accurate farm data and confidently plan for the future through integrated financial management solutions.
• DairyNZ Ltdfounding partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDairyNZ is the industry organisation for New Zealand's dairy farmers and serves as the Founding Partner of DWN. DairyNZ and DWN collaborate to deliver positive outcomes for New Zealand dairy farming through shared purpose and strategic alignment.
• Fonterra (Farm Source)gold partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerFonterra Farm Source launched in September 2014 as Fonterra's farmer-facing brand. The partnership supports the success of women in dairying throughout New Zealand and bolsters the Co-operative's connection with rural communities.
• LICpartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIC is a farmer-owned agritech and herd improvement co-operative providing dairy genetics, information technology, herd testing, and farm advisory services. Proud to sponsor DWN and support the development of women in dairying through learning initiatives.
• Ballance Agri-Nutrientsprime network partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerBallance is a New Zealand farmer/grower owned cooperative providing science-backed nutrient products and services. The partnership supports sustainable farming practices aligned with DWN's values.
• Craigs Investment PartnerspartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCraigs Investment Partners is one of New Zealand's largest investment advisory firms with over 200 advisers servicing over 70,000 clients across 23 locations with $35 billion in funds under management.
• Bayleysconference partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBayleys Country is a team of industry experts dedicated to delivering quality rural and lifestyle opportunities with over 100 salespeople nationwide.
• MediaWorksmedia partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerMediaWorks is committed to creating and delivering great content. REX (Rural Exchange) radio hosted by Dominic George provides coverage of rural news and issues, featuring DWN content.
• CMK Chartered Accountantssilver partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMK has been working alongside farmers for almost 70 years with experienced team of agriculture business consultants. Proud to sponsor DWN to help decision makers within rural businesses grow and develop.
• SealesWinslowpartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSealesWinslow is a leading compound ruminant feed manufacturer. Partners with DWN to facilitate calf rearing seminars across New Zealand providing education on best calf rearing practices.
• CowManagerbronze partnerTechnology or IntegrationCowManager provides cow monitoring technology and sensor systems for dairy herd management.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Agri-Women's Development Trust (AWDT): New Zealand-based charitable trust focused on developing women in agriculture through leadership programs, mirroring DWN’s mission of empowering women in the primary sectors with similar education and networking offerings.
• Women in Agriculture UK: UK-based community supporting women working in farming and rural professions, providing networking, training, and events — analogous business model and member demographic to DWN.
• Australian Women in Agriculture (AWiA): Australian national membership organization supporting rural women across agricultural industries with networking, advocacy, and professional development — directly comparable to DWN’s mandate on the other side of the Tasman.
• Rural Women's Network (NSW): State-funded Australian government program that connects rural women via newsletters, events, and skills programs — a comparable rural-women community-building model with similar vertical segmentation.
• American Agri-Women (AAW): US national coalition of women in agriculture with advocacy, leadership development, and symposia — comparable mission of advancing women’s roles in farming and agribusiness.

Others

• Federated Farmers of New Zealand: NZ’s primary industry lobbying body — adjacent rather than directly competing with DWN, but represents a parallel membership/advocacy model that DWN members may also belong to.

Broad incumbents

• DairyNZ: Industry-good body for the NZ dairy sector and DWN’s Founding Partner; serves all dairy farmers with research, advocacy, and extension services, operating a much broader mandate and budget than DWN’s women-focused niche.

Emerging players

• Women in Food & Farming UK (Tiffin Talks): Membership and event series convening senior women across UK food, farming, and agriculture — partial overlap with DWN’s networking/leadership-development thesis but vertically broader (post-farmgate too).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dairy_women
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DairyWomensNetworkNZ
• Facebookfacebook.com/87528345951
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dairy-women's-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/dairywomensnetwork

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dairy Womens Network