AWDT

What AWDT does

Agri-Women's Development Trust (AWDT) is a New Zealand charitable trust founded in 2009 by Lindy Nelson and headquartered in Masterton, Wellington Region. It delivers research-based leadership and capability development programmes exclusively for women working in New Zealand's food and fibre sector, spanning agriculture, horticulture, dairy, aquaculture, forestry, and fishing. The trust operates a 13-programme portfolio that ranges from one-day workshops (Power Up, $500+GST) and two-day foundational courses (It's all about YOU, $1,000+GST) through to multi-month intensives such as Next Level (six months, $4,500+GST) and Escalator (ten months), with specialised tracks including Wāhine o te Whenua for wāhine Māori and YOU Matter for women recovering from severe weather events.

The business model is a hybrid of tiered participant programme fees and significant industry/government sponsorship, with ANZ as the principal partner and additional funding from Beef + Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ, FMG, Ravensdown, Agmardt, and the Ministry for Primary Industries. Distribution is direct-to-participant, delivered through in-person workshops that rotate across regional New Zealand centres, supplemented by online modules, executive coaching, and an active alumni network of more than 4,500 women built over the trust's 16-year operating history. Technology is not a core component of the offering; the value proposition is built on human facilitation, curriculum depth, and sector relationships rather than a software platform.

In May 2026, AWDT announced it has entered a final phase with a 12-month wind-down commencing that month, citing reduced enrolments driven by economic pressures on rural communities. Already-committed programmes will continue to be delivered through the wind-down period, but the trust is not pursuing new growth initiatives, signalling a managed contraction rather than a scale-up trajectory.

Name

AWDT

Legal name

Agri-Women's Development Trust

Website

https://awdt.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Agri-Women's Development Trust (AWDT) is a New Zealand charitable trust that delivers research-based leadership development programmes for women across the country's food and fibre sector, operating a 13-programme portfolio funded by participant fees and sector sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Development & Leadership Training

NAICS

Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Wellness Program Design & Accountability Coaching (HSADAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Women's leadership development
• Rural leadership programmes
• Agricultural sector training
• Food and fibre education
• Professional development coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Masterton

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

Revenue model

1. Programme fees: AWDT charges fees for its leadership development programmes, with tiered pricing including subsidised rates for eligible rural women and full rates for organisation-sponsored participants. Fee ranges vary by programme duration and complexity.
2. Industry partnerships and sponsorships: The trust receives support from industry partners including ANZ (principal partner), Beef + Lamb NZ, DairyNZ, FMG, Ravensdown, and others who sponsor programme delivery, particularly for subsidised participant rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AWDT (Agri-Women's Development Trust) is a New Zealand-based charitable trust founded in 2009 that delivers research-based leadership development programmes for women in the country's food and fibre sector. The trust offers multi-month leadership programmes, workshops, governance training, and individual coaching, delivered through in-person cohorts and online modules to rural women across the primary industries.

Product overview

AWDT (Agri-Women's Development Trust) offers a portfolio of research-based leadership and development programmes for women and men in New Zealand's food and fibre sector. The programme ecosystem ranges from foundational offerings like It's all about YOU (2-day workshop) and Power Up (1-day workshop) to intensive multi-month programmes including Next Level (6 months), Escalator (10 months), and Understanding Your Farming Business. Specialised tracks address wāhine Māori (Wāhine o te Whenua, Wāhine Māia Wāhine Whenua), wellbeing (Know your Mindset), and recovery support (YOU Matter, Know your mindset. Lead the recovery). The programmes are delivered through in-person workshops, online modules, executive coaching, and peer networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Understanding Your Leadership Style A leadership development programme/workshop designed for women in New Zealand's food and fibre sector to identify and develop their individual leadership approach.
• Growing Rural Women in Influence A multi-month leadership programme aimed at equipping rural women in the primary industries with skills to lead and influence change in their communities and sectors.
• Markham Institute Leadership Modules Structured leadership training modules delivered in partnership with the Markham Institute, providing governance, strategic, and sector-specific leadership capability to women in the food and fibre sector.
• Individual Coaching and Mentoring One-on-one coaching and mentoring services provided by experienced coaches and mentors (including Lindy Nelson, Julia Jones, Rachel Morgan, Anne Marie Broughton, Keri Johnston, Murray Donald, Poto Davies, Patrice Feary, Mavis Mullins) to support personal leadership development for women in primary industries.
• Speaking and Workshop Engagements Speaking engagements and workshops delivered to industry organisations and groups within the New Zealand food and fibre sector on leadership, diversity, and capability-building themes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,500 women empowered through programmes over 16 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Industry partnership that funded and supported Future Focus programme for four years, enabling over 230 farming partners to develop business planning capabilities. Programme delivered 2012-2024.
• Beef + Lamb New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor sector partner that has co-designed and co-delivered development programmes including Understanding Your Farming Business. Provides significant sponsorship subsidy for participant fees and programme content expertise.
• DairyNZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDairy sector organisation partnering with AWDT for programme development and delivery, supporting dairy women through leadership and capability building initiatives.
• FMGmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRural insurance provider supporting AWDT programmes as a sector partner, providing sponsorship and programme access for rural women.
• RavensdownmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural co-operative supporting AWDT's mission to develop women in food and fibre sector through sponsorship and programme partnerships.
• AgmardtmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner supporting leadership development in New Zealand's primary sector.
• Dairy Women's NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor dairy sector women's network with which AWDT has co-delivered programmes and shared participant referrals for women's development initiatives.
• Rural Women New ZealandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organisation representing rural women, partnering with AWDT for programme development and delivery to support rural women's leadership.
• WorkSafe NZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment workplace health and safety regulator partnered with AWDT on safety-focused development programmes for rural women.
• Farming Mums New ZealandminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity organisation supporting farming mothers, partnering with AWDT for programme delivery to reach rural women in their networks.
• Landcorp Farming (Pāmu)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-owned farming enterprise that partnered with AWDT on custom programme delivery for their staff and stakeholders.
• NZ Young FarmersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYouth organisation in the food and fibre sector, partnering to welcome programme graduates into their network.
• Rural Leaders NZminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeadership organisation partnering to support development of rural leaders and programme alumni connections.
• KPMGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional services firm supporting the 2025 pilot refresh of Understanding Your Farming Business programme alongside ANZ and Beef + Lamb NZ.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Regional players

• Australian Women in Agriculture: Australian member organisation for women across agricultural industries delivering advocacy, education, and networking; cross-Tasman peer with similar focus on women across the food and fibre value chain.
• Scottish Women in Agriculture: UK/Scotland-based organisation supporting women in Scottish agriculture through education, networking, and advocacy — comparable mission, but explicitly referenced via founder Lindy Nelson's 2018 advisory role to the Scottish Government, indicating programme-methodology comparability.

Direct peers

• Annie's Project: US-based non-profit delivering farm business management and leadership education programmes specifically for women in agriculture; most direct international parallel to AWDT's Understanding Your Farming Business and Next Level programmes.
• Women's Institute (New Zealand): Heritage NZ rural women's organisation providing community, education, and advocacy for women in rural areas; overlaps with AWDT on adult education, community-building, and rural women's empowerment programming.
• Rural Women New Zealand: National NZ membership organisation representing rural women; already a partner of AWDT with overlapping mission around supporting rural women's leadership, wellbeing, and community involvement — the most direct peer in the NZ food and fibre context.
• Women in Agriculture (various state chapters, US): State and national US organisations providing networking, education, and advocacy for women in farming and ranching; comparable member-led model targeting similar cohort with similar capability-development mission.
• Dairy Women's Network: NZ dairy-sector women's network co-delivering programmes with AWDT; comparable member-led model delivering development, networking, and capability programmes specifically to women in dairy farming — most direct programme-peer in the dairy segment.

Broad incumbents

• National Farmers Union (UK) - Women's Farming Union heritage: UK farming union with established women's networks and leadership programmes; broader agricultural remit but includes dedicated women's development streams comparable to AWDT's sectoral women's empowerment focus.
• Rural Leaders NZ (Kellogg + Nuffield): NZ organisation running Kellogg and Nuffield rural leadership programmes; partner of AWDT for alumni connections, with comparable but more senior-executive focused leadership development programming in the same NZ primary sector.
• Country Women's Association (Australia): Long-established Australian rural women's association delivering advocacy, education, and community programmes across rural Australia; broader scale and remit than AWDT but comparable focus on rural women's voice and capability-building.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/awdtnz
• Xx.com/AWDTNZ
• Facebookfacebook.com/AWDTNZ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 AWDT