Programme Directors
Our friendly and professional management team is based at our office in Northern Wairarapa. We also have a large group of expert advisors and programme facilitators based throughout New Zealand.
AWDT graduates feature strongly in our management and facilitation teams. Not only do they bring their own expertise, but having completed one or more AWDT programmes, they understand, first-hand, the power of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with like-minded women to provide a rich learning experience for all.
Meet our Programme Directors
We’re here to help – read about each of our roles here. Because we all help each other out in our busy office, when you phone us (06 377 4560) any one of us may answer.
- Loshni Manikam
- Sara Heard
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Loshni Manikam - Escalator
Loshni is our Escalator Programme Director and also facilitates part of the Understanding Your Farming Business programme.
Loshni’s fascination with human behaviour has seen her career progress from law to dairy farming to leadership coaching and training when she obtained her coach certification from the NeuroLeadership Group in 2012.
A graduate of the Escalator programme, Loshni is also a director of a dairy-farming operation in Southland where she farms with her husband and 3 sometimes-lovely children.
She specialises in working in the agri-sector as she firmly believes that people are the key component of the sector’s continued success – unlocking their potential has benefits for the individuals, their communities and the sector.
loshni@awdt.org.nz -
Sara Heard - First Steps
Sara has been working with First Steps since graduating from the programme herself in 2012. She is an accredited International Coach Federation (ICF) coach.
Sara combines coaching and communication skills with her natural empathy and warmth to bring out the best in others, to support their growth and development.
A born and bred farmer, Sara experiences first-hand the multiple roles of a farming woman. She combines her AWDT role with working alongside her husband as an equity partner in a sheep, beef and cropping business.
Great to see some of our graduates getting the ball rolling here - who else has pics and stories to share? #creatingpositivechange #KeepingItRealWe know farmers have undertaken a huge amount of work protecting and planting vegetation on their farms and we want to celebrate that.
Show us the woody vegetation on your farm by commenting with photos from your patch – and please tell us where you’re farming. 👇
We’re building awareness of the recent research showing that NZ sheep and beef farmers are close to being carbon neutral, due to the woody vegetation on their farms offsetting between 63% and 118% of their on-farm agricultural emissions.
Woody vegetation covers indigenous forest, mānuka/kānuka, exotic forest, indigenous shrubland and exotic scrub. We know you know your land so show us what the right vegetation looks like on your property, and maybe what you’ve done to protect and enhance it.
We might contact you to see if you’d be willing to talk a bit more about it.
For more information and to view the research by Dr Bradley Case (AUT - Auckland University of Technology) visit our website: beeflambnz.com/net-carbon-report
Congratulations Shepherdess Magazine - shear passion and perseverance to pull this off - we're glad be a foundation partner in sharing farming women's stories #KeepingItRealPretty stoked to receive a Highly Commended Award in the Best COVID Response category tonight at the Webstar Magazine Media Awards. We were in the finals with Here, a new architecture magazine which took out the prize, and NZ Life & Leisure, so no mean feat getting to the finals. To get this recognition from leading publishers in the industry, when we went into publishing at the start of the year, not knowing a thing about it, is quite heartwarming. After the conversations we’ve had today, all we can say is that there are some exciting times ahead! #magazine #publisher #newpublisher #covidresponse #ruralnz #ruralstories #magazineawards #highlycommended
Brilliant. Congratulations for a massive effort
Thank you for your ongoing support Agri-Women's Development Trust (AWDT).
Proud to see #AWDT2020NextLevel graduate Kate Stewart of DairyNZ encouraging others by sharing her leadership 'why'? & highlighting the value of networks and connections - at Massey University Ag Awards. #creatingpositivechange
Awesome Kate
Kate Stewart well done on the inspirational chat, extremely well articulated!
Awesome work Kate Stewart, love a good networking and connection story!
Well done Kate
Fantastic Kate Stewart you are such an amazing inspirational leader 🤩
#EscalatorAlumni continue to step up to lead positive change. Congratulations Vanessa - a smart appointment for agriculture.IrrigationNZ is delighted to announce that Vanessa Winning has been appointed as the organisation’s new chief executive starting on Monday 19th October, based in its new Wellington HQ.
Vanessa is a strategic executive leader with over 20 years experience in the agriculture, banking and corporate sectors with excellent stakeholder management and engagement skills.
Vanessa was most recently General Manager Farm Performance at DairyNZ, where she led a large team across the country to help farmers improve their businesses and reduce environmental impacts. Prior to DairyNZ, Vanessa spent 18 years in banking; trade; product development; marketing and communications. Vanessa has a commerce degree in economics and management, and a postgraduate degree in marketing.
See more here: www.irrigationnz.co.nz/News/Story?Action=View&Story_id=171
congrats to you
Goals, people, sustainability, supporting local, mokopuna and connection.
For International Day of Rural Women, we’re celebrating the invaluable contribution women make as vital partners in the primary sector, our rural communities and society.
At AWDT, we know that while primary sector women often juggle a lot – families, careers, off-farm work, the farming businesses and more – it’s purpose and meaning that drives them.
In collaboration with our friends at Ravensdown, we spoke to several AWDT graduates about what being part of our sector means to them.
Thanks to our partners ANZ New Zealand AGMARDT Beef + Lamb New Zealand DairyNZ FMGRed Meat NZ CRS Software - Cash Manager Ministry for Primary Industries KPMG NZ Farming Business Farmers Weekly NZ
