Emily Woods
Area Manager - Eastern Bay of Plenty
Emily’s qualifications and skills, combined with her own past and current farming activities, drive her commitment to helping farmers contribute to and benefit from positive change in the sector.
“I connect with farmers and connect them to each other, supporting them to enhance their current and future farming practices,” says Emily. “I’m also their voice and sounding board, listening to what they need to progress a positive future for New Zealand dairy farming.”
Emily knows from personal experience that dairy farmers are driven, hardworking individuals, constantly dealing with change.
“Whether that’s around regulation, payouts or seasonal ups and down, farmers are having to juggle being the milk harvester, plumber (water leaks), landscaper (pasture management), vet, mum/dad, accountant… it’s a complex mix.”
Originally an Opotiki local, Emily grew up rurally in a bee-keeping family. As well as her DairyNZ role giving her a buzz, she and partner Brad Fleming are in their third season of contract milking 240 cows in the hills of Manawahe, near Edgecumbe. Brad’s also from Emily’s DairyNZ area, Waimana. “So it’s my farming background that drives my commitment and motivation to support farmers as part of this sector’s ongoing success.”
A self-professed ‘family gal’ and keen outdoorsy type, Emily loves hiking, hunting and fishing. Being fit comes in handy in her job, too. During a cold-call visit to a farmer, she found him chasing massive pigs around his tanker track after they’d got loose: luckily, she didn’t have to join in!
Working with other organisations and rural professionals is also a large part of what Emily does as a DairyNZ area manager.
“The bottom line is that our regional teams are here to support farmers, their families and their communities, by making sure they have the resources and technical expertise they need at a regional and local level, so it’s relevant and useful at an individual farm level.”
- Find out more about DairyNZ’s other Upper North Island regional team members.
- Check out our nationwide regional teams.
Snapshot: Emily Woods
My qualifications:
Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Massey University.
Career and connections:
Emily’s been working in the environmental space since finishing university, starting out as an environmental consultant for Ballance Agri-Nutrients. She also worked for Allegrow in Opotiki, completing groundwater consents for horticultural systems. In both roles, she collaborated closely with a wide range industry partners, covering a multitude of topics and farm systems.
