Liliana Holdsworth

While at university, Liliana kept one key goal front and centre: to put herself into the best possible position to support agriculture and its people.

“My passion stems from my love for the agricultural sector, New Zealand and most importantly the people within it,” explains Liliana. While she doesn’t come from a farming background, an introduction to dairying in year 12 of high school saw her immediately fall in love with the lifestyle.

 “I knew it was what I wanted to dedicate myself to. The love of animals, the work and knowledge it takes, and the necessity of agriculture captivated me.” Increasing agriculture’s profile is also a key driver for Liliana’s career choice.

Originally, she’d planned to be a ballet dancer, before realising agriculture was where her heart lay (see feature box below). Now she’s nimble in other ways, juggling lots of balls at one time in her role at DairyNZ. “There is so much information; resources, tools and help are always available,” enthuses Liliana.

“Part of my role is knowing who to connect with to seek advice to provide the best resources and support to farmers. I also enjoy DairyNZ’s research and science too, aimed at sustainability, profitability and efficiency, for a healthy, future-proofed industry.”

Liliana says being a part of such a strong and important industry is very exciting, because she’s “working with the best – New Zealand’s dairy farmers”.

“They’re experts in this sector: they’re the ones on the ground every day running their business. Our regional teams are here to help, support and connect them to add value to their businesses. So, I’d encourage farmers to use us. When their businesses thrive, the dairy industry thrives.”

• Find out more about DairyNZ’s other Upper South Island regional team members.
• Check out our nationwide regional teams.

Snapshot: Liliana Holdsworth

My qualifications:

Bachelor of Agriculture, Lincoln University (2023).

Career and connections:

In her teens, Liliana took a break from school to study ballet dancing in Europe, before returning to complete years 12 and 13 at high school. She gained her agricultural degree while working casually on New Zealand and Australian farms.

Later, she took on agribusiness roles with Halter and Ravensdown. Liliana says her pathway to dairying truly taught her what hard work is. Her other interests are hunting, farming, riding horses, playing volleyball, or working out at the gym.