DairyNZ’s regional teams have a new leader supporting them as they work to meet the specific needs of dairy farmers in the different regions.

In a decisive shift after a decade in her previous company working pan-sector, Claire Bekhuis is excited to be at the helm of the regional teams at DairyNZ. In a newly created role, she is responsible for leading and supporting the regional teams to deliver value for the levy.

“It’s an exciting time to be part of DairyNZ,” Claire says.

“The new strategy highlights the ‘DairyNZ difference’ by emphasising the key role of science and research in tackling complex, long-term challenges, while also taking a ‘whole farm systems’ approach.”

Growing up in Southland, Claire was familiar with local dairy farms through her friends, but it was the opportunity to work as an artificial insemination technician assist that truly sparked her interest in the sector.

“That’s when I realised I really enjoyed working with farmers, especially dairy farmers,” Claire says.

“I decided to shift my focus, blending my studies with my passion for the sector and the people in it.”

Claire had completed a Bachelor of Science and a Graduate Diploma in Commerce at Victoria University.

A stint in herd testing fuelled her passion as she met more farming families and worked across multiple farm systems. For the past decade, she has held leadership roles at Ballance Agri-Nutrients, eventually based in Mount Maunganui.

Her husband, Jared, also works in the dairy sector, and their daughter, Addison, is absolutely obsessed with cows – she imagines her mum spending all day surrounded by them.

Claire explains that DairyNZ’s regional teams are the farm systems experts within their communities. While their extension work supports farmers with current challenges, it must also remain focused on the future of farming.

“Our teams gather local insights from farmers to create strong, evidence-based event offerings that are tailored to regional needs.

“The regional teams highlight regional differences, identify leading farmers and farmers that are pushing boundaries, helping us to help others to learn from them.”

While interconnections are important, so is recognising it isn’t possible to do everything.

“To clearly demonstrate the value we provide through the levy, we’ve needed to sharpen our focus. That means taking care not to duplicate the work of others – and to concentrate our efforts where we can make the biggest difference,” Claire explains.

She gives the example of other organisations and individuals, such as rural professionals,  providing individual on-farm services (often with DairyNZ intel). So DairyNZ can refer farmers to others – like a really good GPS.

“This extensive referral system will reduce duplication of effort and allow us to give greater focus to longer-term issues affecting farmers and the sector.

“Our approach to events has evolved. We want to get our scientists and experts closer to farmers. We are hosting larger events and collaborating with partners to make these events the kind you don’t want to miss. It also proves more cost effective.

“There is a breadth of experts throughout DairyNZ that the team will be bringing to the regions to share the knowledge further.

“We are working with leading farmers and our subject matter experts to deliver more impactful events that discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities for New Zealand dairy farmers.

“Farmers will have the chance to learn from those who’ve made a real impact and hear from experts in the field, gaining ideas they can apply to their own farm system.

“Our strategy is to support farmers into the future. We are trying to keep ahead of challenges and build a resilient dairy sector.”

Meet the Regional Managers

This story first appeared in Inside Dairy, the official publication of DairyNZ.

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