Dairy farmers Siobhan O'Malley and Amber Carpenter. Photo / DairyNZ
Dairy farmers Siobhan O'Malley and Amber Carpenter. Photo / DairyNZ
Siobhan O’Malley is a dairy farmer, innovator, businesswoman and community volunteer. She’s also a great example of the thousands of Kiwi dairy farming women throughout New Zealand who multitask every day to contribute positively to their communities.
For O’Malley, there’s never a dull day– she’s also a high school teacher, president of her children’s gymnastics club and a small business owner, and her family enjoys being involved in sustainability initiatives.
DairyNZ general manager Alyce Butler said International Women’s Day was a great opportunity to celebrate the amazing contribution of rural women across all aspects of Kiwi life.
“About one-third of dairy farmers are women and they contribute hugely every day to our sector, communities, local economies, schools, sports and sustainability initiatives,” Butler said.
She said the dairy sector was evolving and becoming a more inclusive and diverse workforce with varying needs and wants.
“We’re developing new ways of working – different milking schedules, varied rosters and new technology – all of which support efficient farm systems and inclusive workplaces.”
O’Malley and fellow dairy farmer Wayne Langford co-founded the Meat the Need charity, which helps feed Kiwis in need so they don’t go hungry.
Farmers throughout the country donate meat and milk, which the charity provides to food banks and other community groups dealing with food poverty in New Zealand.
“Our children Finnian, 12, Aisling, 10, and Ruairi, 7, know more about running a business than I did at 18.”
On the business side, O’Malley and two other farmer friends she met at the Kellogg Rural Leadership course have created luxury knitwear company, Hemprino – an e-commerce start-up.
Hemprino is made from hemp fibre and Merino wool.
“The hemp fibre strengthens the Merino and the knitwear is soft,” she said.
“It’s biodegradable, which is important to us – we believe everyone should be reducing their environmental footprint where they can.”
Amber Carpenter
Dairy Environment Leaders chairwoman Amber Carpenter says she is committed to ensuring a positive and sustainable future for New Zealand dairy farming. Photo / DairyNZ
South Auckland dairy farmer Amber Carpenter is also making a difference in her local community and New Zealand.
After a career in fashion, she swapped high heels for gumboots to focus on the family farm with her husband Fraser.
She said farming was a great career because it allowed her to be at home with her children Oliver, 6, and Noah, 3.
Carpenter chairs the Dairy Environment Leaders – a network of 400 environmentally focused farmers created by farmers, DairyNZ and the NZ Farm Environment Trust in 2007.
The network aims to empower leadership and create opportunities to support and share on-farm actions to reduce environmental footprint.
Carpenter said the opportunities and people in the dairy sector were amazing.
