Katrina Roberts’ outstanding passion and advocacy for the dairy industry has seen her named as this year’s Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
The award was announced at a gala dinner during the Dairy Women’s Network 2024 Conference Enhance, Elevate, Evolve in New Plymouth.
Roberts is a Waikato-based herd heath veterinarian for Anexa Veterinary Services.
For the past 20 years she has provided farm consultancy and has been involved in the redevelopment many DairyNZ programmes including InCalf, FeedRight, and body condition score accreditation.
Her expertise is often called upon by farmers and vets across the country in both a research and project management role and for keynote speaking.
She is also heavily involved in the community, volunteering with Cambridge Riding for the Disabled and is an active member of the Walton School Board of Trustees, netball and hockey coaching, and Matamata Pony Club.
DWN Trustee Donna Smit said Roberts has raised the bar for the industry and personifies enthusiasm and the values of the Dairy Women’s Network.
“We are thrilled to award Katrina the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year. Her commitment and passion to helping farmers and advocate for her industry and her team is outstanding.
“Her research and development has changed the way many farmers operate their business for the betterment of the whole industry. She has already achieved so much in a short space of time and will continue to add huge value to the agriculture industry in governance, advocacy, and leadership well into the future,” she said.
Roberts was one of four finalists who were all exemplary in their own right, Smit said.
“Our judges had their work cut for them this year as we had such a large number of high calibre entries. The other finalists, Myfanwy Alexander, Amber Carpenter, and Michelle Ruddell, are amazing women who bring a huge amount of passion, knowledge and leadership to the sector and embody our conference theme Enhance, Elevate, Evolve. We are fortunate to have women of their calibre working in the dairy industry.”
Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell said Roberts has worked closely with many of Fonterra’s on-farm excellence team, who describe her as a tireless advocate for farmers, holding the industry to high, evidence-based standards and offering practical solutions that deliver real value on farm.
“Through her impressive list of achievements, it’s clear to see how passionate she is about animal wellbeing and building a better future for farmers, her fellow vets and the dairy industry as a whole.”
Roberts will receive a scholarship to be part of the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme. The scholarship covers the programme fee, travel, and accommodation, mentoring and access to DWN and Fonterra platforms to share research.
