Leading with purpose
- Claire Inkson
- May 8
- 4 min read
Bay of Plenty leader Hinehou Timutimu says if her win as the 2026 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year inspires even one other woman to step forward, it will have been worth it.
“If I can just inspire one person, that would be amazing,” she says.
“I want to open up a doorway and a pathway and an opportunity for others to follow.”
The General Manager of Te Tawa Kaiti Lands Trust was announced as the winner at the Dairy Women’s Network conference gala dinner in Christchurch on May 5.
The award recognises women who demonstrate leadership and commitment to the dairy industry. Judges praised Timutimu for her “deep connection to people and whenua” and her transformational impact across dairy and Māori agribusiness.
DWN Trustee and lead judge Jenna Smith said Timutimu’s leadership was “authentic and anchored in purpose”.
“She does not seek recognition or status, but instead looks to progress outcomes for women, for dairy, and anywhere the two collide,” Smith said.
Timutimu, ( Tūhoe, Whakatōhea and Te Ātiawa), leads a dual-enterprise model combining dairy farming and maize at Te Tawa Kaiti Lands Trust.
Her leadership philosophy is guided by the whakataukī “Ka ora ai te whenua, Ka ora ai te tangata” meaning “When the land thrives, the people thrive.”
That philosophy sits at the centre of everything she does.
“We combine western science with mātauranga Māori and think long-term, even 100 years ahead,” she says.
“Our leadership is values-led and future-focused.”
Current projects include land-use optimisation trials aimed at improving outcomes for land, animals and future generations while reducing emissions.
“We’re doing better for the land, better for our animals and better for the next generations,” she says.
Leadership, she says, is also about navigating complexity and bringing people together.
“You can’t work in silos. You must work together.”
Her pathway into the role was not immediate. Timutimu first became involved with the trust by helping with meeting minutes before gradually stepping into leadership.
“I used to sit quietly on the couch during meetings for years just listening and learning about the trust, the people and the land,” she says.
Over time she learned not just the business side of farming, but also the importance of relationships and community connection.
That grounding came long before dairying.
Timutimu credits much of her outlook to her late mother, a respected Māori midwife who founded the first Māori community midwifery service in Whakatāne and was later appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and midwifery.
“She never sat us down and explained leadership,” Timutimu says.
“She just took us with her. We saw how she handled meetings, difficult conversations and community work. That’s how we learned.”
Her mother also established community gardens to teach young mothers how to grow and cook nutritious food.
“It was to show the young mums how to grow nutritious food for their children and how to cook it,” she says.
Timutimu believes women bring something unique to leadership.
“I’m very intuitive,” she says.
“I tend to sense opportunities and quietly work away at them. I think women bring that intuition to leadership, especially once you become a mum.”
The win comes as Timutimu is already immersed in the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, which she admits has been more demanding than expected.
“All of us underestimated how much time it would actually take,” she says with a laugh.
Her research project will explore women’s networks across New Zealand’s agri sector and whether they are effectively supporting connection, participation and empowerment.
“I feel there are women’s voices in agriculture that are still being lost,” she says.
“I want to explore how we bring those voices forward.”
Her working title is inspired by the film Tina.
“Not one more acre of Māori land lost. Not one more voice lost.”
The project will examine how women engage with rural support networks and where gaps still exist.
“I want to know do they exist for a start, and do women interact with them? If they don’t, is it because there isn’t one in their area?”
The Dairy Women’s Network conference reinforced the importance of those connections.
“It’s so neat being in a room full of like-minded people,” she says.
“It’s encouraging and inspiring and you feed off that energy.”
Alongside the award, more opportunities continue to open.
Later this year Timutimu will travel to Thailand to take part in an international food security and resilience programme after previously representing New Zealand at the APEC Technical Cooperation Workshop in Bangkok last year.
“It’s really neat to be in those spaces and share,” she says.
For now though, she is still adjusting to life after the award announcement.
“It’s all just beginning really,” she says.
And while attention may feel unfamiliar, her focus remains firmly on lifting others alongside her.
Comments