With International Women’s Day being celebrated this Saturday 8 March, B+LNZ is using the opportunity to spotlight the incredible female speakers and facilitators lined up for Out the Gate 2025, taking place on Wednesday 26 March in Rotorua.
Out the Gate 2025 powered by the B+LNZ Farmer Council and Kāhui features world-class speakers, deep dive interactive sessions and is topped off by a networking gala dinner. The day event is free for farmers! (A fee applies for Rural Professionals – NZIPIM members enjoy a 10% discount.)
B+LNZ has secured an incredible lineup of talent from within and outside of New Zealand’s red meat sector. In light of International Women’s Day, see below some of the incredible women we have lined up in the programme (PDF, 1MB).
Meet our speakers
Lindy Nelson MNZM
Chair of Safer Farms and Founder of the Agri-Women's Development Trust (AWDT)
A visionary leader, Nelson describes herself as a woman on a mission - amplifying the connection between women, leadership, food, and global sustainable goals. She founded AWDT in 2010 and since then over 3,000 women have been through its programmes.
She is currently the Chair of Safer Farms, an initiative that leads and inspires the agricultural sector to make farms safer places to work and live.
Nelson didn’t just talk about the need for change—she made it happen. She reshaped the conversation around women in farming, unlocking the contribution of untapped female talent. She also took on the tough topic of on-farm health and safety, moving it beyond compliance to a culture of care.
Nelson is leading the ‘Opening the gate to the future’ workshop during breakout session two.
Dr Mhairi Sutherland
B+LNZ’s Senior Scientist – Animal Health and Welfare Research
Dr Sutherland completed her Master’s at Massey University and went on to do her doctorate at the University of Illinois (USA). Her studies focused on animal science, physiology and welfare in sheep, cattle and pigs.
Dr Sutherland then spent three years as a researcher and teacher at Texas Tech University where she focused on pig welfare issues. In 2009, she moved back to New Zealand where she worked as a scientist in the Animal Behaviour and Welfare team at AgResearch until moving to B+LNZ in 2020.
In her role as Senior Scientist, Animal Health and Welfare Research at B+LNZ, she is involved in leading and managing projects related to ewe and lamb survival, ectoparasites, early disease detection and enhancing animal welfare outcomes. She is also involved in managing the Hill Country Futures programme and contributing to other research projects across the research portfolio.
Dr Sutherland, alongside Dr David Scobie, is leading the ‘Sheep productivity – improving lamb survival and unlocking farm management opportunities’ workshop during breakout session one.
Lee Astridge
Co-founder of No8HR – Performance and Strategy
As one of the founders of No8HR, Astridge understands what it means to be a business owner as well as bringing years of experience in leadership, HR and people development roles. This includes global experience gained in a range of roles across senior leadership, governance, operational board and management.
Lee has a strong reputation nationally for both her professional expertise and her abilities as a motivational speaker and facilitator.
Astridge, alongside economist Shamubeel Eaqub, is leading the ‘Growing farm performance’ workshop during breakout session two.
Kate Gwilliam
Head of North Island at Halter
Gwilliam has an extensive career in New Zealand Agri-tech. She is currently the Head of the North Island for Halter, a world-leading pasture control tool.
Gwilliams moved from Auckland to taking on a 450-strong cattle herd in Manawatū with her husband, Tom. Neither had a background in farming, but they managed to make their farm a tech-first endeavour, including full automation in the calf shed, farm sensors and computer-based reporting systems. And with this experience, Kate got involved with an automated feedstock solution, Zeddy, which uses RFID to deliver just the right amount of feed to every animal on the farm. Zeddy went on to win awards!
Gwilliam, alongside farmers Jon Sherlock and Heather Gilbert, is a part of the ‘Turning technology into reality’ workshop during breakout session three.
Heather Gilbert
Farmer and Agribusiness Consultant at Total Ag Limited
Gilbert grew up on the family farm in the King Country near Waitomo, which she now owns with her brother. She studied agriculture at Massey and has worked in various roles in the ag industry starting out in the Genetics Unit with Landcorp Farming Limited, followed by a stint travelling the UK. On her return she followed a passion she has for helping people learn and managed Landcorp’s Future Farmer cadetship, and then worked at Taratahi Training college, before joining the Total Ag team as a consultant in 2015.
Heather farms with her partner Elliot on their 500ha bull beef property on the slopes of Mount Pirongia at Te Pahu, and they have recently signed up as the Beef and Lamb (BLNZ) Waikato monitor farm. The focus of this project is to get the “three p’s” aligned: planet, people, and profit.
Heather is also a member of the BLNZ mid Northern North Island Farmer Council.
At Total Ag Heather plays a key role in helping walk farmer clients and catchment groups through the many twists and turns that accompany environmental compliance, engaging with industry experts and farmers, helping ensure farmers can meet their environmental requirements in practical affordable fashion.
Gilbert, alongside Gwilliams and farmer Jon Sherlock, is a part of the ‘Turning technology into reality’ workshop during breakout session three