Women in Business | Karen Williams, marrying a Wairarapa farmer was the catalyst for ending up in food production and agricultural politics for food and fibre advocate Karen Williams.
Armed with a geography and resource management degree from the University of Otago, Williams has always had a strong interest in the environment and how commercialisation can also deliver good social and environmental outcomes.
Farm life is busy, and after taking a break from her resource management career at a local council to raise three children, Williams immersed herself in the farming business and became an advocate for rural communities and sustainable food and fibre production.
After taking on the grower representative role on the government’s Governance Group for the Pea Weevil incursion in the Wairarapa in 2016, Williams started to engage more with Wellington-based agricultural peak bodies and central government.
In 2018, she was elected to the National Board of Federated Farmers as the Arable Chairperson and two years later, she became the Vice President. These roles enabled her to bring a different mindset to the board table, focusing more on the environment, people and feminine leadership.
Her time on the Federated Farmers Board was the most stimulating period of her career, and balancing this alongside her family and the farming business was challenging.
She now works for FMG, a New Zealand-owned advice and insurance company. This ‘mutual’ business has a vision of ‘helping to build strong and prosperous rural communities’, which aligns closely with her career purpose.
Her career highlights include the people she has met and her travels that led to her speaking at a World Seed Partnership Forum in Myanmar on behalf of the World Farmer’s Organisation.
However, the most rewarding part would be being on the team responsible for eradicating pea weevil from the Wairarapa. Believed to be a world first, this milestone was achieved because the local community bought into working together to make this happen.
In terms of her inspiration, three names come to Williams’ mind; the late Gordon Stephenson, a Waikato farmer and passionate environmentalist who was the main driver behind the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust, of which Williams is also a trustee, who facilitates the Ballance Farm Environment Awards programme.
Wairarapa farmer Lindy Nelson, founder of the Agri-Women’s Development Trust, developed this organisation to help support women in our rural communities to confidently use and enhance their soft and hard skills to make a difference in their local communities and on the national and international stage.
Hawke’s Bay resident Bruce Wills is an experienced governor with many leadership roles in agriculture and the environment. He epitomised a strong work ethic, respect, and desire to achieve great outcomes.
“It’s always tough to name names when so many people have supported my growth and development. As a townie who married into farming, I want to acknowledge my husband Mick, who has taught me a great deal about the agricultural sector and when the children were young, did a lot of solo parenting whilst farming full time when I was travelling for work,” said Williams.
William’s advice to others in the industry is to acknowledge from the outset that being in leadership is not easy. Still, the world needs leaders with strong values, compassion, and vision to confront challenges.
“Hold to your values when the going gets tough and surround yourself with a good support team.”
She would also tell her younger self to write down why she came into the industry and what she wanted to achieve. Having a written vision and purpose helps one stay focused in a chaotic world.
“A strong focus must be balanced with the ability to roll with things, as recent years have shown us that the world we live in is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.”
While Williams’ primary focus is to see New Zealand rural communities thrive and food and fibre producers have profitable and environmentally sustainable businesses, she also wants the New Zealand urban community to enjoy sustainably produced, healthy and nutritious food and appreciate the enormous effort that goes into food and fibre production.
“The food and fibre sector must continue to invest in thought leadership, research and development, exploration of offshore markets, a good understanding of what our customers want, and a mindset of being open to adaptation and change, but our customers need to be mindful that there are many variables beyond our control that make the production of sustainable food challenging.”
She believes that greater understanding and respect between food producers and consumers will foster an environment where everyone can thrive.
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