Moana Puha

Moana Puha really loves milk: from hot drinks to topping her porridge, from cheeses to butter and cream, she’s a fan of the product as well as the people who produce it.

“I can’t imagine life without dairy, but the game keeps changing. For our sector to be excellent, we all need to bring our ‘A’ game, including support for our farmers to succeed and thrive with confidence and pride. That also means having marketing, research, services and investment in all the right areas.”

Moana says that excellence lies at the heart of what DairyNZ’s regional teams do.

“Whether that’s through collaboration, strategically aligned events, stakeholder partnerships or leveraging off the greatness that already exists in the sector. We want to give farmers the access to the tools and research that can help strengthen their operational efficiency and increase their financial output.”

Moana is of Ngāti Kuri and Ngāti Porou descent. Originally from a sheep and beef farming family, she got interested in dairying while at university. Her current role is Moana’s second time working for DairyNZ.

“There’s nothing better than seeing a farm system absolutely humming! There are some amazing people in our sector: real people, down to earth, logical, smart, tactful and progressive. That's what floats my boat.

“I am passionate about dairy and believe we all need to continue supporting our farmers for the wealth of our nation, for dairy food lovers and finally… so I can have butter on my toast and a cup of tea with a splash of milk!”

• Find out more about DairyNZ’s other Upper North Island regional team members.
• Check out our nationwide regional teams.