More than 25 years of strong advocacy for women in governance by a Maniototo farmer has been recognised in the New Years Honours.

Dawn Sangster, of Patearoa, was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit.

However until last week there had not been a lot of celebrating as she and her husband David were sick with Covid-19 over Christmas.

Luckily their three boys came home to look after the family farm so they could have a break, and they managed to get away to Auckland to watch the ASB Tennis Classic.

The phone had been running red hot since news of her award, and Dawn said it was lovely to hear from people from all walks of life that she’d known and worked with over the years.

“That was probably one of the nicest things.”

Dawn started her career in governance in education serving as a Trustee for the Maniototo Area School Board of Trustees for nine years, and then serving on the John McGlashan College Board for seven years. 

She was appointed to the Community Trust of Maniototo in 2009 and in 2015 became the first Women chair in its 41-year history. 

She had a long involvement with Agri-Women’s Development Trust, firstly as a graduate of the inaugural Escalator Programme, and then as a facilitator for several programmes designed to support confidence, governance knowledge and leadership for the primary

sector.

“That has done a lot of good . . . women often get married and have children and then they lose their confidence and it’s hard for them to get back out there, and there was a bit of that in me as well.”

Dawn Sangster (far right) with her sister Carolyn Dundass and husbands David Sangster (left) and Drew Dundass SUPPLIED

Dawn was the third woman ever to be elected to The Alliance Group Board of Directors in 2011, where she served until 2023, inspiring and actively supporting other women to step into governance. 

She is a current director of the Farmlands Cooperative Society Ltd. and the Maniototo Irrigation Co, and is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors. 

In her day to day life she is director of her family farming businesses GlenAyr Ltd, a sheep and beef property in Maniototo and Nottingham Dairy Ltd. in North Otago.

Dawn said she had always worked hard and learned how to speak up, and still gave a lot of time to volunteer governance roles within the community as well.

“And I guess people have recognised that.”

There were hundreds of hours involved in reading board reports ahead of meetings for her bigger governance roles, “and my weekends have been ruined for years,” she joked.

This year she’s looking forward to a trip overseas to visit one of her sons and she’s also taking on a new directorship for an Otago farming company.

There’s no stopping Dawn. 

She’s been asked to write and facilitate a new governance course in South Otago, and said she just loves teaching.

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