What a smashing group of speakers.

Susie Ferguson
​Master of Ceremonies

Susie is back as our Master of Ceremonies. ​Susie is a journalist and broadcaster, currently co-presenter of New Zealand's highest rating radio show, RNZ's Morning Report.

She was a war correspondent for 6 years and covered major world events including the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She's reported and presented from around the world, including numerous times from Afghanistan and Iraq, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and the Balkans. She's also covered the immediate aftermath of disasters including the 2004 Asian tsunami, 2005 Pakistan earthquake and presented rolling coverage on RNZ following the 2011 Christchurch and 2016 Kaikoura quakes. 

Gary Hirshberg

​Gary is Co-Founder and Chief Organic Optimist of Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic yogurt producer based in the USA, and the author of Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World (Hyperion, 2008). 

​Gary frequently speaks on topics including sustainability, organic agriculture and the profitability of green business.  Gary serves on several corporate and non-profit boards, including Blue Apron, Forager, Orgain, Peak Organic Brewing, and UNreal chocolates, as well as Advisory Board member for Applegate.  He has received 12 honorary doctorates and numerous awards for corporate and environmental leadership including a 2015 Champion for Children Award from Mount Sinai Hospital’s Children’s Environmental Health Center and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the US EPA.

Sinead Leahy

Sinead is the International Capability and Training Coordinator at the  New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) and the New Zealand representative of the Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance (GRA) for Greenhouse Gases.

Originally from Ireland, Sinead gained her PhD from the University College Cork in 2005 and moved to New Zealand in 2006 to work on ruminant nutrition and microbiology.  Her research interests for the last decade have focussed on increasing our understanding of the science needed to develop practical and effective approaches to reducing methane emissions from ruminant livestock in New Zealand. More recently, Sinead’s work has centred around the development of practical guidance for the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of emissions and emissions reductions from ruminant livestock, and engaging and working with scientists and policymakers from countries who are looking to implement advanced greenhouse gas inventories for livestock.

“The world is changing, and the agricultural sector will need to adapt if we are to find ways to grow more food to feed a rising population without damaging the earth’s environment. Through my work and research, I hope to make a significant contribution to the knowledge and tools required by researchers, policy makers and farmers to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector.”

Amanda Goodman

​Amanda and Lindsey Goodman founded The Drunken Nanny in the South Wairarapa in 2015. They produce artisan, gate-to-plate goat’s cheese and Kefir on a small scale.

“Consumers today want to know where their food comes from. They want to know that the animals are well looked after and that there are minimal impacts to the environment in the production process.
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We have a strong love and passion for goats. Their welfare is the most important part of our business, and the goats are very much part of our family life. They live in a free-range environment that includes shelter if the weather is bad. The goats are milked in a small milking shed, and the fresh milk is taken straight through to the cheese room where we turn it into fresh cheeses, fresh kefir, and bottles of pasteurised milk. Managing the entire process - from the food goats eat to making the cheese ourselves - gives us enormous satisfaction and we take a lot of pride in the final product.”

Marnie Prickett

Marnie Prickett is an organiser and spokesperson for Choose Clean Water, a campaign aiming to strengthening New Zealand's freshwater policy in order to protect human, wildlife and environmental health. She is the recipient of 2017 Te Reo mo te Awa Award for her work advocating for the health of rivers and was nominated for the NZ Herald’s New Zealander of the Year 2017. 
 
Marnie's background is in environmental education and horticulture. She has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and is currently working towards a Masters degree on the topic of water quality on Molesworth Station, New Zealand’s largest farm. She is dedicated to seeing Aotearoa become an international leader in the protection and restoration of rivers and lakes, and freshwater management.

Glen Herud

Glen foundered the Happy Cow Milk Company in 2014 after becoming concerned by the way modern dairy farming was conducted and unhappy with the falling public opinion of the dairy industry. His practice of leaving calves with their mothers until weaning, organic farming practises and whole milk delivered in reusable packaging won him a lot of fans and customers.

But the harsh realities of fast growth, distribution costs, supermarkets and farming meant that Glen’s business ran out of cash. His company was liquidated in March 2018, but what was a terrible experience turned into a positive new beginning. Glen's story went viral and people from around the world donated money via Patreon to allow Glen to redevelop the Happy Cow Milk Co.

The insight from the previous 4 years was that family farmers can do things the big companies can’t do, and have a marketing advantage over larger brands. But the traditional milk processing practices, distribution and retail model does not work for smaller producers. With the help of a coder friend & the Patreon money, Glen has designed a unique system that allows family farmers around the world to sell their milk and compete in the brutal commercial world.