Louisa and her husband, Jorg, are contract milkers on a 560-cow dairy farm between Milton and Waihola. She is also the Otago regional partner for Ospri, doing the Nait and Tbfree programme.
It was her manager at Ospri who encouraged her to take a position on the national committee for the Dairy Industry Awards, saying she should utilise her leadership skills.
An introverted person, Louisa acknowledged she felt like an imposter the whole time but she loved it and it had helped a little to manage that imposter syndrome.
With public speaking and networking all part of it, she realised that it might not necessarily be a strength, but it was still possible to do.
She finished her three-year term in March, having been team leader for the share farmer of the year, and it had been a great opportunity to give back to the industry, she said.
Hearing what was happening in the industry and seeing the young talent coming through meant she returned to the farm very energised.
Louisa’s nomination gave a glowing account of her abilities on-farm.
At Ospri, she had built up excellent business relationships with farmers who respected her knowledge and involvement, while she also put much effort into the dairy awards.
It said her greatest challenge was her anxiety.
"She gets stressed about many things but has worked hard how to deal with this.
"She has learned to recognise that she is a strategist and that she has to work on her social interactions. Even though she is very anxious about them, she tries not to avoid them. She doesn’t like being in the spotlight ... attending the dairy awards evenings is something she gets extremely anxious about and continues to find ways to cope with that.
"I believe that Louisa is a champion in the rural community of the Otago region. Her journey has just begun."
Originally from the United Kingdom, Louisa came to New Zealand as a child with her mother. She met her now husband but they were in very different places at the time — she was very career-driven and he was ready to settle down on a farm.
She returned to the UK and lectured in agriculture and equine studies before coming back to New Zealand — and to Jorg.
On farm, she did the calf rearing and stepped in if staff were away. She also loved calving cows and was always contacted if any needed assistance.
Having the "town job" with Ospri meant she was still involved in the agricultural sector and it balanced her skills nicely, particularly with strategic thinking.
There was a "massive" rabbit problem in Waihola and Louisa helped project co-ordinate a community group last year which received funding from the Otago Regional Council for rabbit-proof fencing.
She had also been helping mentor people with their businesses and she had been enjoying that. With her dairy industry awards tenure finished, she had been looking at what she could do next and she liked the idea of mentoring.
She was particularly keen to help anyone else who was dealing with anxiety and imposter syndrome like she had.
"You can achieve so much. Sometimes you need a little bit of help and support to get there."
— Sally Rae
