Karen is a farmer with her husband Mick and lives in Gladstone, Wairarapa along with her teenage children. 

Originally a town girl with a resource management degree, her passion for improving the environment (and marrying a farmer) encouraged her to embrace farm life. Karen now works for FMG, but she is also is the immediate Past Vice President of Federated Farmers NZ and was formerly the Federated Farmers Arable Industry Group Chairperson.

Karen has many accolades, including winning the Ballance Farm Environment Awards for the Wellington Region, Federated Farmers Biosecurity Farmer of the Year, and is a graduate of the 'Escalator' Programme from the Agri-Women's Development Trust (AWDT).

We talk to Karen about vision to see agriculture and food production thrive, her ‘unusual’ path into governance roles, and her experience as a woman in governance.