Talissa Squire

Talissa looks after South Taranaki farmers, and assists the wider Taranaki team in event delivery across the region.

“Dairying continues to rapidly evolve. Compliance, technological changes, climate change, overseas competition, biosecurity, animal welfare – there’s a lot on farmers’ plates. That’s why an organisation like DairyNZ is a ‘must’, taking some of that pressure off so farmers can continue to farm into the future. It’s vital that they’re supported to achieve their goals.”

Talissa completed her Masters in Science at the University of Waikato, before moving back to Taranaki and ending up as a Sandwich Artist at Subway.

“That wasn’t the life for me, so I briefly worked as a Lab Tech at Fonterra, before being hired by Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) and then DairyNZ. I also finished up my Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Management in 2024. Monitoring consents held by farmers while at TRC gave me great insight into how I want to help farmers now.”

Talissa works directly with farmers and also engages with other rural professionals (RPs), to minimise the duplication of information and to run local events.

“My passion, commitment and motivation for my role comes from knowing that I’m helping a sector full of hard-working people. I want to ensure their livelihood remains viable for them and their families. I love to make their lives just that little bit easier.

“If you ever need help or want to know more about what DairyNZ does behind the scenes, just call your local area manager. We’ll connect you with people who have the answers – our researchers, scientists and specialists, or external farming companies.”

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