Safer Farms ambassador Lindy Nelson has achieved national acclaim for her long-standing dedication to transforming safety culture acrossNew Zealand’s primary sector. Nelson was named the winner of the prestigiousLeadership category at the 2026 New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards in Auckland on 23 June.

The award acknowledges Nelson's practical, farmer-led approach to reducing workplace harm, heavily rooted in her own experiences as aWairarapa farmer. Safer Farms chair Murray Donald celebrated the milestone, noting that Lindy’s unique strength lies in her ability to bring farmers, industry, and partners together around the shared goal of designing harm out ofagriculture.

During her time chairing Safer Farms from 2020 to early2026, Lindy was instrumental in launching Farm without Harm—the sector'sfirst-ever collaborative safety strategy. She also helped spearhead high-impact initiatives like Half Arsed Stops Here and the Safer Rides quad bike protection programme. Now stepping into a dedicated role as the Farm without Harmambassador alongside the organisation's Regional Champions, Lindy remains focused on driving real, grassroots culture change across rural communities.  

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