Our Team
General Manager
Tim Saunders
Having worked for ANZ for over 10 years, Tim has a strong background in Agriculture and Horticulture Finance. Most recently, Tim worked for the award winning Māori food and beverage company Kono NZ LP as their Commercialization Manager.
Tim holds a number of positions on Food & Beverage Advisory Boards and is also Deputy Chair of the Top of the South Community Foundation. Tim is married to an entrepreneur business woman Emma Saunders, they have three young boys.
Finance Manager
Tiffany Cawte
My financial background has come from working in large accounting firms such as Deloitte and BDO and also small local firms in the Waikato.
I have been Finance Manager in a large corporate dairy farm business and also worked in the banking industry for ASB Rural Corporate and Rabobank Major Agri.
My husband and I own a dairy farm in Leeston and I am a mother to three children.
I enjoy getting out into the hills tramping, travelling, and keeping fit.
Territory Manager
Andrew Bendall
Breeding has been a major part of Andrew's background, with his family being foundation members of both the first sheep and cattle performance groups (The NZ Romney Development Group & Waigroup Angus both being established in 1967). Andrew and his wife Rhonda returned from the Falklands in July 2022 after two and a half years as a rural advisor for the Falkland Islands government leading the team at the Department of Agriculture.
Andrew is looking forward to getting back involved with the Headwaters community and being part of taking Headwaters and Lumina lamb to the next level.
Breeding Manager
Tara Dwyer
Tara lives and farms in Middlemarch, Otago, with her husband Angus and 2 young children. Tara manages Headwaters breeding program. Tara has an Ag.Science degree from Lincoln University and a background in both farming and rural services. Her drivers are to support our growers to be the best they can and focusing on solutions to the challenges that they face.
Territory Manager
Kelly Walsh
Kelly and his wife Kate have 3 children and live on a small farm just outside Timaru. Kelly has spent 16 years as a drafter for silver fern farms and joined the Headwaters team in October 2022. With a good understanding of the meat industry Kelly is looking forward to meeting all needs from the farmer through to processing and markets and keep building the Headwaters brand.
Territory Manager
Jen Affleck
Jen lives at Long Point in the Catlins with her husband Stu and two boys Blake and Luke, where they currently run 11,000 stock units of Headwaters sheep and Angus beef. Previously, Jen worked in the Animal Health sector as a Rural Veterinary Technician and Veterinary Nurse. Outside of Headwaters and the farm, Jen spends most weekends chasing the boys around NZ racing their motorbikes.
Marketing & Administration Coordinator
Olivia Ridgen
Olivia lives in Southbridge and comes from a farming background. Since graduating, Olivia has spent time in precision ag with Vantage NZ, working on a cattle station in WA, harvesting for Watties and travelling. With a degree in media communication and marketing, her role will be our marketing and administration coordinator. Olivia enjoys networking with farmers and creating content that show cases the industry.
If you're excited about what Headwaters stands for and the opportunity it presents, please get in touch with us today.