Meet the team
Samantha Tennent
WelFarm General Manager
Armed with a Bachelor in Veterinary Technology from Massey University, Samantha’s career has predominantly surrounded the dairy sector. She has been an AI technician, a Farm Solutions Manager at LIC and the programme manager for InCalf as a Developer at DairyNZ as well as a stint in the AgriMedia world.
She stepped into the GM role in February 2021 and is pulling on all sorts of network connections to help raise WelFarm’s profile among the dairy sector.
Jo Howes
WelFarm Software Support
Originally from the UK, Jo was involved with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as well as an AI technician before working in roles in vocational training, including the meat and poultry industry and the land-based sector. She moved to New Zealand in 2007 with her husband and worked with LIC for a number of years across various technological products.
She has also worked with the Dairy Women’s Network and is the president of Mt Pirongia Pony Club. Her role with WelFarm is to support member clinics and onboarding new ones as they sign up. She is also available for clinics to hire to help deliver their WelFarm programme.
Chantel Bennett
WelFarm Relationship Manager
With over ten years of experience in the veterinary industry throughout the Waikato and BOP, Chantel has spent the past few as a head Veterinary Technician/Nurse in Rotorua. She loves working with farmers and attempting to wrangle vets. She has recently entered motherhood and her organisational skills are proving handy.
Her role with WelFarm is to support member clinics to deliver the WelFarm programme among their farmers. She is BCS accredited and is a resource available to clinics as they grow the programme and internal teams.
Mark Bryan
XLVets NZ Managing Director
Mark qualified from Glasgow in 1988, and spent the next seven years moving between intensive dairy practice in the North of England and climbing mountains. A stint in New Zealand convinced him that this was the best place to do both, so in 1995 he moved to the Waikato in the North Island.
In 1997 he moved South to head up the dairy side of Central Southland Vets in Winton. He became a director in 2001 by which time the practice had doubled in vet numbers and quadrupled in dairy farm numbers. In 2005 Winton and Gore vets joined to form VetSouth, in an attempt to create a well-resourced clinic environment with top clients that would attract and retain the best vets in the country.
Mark has been instrumental in developing the links with XLVets in the UK and is visionary in his thinking.
WelFarm has been designed by XLVets NZ and formally endorsed by the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA). Running on New Zealand Dairy farms since 2013.
MEMBER PRACTICES
