Kelly Shotton, founder of BoreWatch, has been named the 2026 Northern Territory AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award winner, recognised for her commitment to improving water management and operational decision-making across remote pastoral operations in the Northern Territory.

Drawing on years of hands-on station experience as a ringer, bore runner and station pilot, Ms Shotton developed BoreWatch – a water maintenance reporting platform that enables station staff to document and monitor tanks, bores, troughs, fuel usage and infrastructure across large-scale properties.

The platform collates data into automated reports, identifying critical issues and trends without the cost of automated monitoring equipment, while capturing historical records to support long-term planning and retention of operational knowledge.

Ms Shotton said BoreWatch was born from firsthand frustration working on the land.

“I built BoreWatch out of pure frustration. When you’re on a station, there’s so much critical information getting lost in notebooks, radios or just in people’s heads. I just kept thinking, there has to be a better way to keep track of it all,” Ms Shotton said.

“Water is everything on a station. If something goes wrong and you don’t catch it early, it can have a huge impact. BoreWatch is about making sure people have the right information at the right time to stay ahead of those issues.”

“It’s pretty surreal to be recognised like this. I’ve just been focused on building something that works and helps people on the ground, so to have that acknowledged is really exciting.”

The road ahead for BoreWatch

Ms Shotton accepted the award last night at a ceremony in Darwin from Deputy Chief Minister Northern Territory and Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Mining and Energy, Corrections, Renewables and Recreational Fishing, The Hon Gerard Maley.

The AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award, supported by platinum sponsor Westpac, is Australia’s leading award recognising the innovation, leadership and impact of women across rural and regional industries and communities.

As the 2026 Northern Territory AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award winner, Ms Shotton will receive a $15,000 Westpac grant, which she will invest in commercialising and expanding BoreWatch.

Funding will support early-stage business setup, a targeted pitch deck to introduce BoreWatch to industry, and mentoring and professional development within the northern agricultural sector. She will also undertake a professional development course of her choice.

Industry leaders rally in support

AgriFutures Australia Managing Director, Brianna Casey AM, said Ms Shotton’s work exemplifies the transformative impact the award was created to recognise across rural, regional and remote Australia.

“The AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award recognises women who are shaping the future of rural Australia through innovation, enterprise and leadership,” Ms Casey said.

“Kelly’s work is a powerful example of how lived experience in remote agriculture can drive practical, on-ground innovation – improving the efficiency and resilience of pastoral operations across the regions.”

Westpac Regional General Manager, Regional & Agribusiness, Brad Higgins, said Ms Shotton’s work is making a tangible difference to pastoral operations across remote Australia.

“Through BoreWatch, Kelly is solving a real problem for stations across rural and remote Australia – giving people on the ground the information they need to protect one of their most critical assets,” Mr Higgins said.

“We are proud to support her as she takes BoreWatch to the next stage and represents the Northern Territory at the national level.”

Later this year, Ms Shotton will represent the Northern Territory at the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award Gala Dinner and National Announcement in Canberra on Tuesday, 8 September 2026, where the National Winner will receive an additional $20,000 grant and the National Runner-Up an additional $15,000.

For more information about the Awards, head to agrifutures.com.au/rwa.

ENDS

About AgriFutures Australia

AgriFutures Australia is the trading name for the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC), a statutory authority of the Federal Government established by the Primary Industries Research and Development Act 1989.

AgriFutures invests in research, innovation and leadership to grow the long-term prosperity of Australian agriculture. We support 13 levied industries driving growth through targeted research, development and extension that strengthens industry productivity, sustainability and competitiveness.

AgriFutures also delivers national programs that address industry-wide challenges and opportunities, connects global agrifood innovation networks, and builds leadership across the agricultural sector.

Research investments made or managed by AgriFutures Australia, and publications and communication materials pertaining to those investments, are funded by industry levy payers and/or the Federal Government.