The award recognises the voluntary role dairy farming women play in leading their communities by sharing their time and skills beyond the boundaries of their own farm gates.
The winner of the award will receive a $2500 scholarship to attend a leadership programme of their choice in New Zealand.
The 2014 winner will be announced at a gala dinner at the Dairy Women’s Network annual conference on March 19 in Hamilton.
DWN chief executive Zelda de Villiers said all three finalists are incredibly selfless people, going above and beyond for the benefit of their communities and, in many cases, the wider dairy industry.
“None of these women seek the spotlight, but through their actions they have captured the attention of their colleagues and stand out as pillars of their communities,” she said.
“They don’t go the extra mile for recognition or reward; they do it because they are passionate about the industry and doing whatever they can to help other people.”
Rotorua dairy farmer Chris Paterson is on several committees and associations in Bay of Plenty, including Federated Farmers.
She is also the secretary of the Rotorua Lakes Primary Producers Collective, the chairwoman of the Kaharoa Community Association, and an active member of both Lions and Rural Women in which she cares for elderly members in the region.
She is an active member of DWN, and supports DairyNZ events hosting fieldays at her farm.
Paterson is passionate about nurturing and mentoring young people new to dairy farming by welcoming them into her family.
She shows leadership and provides opportunities for their professional development.
“Chris is the most committed and hard working person who totally understates what she does,” Paterson’s nominator said.
“She would say ‘it’s just what everyone does’, but you would be hard pressed to find anyone else in the community that contributes so much.”
Bridging the gap between her rural and urban neighbours is a passion for Northland dairy farmer Ann Kearney.
She works alongside a number of groups outside the industry to share good practices and demonstrate that dairy farming is an environmentally proactive industry that can be sustainable.
Award finalist Megan McCracken.
Megan was nominated for going the extra mile for Northland’s dairy farming community as a driving force behind growing membership numbers for the DWN in the region.
She has initiated innovative new ideas for events in an effort to increase participation from dairy farming women, which resulted in an increase in attendance numbers.
“Megan is somebody who does not just provide lip service to the values of the DWN, but lives them by her actions,” her nominator said.
“She is a quiet achiever who has given a huge amount of her time and organisational expertise to the DWN at both a regional and national level.”
