Top community leader

The Dairy Community Leadership Award recognises the voluntary role dairy farming women play in leading their communities, and sharing their time and skills beyond the boundaries of their own farm gates.

Paterson was nominated for the accolade alongside Northland dairy farmers Megan McCracken and Ann Kearney.

DWN chief executive Zelda de Villiers says the judging panel had an incredibly difficult decision to make, with all three finalists deserving of the award.

In the end it was Paterson who won the panel over through her humble, down to earth, open and friendly manner, and passion for her community.

"Chris is a truly caring woman that is very worthy of this award. For Chris, it isn't about her at all; it is about making a difference in her local community which she has been instrumental in helping become more inclusive.

"She is proud or the fact the community now attends and participates in more events. While she is also involved with rural woman and DWN – her community lies closest to her heart. She chooses to be most active on a local level, and not a regional or national level, as her local community is so important to her," says de Villiers.

From the Kaharoa district in Rotorua, Paterson farms 125 hectares milking 275 cows with husband Jamie. They have been on the farm for 17 years.

Three years ago the couple stepped back from day-to-day farming operations to focus on management, and promoted their farm-hand who was with them for three years. Recently Paterson's son and daughter in law returned from Australia to manage the farm.

Paterson says it was in her early years of farming in Reporoa where she learned the value of community.

She says the small farming community built on what were formerly soldier rehab settlement blocks was mainly young families on their first farms all trying to make ends meet.

"It was a really neat time when we were all young and poor together and so we all looked after each other."