'Hidden gem' dairy farmer wins rare green diamond

Whanganui dairy farmer Chris Davison has more of a sparkle in his step, after being awarded a rare green diamond ring from DairyNZ.

And Davison knew exactly what to do with his prize once he received it. He placed the ring on wife Rachel's finger to thank her for all her love and support.

"It's right at home on Rachel's finger, a nice reward for the demanding role of being a mother and a farmer's wife. She's the true gem of this outfit".

Davison, who sharemilks 1,000 cows on the family dairy farm near Kai Iwi Beach, won the prize after being nominated by his mother Jeanette and twin brother Blake for being a "hidden gem" in a competition run by DairyNZ.

Competition for the prized diamond was hot, with more than 400 nominations received in the promotion, DairyNZ Acting GM Farm Performance Sharon Morrell said.

In his nomination, Blake, a milk tanker driver, said his brother was an all-round good guy.

"He's an outstanding dairy farmer, employer, husband and father. I love him and nominating him to win this diamond is my 'bro-mantic' way of showing it."

Meanwhile, in her nomination, Davison's mother Jeanette said:

"Christopher is an absolute gem. He's made a fantastic job of sharemilking on our family partnership farm … including the health, care and reproduction of the animals, managing the feed requirements, managing staff and all of the other aspects of running his own business".

It was a nice surprise to hear he had won the diamond for being a great farmer, Davison said.

The diamond – a rare green one which may be the only one in New Zealand – was gifted by Auckland jeweller Mark Beckett and his wife Pamela to show their admiration and appreciation for New Zealand dairy farmers.

Davison said he was extremely encouraged to see such a kind gesture extended to dairy farmers from the heart of Auckland.

"This act of generosity is a good reminder that, by and large, most Kiwis appreciate and value what we farmers do. I'm sure many other farmers would feel the same way."

Although the past 40-plus years of their lives had revolved around precious gems, both Mark and Pamela Beckett hail from dairy farming families.

"Even back then, our farming families had a long-term view of environmental stewardship – everything my father did on the farm was to care for the land and his animals," Mark said.

"We saw the opportunity to give away this appropriately green coloured diamond to thank the good farmers for their hard work, both as stewards of the land and for bringing us milk."