Winton dairy farmer Lloyd McCallum, 65, was not looking for any recognition, nor did he expect it.
But being included in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours was "a nice surprise", Mr McCallum said.
"The world’s full of doom and gloom these days, but yeah, it was a nice surprise.
"It puts a little bit of a skip in your step."
The former three-term Environment Southland councillor was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the dairy industry and the environment.
"It’s not the end of the journey. There’s still more to do," he said.
Mr McCallum is a church elder, an award-winning dairy farmer and active community member in Southland.
He was one of the original Southland sheep and arable farmers to convert his property to dairy production in 1991, a move that helped to bring prosperity and growth to the region.
He has won several farming awards, including Westpac NZMP Dairy Farmer of the Year in 2002 and Ballance Farm Environment Award for best dairy farm and Lincoln University Farmer of the Year, both in 1997.
He was a member of the original Fonterra Shareholders Council (SHC) between 2000 and 2013, providing leadership during a period of significant change in the dairy industry.
He has been involved with many industry bodies including the South Island Dairy Event committee, Livestock Improvement Co-op, and the Southland Demonstration Farm.
He was elected as an Environment Southland councillor in 2013 and became deputy chairman in 2016.
Significant improvements in the Southland waterways are now visible due to policies made by Environment Southland in his tenure.
He has been instrumental in leading farmers in best practice farm management and taking responsibility for environmental effects.
Mr McCallum was one of the first co-chairs of Whakamana te Waituna Charitable Trust, which is focused on improving freshwater quality in the Waituna region of Southland.
