Whanganui's Tim Matthews calls himself an amateur policy analyst.
He won Federated Farmers' 2017 Outstanding Contribution Award at the federation's annual general meeting in Wellington on June 21.
A sheep and beef farmer with 1000ha of hill country near Mangamahu, Mr Matthews has been a member of Federated Farmers since 1983. He's been the vice-president and meat and fibre chairman for the Wanganui province at various times since then.
He's also a registered valuer, which gave him a head start on planning matters. Since the late 1980s he's been making submissions and speaking at hearings at this region's four district and two regional councils, as well as at a national level.
His nominators said his tireless efforts held councils accountable, and he brings an air of reasonableness to matters that can be confrontational.