Mavis Mullins won the rural category at the Westpac Women of Influence Awards in Auckland on Wednesday night.
The chairwoman of the Atihau Whanganui Incorporation is also a Business Woman of the Year, treaty negotiator and part of the Rangitane iwi's new governance entity.
The awards were a girls' night out and she took along her daughters, Aria and Korina, and the administrator of Paewai/Mullins Shearing, Karen Barrow to celebrate the honour.
It was a fantastic evening, and she was surprised, humbled and elated to win her category.
"I'm quite shy about it. There's so many other women who do fantastic stuff," she said.