Matamata dairy farmers Wynn and Tracy Brown are leaders in the dairy industry.

In 2018, the couple won the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award for sustainability, business and farm management.

'Sustainable farming is about ‘walking the walk' not just ‘talking the talk', it's about what you do when no-one is looking,” says Wynn and Tracy.

Wynn and Tracy want to leave a legacy through taking care of the land for future generations.

'It's also about not just living for the here and now, but about thinking for the future and those that will come after you.”

Nominations for this year's national award open on February 1.

Wynn and Tracy were the first recipients of the award after it was introduced last year.

The Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award focuses solely on sustainable farming, and dairy farmers need to be nominated to enter through www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz

Nominees for this award can come from any milk supplier in New Zealand, and they must show performance and leadership in sustainable care of people, animals, ecosystems and communities.

New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards executive chair Rachel Baker says that this award gives dairy farmers an opportunity to show responsibility and excellence.

'Many of our winners and entrants from our Dairy Trainee, Dairy Manager and Share Farmer awards programmes do just this and progress to leadership roles within the industry and their communities,” says Rachel.

'This Award gives us the opportunity to recognise farmers that have progressed to ownership, demonstrate leadership in their farming practices and are a role model for our younger farmers coming through”.

Entries for the award close on March 20, and out of three finalists, one dairy farm will reign supreme at the National Final on May 11 in Wellington.