The NZI Rural Women's Awards have once again shone a spotlight on female entrepreneurs.

This year's supreme award went to Catherine Ward of Pahi Coastal Walk on the Coromandel Peninsula, who said she never expected to win the coveted top spot.

"It's overwhelming, but it means a lot for the team.

"We have been doing a good job, and it just reinforces that we are on the right path."

The winner was announced at an awards dinner in Wellington on November 22, when seven category awards were also presented.

Ward was also the winner of the Love of the Land category for the three-day, two-night coastal walk that began as a hobby but quickly developed into a thriving business that has provided employment opportunities for other local rural women.

Ward said the awards evening was buzzing with positive energy.

"The category winners were all treated like celebrities; the atmosphere was really inclusive and supportive."

Ward said Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) were nurturing and supportive throughout the entry process.

"It's an amazing exercise, almost an audit of your business, but they make you feel good about yourself.

"They don't pick your business to pieces.

"It was a good chance to reflect on where we started, where we are and everything in between, and reminding us to put some of our grand ideas into place."

Newly elected RWNZ national president Sandra Matthews said what stood out about Ward's business was the flow-on effect its success had on the community.

"As the business has grown, the impact on the community has been significant, and other local businesses providing bike hire, hospitality, and artisan products have all benefitted from the walk's visitors," Matthews said.

Matthews said the awards had the highest numbers of entries to date, signalling a flourishing and diverse rural female entrepreneurship.

"We were particularly impressed by this year's entrants who showcase that it is possible to build new businesses, create new income streams and build economic resilience in their rural communities."

Harriet Bell and Siobhan O’Malley were one of five South Island Category finalists for their sustainable merino-hemp clothing brand Hemprino, which won the Emerging Business category.

Bell said this was their third attempt at entering the awards, and the win reassured them that the business was on the right path.

"With farming and young kids, we have a lot going on.

"We give a lot of time to the business because we are so passionate about it.

"It's nice to be recognised that what we are doing is heading in the right direction."

Bell said the award is significant because it recognises women in the primary sector.

"Our industry has come a long way in the last twenty years, and there are so many great women-led businesses out there."

Bell lives on a property in Staveley with her husband Clint, whose family farm is just down the road, and two children, Fred (age three) and Hugh (age four months).

She says it's a team effort, and she couldn't run Hemprino without her husband's support.

"We can only do what we do because of our husbands, the farmers in our lives who are an incredible support in terms of our children and the household."

Bell said people rarely saw her husband's work in the background, cleaning the gazebo or loading up the trailer after an event.

"Women may lead some of these businesses, but we can only do what we do because we have the guys supporting us along the way," Bell said.

The Award winners for each category are:

Love of the Land: Pahi Coastal Walk – Catherine Ward, Coromandel

Creative at Heart: Botanical – Amy Burke, Tasman

Emerging Business: Hemprino – Harriet Bell and Siobhan O'Malley, Staveley

Innovation: Repost – Dansy Coppell, Mapua

Rural Champion: Tairāwhiti Contractors Ltd – Katareina Kaiwai, Tokomaru Bay

Experience Rural: Nest Treehouses – Liz Hayes, Hakataramea Valley

Rural Health and Wellness Excellence: Nicola Smith Massage – Nicola Smith, Seddon

By Claire Inkson