Last week, she was announced as one of three finalists in the Dairy Community Leadership Award which will be presented at the DWN conference in Queenstown next month. The Dairy Community Leadership Award is a DWN initiative which recognises the unsung heroes of rural communities.
''I wear many hats in my community and as a result I'm constantly meeting new people who have arrived to live in our part of New Zealand. It's great to be able to work with them and help them settle in and see for themselves how great our community is.''
As well as her role with DWN, Ms Thomas is also involved as president and a member of many other groups in the community including, the Takitimu Primary School PTA, the Western Tennis Association, the Takitimu District Pool and the Takitimu District Pet Day.
The other two finalists are, Cathy Prendergast, of Arohena and Alison Ferris, of Te Kuiti.
Mrs Ferris also has ties to Southland, with her family owning a dairy farm in the region.
The award will be presented to the winner at the DWN conference awards ceremony on May 11-12.