Gaffaney (40) was given the test umpire blazer for being a member of the elite umpires panel, which officiates at tests all around the world.
The former Otago opening batsman has umpired nine tests so far, debuting in 2014, and there are more on the horizon.
``I'm off to Bangladesh shortly for tests against England and then off to India for the tests against England,'' he said.
``It is a big challenge, a huge challenge. Every day is demanding work. It is probably the toughest sporting officials' role in the world.''
Gaffaney is enjoying the role and said the decision review system (DRS) was a big help to him and his fellow umpires.
``It helps without a doubt. You can make mistakes and tensions can rise. But having it there means players accept decisions and move on with the game.
``Being a good umpire I think comes back to being a good decision-maker. Being a good bloke I suppose, having all the attributes that make you a good team man.''
He is just back from Sri Lanka where he umpired the three-test series between the home team and Australia in which Sri Lanka had a 3-0 win.
``It was played in pretty good spirit. On the first day Sri Lanka were bowled out for about 100 and it looked like Australia were going to win. But it turned around, one young Sri Lankan got a big ton and the rest of it was history.
``It was very hot but it was the humidity that was the hardest. It felt like you were in a sauna most of the time. I lost 3kg-4kg on one of the days. I felt myself feeling a bit wobbly on it as I mustn't have drunk enough.''
Gaffaney said being an international umpire was like going into any work environment - you wanted it to be enjoyable. A lot of it was about building relationships and trust.
He said players were generally well behaved and the Indian Premier League meant players all knew each other and that led to better behaviour.
The only down side to the umpiring job was the travel and being away from home.
He and wife Sarah have four children: Max (12), Molly (9), Rosie (7) and Sam (5).
``So you are away for seven months of the year. You do not get to do any tests at home. I think last year I was five weeks in the UAE, a week at home, five weeks in Australia, a day at home and five weeks in South Africa.
``My wife is amazing with all she does.''
The elite umpires panel had 12 members and he was the only New Zealander.
``When I was growing up I was just a boy from Cromwell. I never thought I would make the top 12 of anything.''
Gaffaney said it was a shock and a thrill to get the blazer and he felt proud to wear it to represent New Zealand umpiring.
The blazer was handed out at the annual New Zealand Cricket Umpires and Scorers conference in Dunedin over the weekend.
At the conference, Malcolm Jones, of Otago, was named scorer of the year while Barry Frost, of Auckland, won the umpire award.
