It is not an exaggeration to say that Davidson invented the New Zealand rural economy through his work in not only organising and introducing the technology of refrigerated shipping to this country but also the infrastructures of both abattoirs at this end and reception and marketing at the London end. This was not just an economic matter. The whole rural family based farming social economy was brought into being by this initiative, and it is one of the richest ironies of our social history that Davidson is virtually unknown and is only now beginning to receive the recognition he deserves.