I’m proud to have grown up here in Hawke’s Bay, in what is the most beautiful and close-knit region in the country. I went to school in Taradale, and worked my first full-time job in a local Hastings trade store. Today, I work as a meteorologist and forecaster, helping New Zealand prepare for and respond to severe weather.

I’m running for Tukituki this year because too many hardworking people in our community are struggling to get by, and we need a real change. The rising cost-of-living is hitting us hard, and this Government’s choices are seeing regions like ours left behind.

When important local businesses are shutting down, we need an MP who will work to keep secure, well-paid jobs in Tukituki when we need them most. When our local hospital is under-resourced and over-worked, we need an MP pushing for the support we need for Hawke’s Bay’s healthcare. When costs around us are skyrocketing, we need an MP who will work to ensure that everybody in our community has access to a warm, dry home. When the Fruit Bowl of New Zealand is being hit by increasingly-common severe weather events, we need a local MP who is serious about climate action and resilience – protecting our land, infrastructure, water and communities into the future.

Things are tough now, but they could, and should, be better. I’m running to help build a Hawke’s Bay where working people, families, and local communities are put back at the heart of decision-making.