Jo believes small business is the backbone of regional New Zealand.
She’s passionate about promoting the potential Rangitata has to offer, and as the electorate’s strong advocate in Parliament she'll encourage people to live and invest there, creating more opportunities in the region.
Labour wants to give every New Zealander access to the Kiwi Dream, and Jo is proud to stand for the party with the aspiration to do this.
Her focus for Rangitata - which encompasses Temuka, Ashburton and Timaru - is jobs, education, health, housing and safe communities.
Jo has lived in this beautiful region for two decades, where she started her own successful business, an early childhood centre employing 7 staff.
She knows that living the Kiwi Dream means being paid a fair wage, whether you’re a manager, a labourer or an early childhood teacher. She’s proud to head up the first early childhood centre in New Zealand to be an accredited Living Wage Employer.
Jo is concerned about the direction education is taking for children in the form of charter schools and large class sizes with multiple teachers, and knows Labour’s education policies will give children a better go.
She’s an active volunteer in the community, and was an integral part of the formation of the Hinds and District Citizens’ Association.
She’s married to Matt, a builder, and has three children, Levi (23), Kelsey (21) and Matthew (12), and two stepchildren, Oliver (24) and Cameron (21).