Rachel lives in Nelson with her husband Scott, and her two Golden Labradors Phoebe and Archie, and has been Nelson's MP since 2020. She is Labour's Spokesperson for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Animal Welfare, Oceans and Fisheries, and chairs Parliament's governance and administration select committee. Before entering Parliament, she was an organiser with FIRST Union, where she worked to lift the wages of hundreds of workers in the Nelson region.
Rachel previously volunteered on the boards of Nelson Women's Refuge and the Nelson Environment Centre. A trained singer, she has a Music Degree from the University of Auckland and was a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir.
Rachel has a record of delivery for the Nelson Electorate, including building more state and community houses, securing funding and a commitment to rebuild Nelson's aging Hospital, and delivering better public transport.
Rachel’s priorities for Nelson are:
continuing work to properly rebuild Nelson Hospital, so all Nelsonians have access to quality healthcare.
fixing the Richmond Transport Mess by building the Hope to Richmond Bypass and upgrading Rocks Rd so that it is safer for walking and cycling, and more resilient.
improving access to affordable housing.
ending ‘Sunshine Wages’ in Nelson.
working with our two Councils to address the impacts of climate change.
supporting government investment in key industries like Aquaculture, and infrastructure projects across the Nelson Tasman region.
130,000 cattle saved from live export – Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports.
