MY STORY
A Bit ABOUT ME
I am a community leader and environmental advocate with a strong track record of standing up for people and the planet. I’ve also got plenty of governance experience with three terms on Council and five years as a director on Christchurch City Holdings Limited.
I was born in Ōtautahi Christchurch and have spent most of my life here including studying at the University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha. I started my career in teaching, but was having time off raising three children and running a small business when the earthquakes hit. I sold the business in 2011 to focus on my family and recovery projects in the local community and was elected to the Hagley-Ferrymead Community Board in 2013.
MY TRACK RECORD
MY TRACK RECORD
Caption: Volunteers and locals building raised beds with bricks from the demolished Valley Inn in Heathcote.
Post-Quake COMMUNITY Involvement
2011 - 2012
I have always been involved in some kind of community service and volunteering; like many, this increased after the 2011 earthquakes.
I was awarded a Civic Earthquake Award for my service to the community in 2012.
I also chaired the Heathcote Valley Community Association in 2012/13, where one of our key achievements was successfully advocating to Council to save the local volunteer library.
In 2016 I co-edited a book, Heathcote: The Upside, detailing the many positive post-quake community projects and those who championed them.
Caption: 2013 local election for Hagley-Ferrymead Community Board.
2013 - 2016
Community Board
In 2013, I was shoulder tapped by community members to stand for Community Board. I was successful and was elected Chair of the Hagley-Ferrymead Community Board from 2013-2016, where we successfully advocated for the rebuild of the Sumner Library and Community Centre, championed the Coastal Pathway and supported the community in starting the Richmond Community Garden amongst other projects.
At this time I also chaired the Community Reference Group for Victoria Square, ensuring that the community’s desire to have it restored was followed by CERA.
Photo Credit: Marney Brosnan
I was elected as councillor for the new Heathcote Ward in 2016 where I joined a Council in the midst of the earthquake rebuild. During this time we made progress on many rebuilds, the Land Drainage Recovery Plan, and approved the Global Settlement Agreement with the Crown. This included the new $300M Capital Regeneration Acceleration Facility (CRAF) fund to go towards the stadium, local street projects and the regeneration of the Ōtakaro Avon River Corridor.
We also set carbon reduction targets for both the Council and the City and I had a resolution passed to ensure that climate change impacts were reported on in all Council decision making reports.
Separate to regular Council and committee meetings, I chaired the hearings panel into the use of Denton Park to build the new Hornby Pool and Library, where we recommended declining the use.
I also chaired the hearings panel looking at resolving the decades long issues around the Taylors Mistake Baches, where we recommended 35 year licences for hazard-free baches as a solution.
CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL
2016 - 2019
Caption: Speaking at the opening of Grow Ōtautahi 2021.
This term we had a different committee structure and I chaired the new Sustainability and Community Resilience committee, which all councillors and the mayor sat on.
Post-quake works continued with the Victoria St upgrade and He Puna Taimoana hot pools opened amongst many other projects. All of this was done through a really disruptive covid-pandemic time.
We also secured shovel-ready funding for the ongoing mahi on the Major Cycleways Network, got started on the last part of the Coastal Pathway and finished the extensive Riccarton Road pipes renewal and street upgrade.
Our work on increasing transparency continued, with Public Excluded reports and decisions decreasing from 35% in 2018 to 5% in 2021.
I successfully advocated for the removal of late fines for library books.
Council approved the Climate Resilience Strategy: Kia Tūroa te Ao.
We achieved Living Wage Accreditation.
Coastal Hazards Adaptation Framework approved and the first adaptation plan was started.
I voted in favour of the initial business case and proposal for the expert recommended $483M 25,000 seat stadium, but against the $50M to upsize to 30,000 seats and against covering the cost-blowout of $150M, as it was clear that we had many other priorities for that level of funding, including the organics processing plant and our leaking water pipes.
I worked with a small group in the previous term to advocate for additional Public Transport funding and we secured $78M from the Labour Government in late 2022.
Re-elected to Council
2019 - 2022
Caption: Speaking at the School Strike 4 Climate NZ protest 2023.
Photo Credit: Danny Rood
This term I have the Climate Change Portfolio for Council, with oversight of the implementation of Kia Tūroa te Ao: Climate Resilience Strategy, the Transport Strategy and Urban Forest Plan. I have been out across the city speaking to community groups about Council’s work on climate and how people can be involved. Progress on sustainable transport has been difficult though, with the loss of nearly a billion dollars of funding for this mahi in the city under the new government. This has cut school safety projects, public transport and mass rapid transport progress.
In the 2024 Long Term Plan I secured a change to the level of service for water delivery to reduce leaks from our pipes from their current 27% to under 20% by 2030 and under 15% by 2034.
I also had great public support in the Long Term Plan for the creation of an intergenerational Climate Adaptation Fund to enable funding for the adaptation projects identified in community plans.
RE-ELECTED TO COUNCIL
2022 - Now
advocating for change and transparency
I’ve always been a strong advocate for women in local government and this was raised as a national issue in 2020 and 2021 when I called out a couple of fake accounts on social media for harassment. I used the Harmful Digital Communications Act to unmask the person behind them and have been advocating for change ever since - taking part in a range of panel discussions and research, and encouraging women and allies to claim the space for women to participate fully in our democratic spaces.
Throughout my time on Community Board and Council I have seen one of my core roles as being a conduit between Council and the community. I’ve been open and transparent about my decision making, helped many residents resolve issues, supported numerous community groups and stayed engaged on multiple platforms to let residents know what was happening locally and across the city, as well as ways to get involved or have their say on decisions being made.