Ian’s candidacy follows careers in agriculture, business, and local politics, with strong interests in the long-term sustainability of our communities, agriculture and the country. He is married to Sue, with three adult children Diana, Cameron and Angus, and five grand children.

Mayor of the Manawatu District since November 2002, when he was successful in a by-election, Ian also runs the family farming business on the edge of the Rangitikei river and holds directorships in various other companies including FMG and as Chair of Farmers Mutual Finance and the Chairman of Special Olympics New Zealand.

Ian has particular interests in sustainable agriculture, including the protection of our soil and water for future generations. Other major interests are managing our communities and infrastructure for the future and promoting economic development in a manner that remains in tune with our environment.

Top 5 Issues

1. Building a stronger economy
   • Balance the books sooner.
   • Borrow less so we can have lower interest rates for longer.
   • Keep personal taxes lower to encourage hard work.
   • Make New Zealand more competitive so our exporters can sell more overseas and create more real jobs.
   • Encourage savings and investments.
   • Use the mixed-Ownership model to fund infrastructure to help us grow faster.
   • Invest in skills training and tertiary education that gets results.
2. Building world-class infrastructure
   • Ultra-fast broadband for greater innovation.
   • More, and better, roads to ease congestion.
   • Investing in more rail and public transport.
3. Building a safer New Zealand
   • Staying strong on crime – tougher sentencing, stronger bail laws, and a focus on victims.
   • Keep working to lower the crime rate further so our families are safer.
   • Making our roads safer, so we can keep the road toll lower.
4. Rebuilding Christchurch
   • $5.5 billion recovery fund
   • Re-establishing essential infrastructure
   • More construction-related training
5. Building better public services
   • Better Schools – identifying and helping children falling behind, school reports in plain English.
   • World-class healthcare –more doctors and nurses, more operations, shorter waiting times.
   • Effective welfare- more people back into work, more incentives to work, payment cards for teens on benefits.

Personal Profile