Jo was elected as the Member of Parliament for Rangitata in 2008, having been elected to Parliament as the MP for Aoraki in 2005.

During her tenure as MP, Jo has highlighted some of the most important issues facing the aged care health sector. This has been achieved through a series of public meetings around New Zealand and led to the release of her Aged Care Discussion Document (05 September 2007) titled “Choice Not Chance for Older New Zealanders”. This paper includes a number of proposals to improve aged care in New Zealand and National's policy development plans for this sector.

Over the past few years, Jo has prioritised the setting-up of networks throughout the electorate. This includes attending meetings with local chief executives, councillors and Mayors from the District Councils. Jo also meets regularly with CEO’s and senior management from the local DHB's, economic development agencies, Aoraki Polytechnic, NZ Police (Ashburton & Timaru), NZ Transport Agency along with other local and national business leaders.

Jo meets regularly with many sector groups including a ‘Ginger Group’, comprised of community minded people who have a focus on local and national affairs. Jo holds regular constituent clinics at the electorate offices. Typical examples of meetings and appointments can be found weekly in her High Country or Mid-Canterbury Herald ‘Diary’.

Jo is committed to visiting every school within her electorate and looks forward to regular meetings with school principals, staff and pupils.

The website is regularly updated with Jo’s media releases, newsletters and photos.

Pre- Election: Jo was born and schooled within South Canterbury where she grew up on a local farm. She qualified as a registered nurse and has practised throughout New Zealand and in London in both hospitals and in general practice. She gained a Bachelor of Nursing degree in 1995. Her professional involvement has extended to tutoring in Health Sciences at the Aoraki Polytechnic, acting as recruitment coordinator for Breastscreen South Ltd., and she was also the founder of the Aorangi Nursing Agency.

Jo was employed as a coordinator for the Timaru Safer Community Council immediately prior to campaigning for the Aoraki seat.

Her extensive voluntary community involvement has included membership of the South Canterbury DHB - Community and Public Health Committee; the Craighead Diocesan School Board of Trustees; a current member of the Timaru Multiple Birth Club; and a large number of other organisations.

Jo is a previous Chair of the Waimataitai School BOT, a former Timaru Plunket Branch President and chaired the Aoraki Community Organisation Grants Scheme. She also has a history of involvement with Victim Support as a volunteer and team leader. In the 1980s Jo represented Young Farmers Clubs on exchange to Australia and was one of two New Zealand exchangees to the UK in 1984.

Jo is married to Mark, and they have three teenage daughters. She can occasionally find time to play golf and ski.

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

A pride in the communities of Rangitata and also their depth and capability, is all the motivation I need to keep focussed on winning the Rangitata electorate seat at the November 26 General Election.

As incumbent MP for Rangitata i am keen to continue serving and representing a communities that I believe have a bright future.

The people are generous and caring and they deserve a voice in Parliament that has worked hard to understand community strengths and vulnerabilities.

As MP I have diligently sought the opinions of the constituents so people can feel they have been heard.

I've established myself as a valuable member of the National Party caucus where my voice is heardand, therefore the voices of the people of Rangitata are heard.

After six years experience as an MP, I am most proud of the networks I have established within the community which ensure I am connected to the people of Rangitata and give me a grassroots feel for what is affecting them.

Having a feel for the 'temperature' of the electorate helps me keep lobbying for assistance for the people of Rangitata and ensuring resources such as the Community Response Fund have been granted to social service providers dealing with those who have felt the sharpest edges of the recession.

Successes for Rangitata include National's announced assistance for irrigtion development and clean-up of fresh water. I am proud to have successfully lobbied for voluntary bonding for graduates in rural areas, additional funding for truancy, alternative education, restorative justice, spot audits in rest homes and extra funding for respite care and dementia care.

I acknowledge there are challenges ahead for the people of Rangitata.

Rangitata is still experiencing the effects of the recession, though there are signs of improvement. Interest rates are at their lowest in 45 years, good if you have a mortgage, not so if you have money in the bank.

Businesses tell me they are starting to consider, or have recently taken on new employees, but for many households budgets are still tight. Youth unemployemnt is of concern and I am very supportive of National's strategies to ensure young p[eople are in work, training or education.

There is much to be done to bring policies to the people of Rangitata that deliver them the brighter future they deserve. I am energetic and hard-working and the strong voice that can deliver effective representation for the people of Rangitata.