My foray into politics has perhaps been more of a surprise to me than to many of my supporters. After several decades of involvement in the communities of Invercargill and Southland, many saw my move into politics as logical or even inevitable. However, it was anything but for me. I loved my work at the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), and in various community organisations such as the Community Trust, Hockey Southland, and in the implementation of the Southland Regional Development Strategy. However, the foundation industries of our southern community are coming to critical junctions where decisions will be made that will impact on several generations of Southerners, and I want to be part of that decision making, not just subjected to them. 