MEDIA RELEASE

Teresa Schulz

19 July, 2019

Candidate for Horizons Regional Council

Manawatu-Rangitikei Electorate

Teresa Schulz, 49 year old mother and agroecologist from Feilding, is running for a seat this year on Horizon’s Regional Council for Manawatu-Rangitikei.

“The time is right to put my years of widely varied knowledge and experience to good use and represent my community on the Regional Council.”

“My priorities are action on freshwater, flood management and sustainable land use. Adapting our resilience to climate change is the key to futureproofing our communities.”

Ms Schulz has a Diploma in Freelance Journalism, Diploma in Science and Technology and is currently one paper away from completing an Environmental Science Degree this year. Her employment background includes working for Midcentral Health, NZ Post, and NZ Census.

“Over the past decade, I have noticed the decline in our river water quality, the increasing threats to our biodiversity and the issues with the highly erodible soils found in the Horizon’s Region. Also, living on a floodplain, it concerns me that we are expecting an increase in flood magnitudes. These factors prompted me to switch my degree from agriculture to environmental science.”

Ms Schulz said people were wanting effective change to deal with current issues.

“Change can be scary, but the world has shifted rapidly in the last two decades. We need to stay relevant in how issues are managed.”

“My life has been a challenging one. But it has led to the resilient, motivated woman I am today. I believe problem solving is one of my key strengths and a well-rounded attitude to working with people from all walks of life, to get the job done.”

Last local elections, no one new put their name forward to run for a seat in the Manawatu-Rangitikei constituency, so the two incumbents were automatically elected. Ms Schulz believes the farming community is very well represented on the twelve seats of the regional council, but suspects that urban constituents would like to have a bit more of a choice.

“We need a well-rounded variety of knowledge and skills to tackle future challenges. In the next decade, crucial decisions and plans must be made with serious forethought.”

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