The president of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Kerri Nuku, is running for a seat on the Hawke's Bay District Health Board (HBDHB).
The mother of six and grandmother of two has 20 years of health sector experience as a registered nurse, midwife and HBDHB manager.
She has dealt with health issues both nationally and internationally and is keen to localise lessons learned "with the voice of the community".
"I have worked at the International Council of Nurses, participating in the steering group around how do we mobilise the workforce to respond to our ageing populations," she said.
"I am very keen on what the future of health will look like, not just from my health workforce perspective but how will it impact on our community.