Xiao-Colley said New Zealand scored favourably in the happiness index used globally by the likes of the United Nations to rank countries but said more could be done.
To listen to the Hits Northland host Charmaine Soljak's interview click here
Her motivation is Maslow's hierarchy of needs which has physical need at the basic level, followed by safety, laughing and belonging, esteem, and the top level is self actualisation.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology proposed by American psychologist Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" in Psychological Review.
"Because we're already hosting so many micro organism in our body system, that's why we need to shift our focus from just GDP to happiness. That shift brings harmony which comprises of happiness, autonomy, resilience, motivation, opportunity, nature, and being young."
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Outside of the spiritual wellbeing, Xiao-Colley supports the expansion of Northport. However, she said a reliable railway network was an obstacle.
She wants the status quo to remain in terms of the local government structure.
On how to address Northland's chronic affordable housing crisis, she says people need to shift their mindset towards living tiny in a bigger environment.
"Living in a bigger house isolates a lot of people but since humans are social beings, we need to connect with other people."
A few people and things have inspired her.
The Tao Te Ching, also known as Lao Tzu or Laozi, is a Chinese classic text traditionally credited to the 6th-century BC sage Laozi.
