A candidate for hard work ...

STEPPING UP: Jo Hayes can justifiably claim to having turned her life around. PHOTO/ANDREW BONALLACK

Eketahuna-born Jo Hayes who has entered the race for the National Party nomination in Wairarapa can justifiably lay claim to being a woman who turned her life around.

Mrs Hayes, 55, who farms in Apiti with her husband, Pat, was recently sworn in as a List MP but wants to represent Wairarapa as an elected Member of Parliament.

With the retirement of incumbent MP John Hayes - who is not related to her husband's family - Mrs Hayes joins vineyard owner Alastair Scott in seeking to become the party's Wairarapa candidate but at least two other potential candidates are rumoured to be intending to enter the race when nominations officially open.

Mrs Hayes, the second child of PK and Kate Apanui, moved with her family from Eketahuna when she was 2 years old to an even smaller town of Rangiwahai where she spent her childhood but has retained strong links to Wairarapa.

Her widowed mother still lives in Masterton and her father is buried at Akura.

She stood for National in the Labour stronghold seat of Dunedin South last election, having missed out on getting the nomination for Palmerston North, and slashed Claire Curran's majority by 2500 while winning the party vote for National; a feat she remains very proud of.

"I gained a lot of experience through that and I loved campaigning," Mrs Hayes said.

At 22, she was an unmarried mother on the domestic purposes benefit with little, or no educational qualifications.

Mrs Hayes then reassessed her life and goals.

"I adopted the saying if it has to be, then it's up to me."

She set about getting herself an education, returning to school as an adult student and gaining qualifications, including a degree from Massey University.

Along the way, she met a man she describes as her "soulmate".

"Pat and I are equal partners in everything we do and I love him to bits," she said.

Mrs Hayes has two sons, Mat and Ben, and two grandchildren.

As a professional, she has worked at the top level in health, education, welfare, business and in the rural sector.

She was on one of the first school boards of trustees to take on the challenge of Tomorrow's Schools being chairwoman and treasurer of primary school boards and later deputy chairwoman of Feilding High School.

Mrs Hayes has strong links to Rangitane and Ngati Kahungunu and, in her maiden speech, said she came to Parliament from a tight-knit whanau, a background of hard work and an attitude "nothing is insurmountable".

Mrs Hayes said by seeking the Wairarapa nomination she wanted to bring a "community voice" to the district. While health and education were "dear to my heart", she also wanted to give the rural people a voice.

Mrs Hayes is keeping a watching brief on issues such as the Wairarapa Water Use project and the " balancing act" of progressing the dairying industry with the environment and clean waterways.