Jo was the Chief Executive of the Ministry for Women until September 2016. One of the youngest Chief Executives ever appointed in the New Zealand Public Service, she has invested her time and energy in advancing the cause of the vulnerable in society, spearheading some of the most difficult issues of our time, including child abuse, child poverty, family violence and vulnerable women.
She has established effective working relationships with Ministers, Government agencies, NGOs, Māori organisations, iwi, Pacific communities and the business sector.
Formerly the Deputy Children's Commissioner, author of the Government's Green Paper on Vulnerable Children, director of a number of NGOs, she has a Doctorate in Public Policy and works internationally on advancing development in the Pacific as a director of Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA).
In 2016 she was a finalist in the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards and in 2014 was one of three recipients of a Westpac Leaders Fellowship.
Jo is the proud mother of two and referees their Saturday morning sport, bakes cupcakes and sews Guide badges onto blankets.
In this interivew we discuss her recent Tedx talk on addressing the gender pay gap NZ. We discuss domestic violence, poverty and the roles of women in today's world.
