Kay Webster, Heather Baldwin, Alex Powell, Phil Oliver, Nicola Willis, Gail Dewar
At our meeting on 13 August the club hosted Nicola Willis, National Party List MP. Nicola is the party spokeswoman for Early Childhood Education and Youth Development.
Donations were also made by the club to assist the Karori Youth Awards and to Gail Dewar, principal of Makara School from the Sunshine Fund.
We were grateful that Nicola found time to address the club after returning from a visit to Dunedin to meet with Dr Richard Polton who heads the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. Their discussion revolved around the science of youth development. She is looking to use these methods to assist disadvantaged schools.
Nicola didn't always want to be involved in politics, however she has always loved debating, an essential skill in politics. After completing a post graduate degree in Journalism she joined the National Party Research Unit. Asked by Gerry Brownlee where her interests lay she replied Education and was assigned to work with Bill English. Later she ended up working for John Key.
A move to Fonterra helped her to understand the farming industry and international trade.
Nicola commented on the life of a list MP. They can act as advocates, taking a longer term interest in their areas of expertise.
Nicola lives in Karori with her husband and 4 children and loves being part of Wellington.