Selwyn Times: December 11, 2019

20 Wednesday December 11 2019
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Our People
SELWYN TIMES
Sophie McInnes
Juggling motherhood and politics
Rolleston’s Sophie
McInnes has secured
herself a seat
representing the Selwyn
Central Ward at the
district council table. The
new councillor talked
to Devon Bolger about
juggling motherhood and
politics
What made you want to get
involved in the district council?
I felt like this is a time when
so much is happening, locally
and nationally, and I wanted to
play a bigger part. I want to be a
part of the big local projects like
expanding Pines Resource Recovery
Park and establishing the
health hub in Rolleston, and
the upcoming legislative changes
around water and emissions
which will have a huge impact
on the people of Selwyn. I also
hoped for more diversity among
the councillors to better reflect
the district’s demographic profile,
and am very happy that we
do now have a broader range in
terms of age, sex, and ethnicity.
Do you have a day job?
Not a paid one. I’ve been a
stay at home mum for the past
four years now. I have also been
volunteering during this time
which I think is a great way to
give back to your community.
I’m on the committee of Multiples
Canterbury which supports
families with twins, triplets
and quads in the upper South
Island. I also enjoy what’s called
bite-size volunteering which is
just volunteering but in a shorter
timeframe, like manning a
poppy stall. I have also joined the
new Rolleston Rotary club.
Can you tell me about your
family?
My husband Robert is a mechanical
design engineer turned
beekeeper and now works with
hives across Selwyn, Waimakiriri,
and Hurunui. We have
three fantastic children, Katelyn
is 12, and I have three-year-old
twins Jack and Chloe, they keep
us on our toes. My brother-inlaw
and his family also live in
Rolleston. My own family all live
in England and France.
How are you feeling about
juggling it all?
I am still feeling that one out.
Until recently I haven’t known
what committees I’m going to be
on and when exactly they will be
meeting and that kind of thing.
It’s great we have a bit more of a
timetable now and my husband’s
job is quite flexible so we just
have to find a way to balance it
all to the point where we can
both get done what we need to
SUPPORT: Sophie McInnes and her husband Robert with their three children Jack, 3, Katelyn, 12
and Chloe, 3.
PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN ​
do. Before I threw my hat in the
ring I made a point of speaking
with quite a few current councillors
and a couple of past ones
who had school-aged kids to get
some advice on how they made it
work so seeing that they can do it
showed me I can too.
How long have you lived in
Selwyn?
We came to New Zealand in
2010 and our first house was in
Halswell. In 2013 we moved to a
lifestyle block in Broadfield and
car-shared into Christchurch
for work but found that there
is a risk of disconnection when
you spend most of your daylight
hours somewhere else. Last year
we downsized for financial reasons
and moved into Rolleston
which has massively reduced our
fuel bill and increased our oldest
child’s ability to be independent.
What do you like about living
here?
It’s close to Christchurch, but
has its own identity. I really don’t
like hearing Rolleston referred
to as a suburb because there is
strength, character, and community
here. I also love that our
district really does stretch from
the mountains to the sea with
diverse landscapes in between
and lots of things to do.
• Turn to page 22
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