Elizabeth Soal Board
Elizabeth Soal is employed by the Waitaki Irrigators Collective Limited as their Policy Manager. The Collective represents an irrigable command area of over 75,000 hectares. Its shareholders comprise five irrigation schemes and a society of individual irrigators. She spends a great deal of her time engaging with community interest groups and representatives to help people understand the importance of irrigation to the economic development of regions, and New Zealand as a whole. She has a good understanding of irrigation-related issues and policy developments at the regional and national levels. Elizabeth strongly believes in the importance of having representative bodies to ensure people such as irrigators can have meaningful input into the public policy development process.
Elizabeth holds an Honours Degree in Politics (First Class) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Otago. She is currently studying towards a Master of Arts in Politics. Elizabeth has always had an interest in resource management issues and environmental politics. Her previous employment as a Policy Advisor for the Ministry of Social Development for the lower South Island means she is keenly aware of the importance of the primary sector to the country’s economy and the jobs and wealth it creates beyond the farm gate. She has also worked for the Ministry of Justice and at law firms in New Zealand and England.
Elizabeth is eager to bring the knowledge and skills she has gained representing irrigation interests at a regional level to the Irrigation New Zealand board.
Elizabeth lives in Dunedin. She is married and has a young son. In her spare time, Elizabeth plays squash and touch, enjoys running, gardening, reading, and is an avid fan of rugby.
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