Jo Rangooni - Mayor's Award Winner
When you try and ask Jo about the work that she has done over the years for the Bulls community, she’s very quick to deflect from her own efforts and point out what other people have done instead.
She’s reluctant to accept a compliment, which epitomises her humble and selfless attitude to the voluntary work that she’s become synonymous with.
Born in Taranaki, she arrived in Bulls as a young girl in 1944, where she spent her school years on a farm that her father managed. She travelled a lot afterwards, going on adventures overseas and becoming a teacherat a number of local schools including Bulls and Foxton, however with her last permament roles was at Manchester Street School in Feilding.
For the past 25 years, Jo and her husband Rauf, have been back in Bulls and she hard pressed to travel further than Palmerston North nowadays.
Jo settled into Bulls quickly, recognising that the town of her childhood needed a kickstart, and set about starting some community development initiatives that would bring people to the town, and keep people there.
In 2003, she set up the Bulls & District Community Trust, which aimed to bring the many different stakeholders in Bulls together to collaborate on projects, at first in the public health space but soon enough they branched out to include local businesses, farmers, Iwi, charitable organisations and Council.
Speaking to Jo, she definitely is of the belief that more perspectives around the table can only be a good thing in helping to reach outcomes that have wider benefit. She’s not affraid of hearing an opinion that is different to hers and working towards solutions.
Jo was presented with her Mayor's Award on Monday 4 May at Te Matapihi, Bulls. She had a number supporters in attendance including family, friends and colleagues.
She’s someone that that is able to pull people together behind a common cause, tempting others in with the incentive of meetings at her home with a cuppa tea and a date scone. As she puts it, she and the trust wanted to ensure that Bulls got it’s fair share. Nothing more, nothing less. Just what was fair.
By the time that she left the trust, they had collectively raised over $1 million in funds, which was spent on projects and events such as youth forums, Matariki, Wear-a-Bull Arts, concerts, Christmas Parades, the river walk, Bulls in Bulls, Bulls After 5 networking events, Pink Ribbon fundraisers, Men’s health awareness and a number of other initiatives.
When asked how she felt when she heard the the news that she would be receiving the Mayor’s Award, she said it was very humbling and that she never did what she did to seek out recognition or awards, and then quickly pointed out that she was surrounded by good people that made her job easier.
But Jo shouldn’t sell herself short. Her vision, determination, facilitation and belief in her community have left a legacy that continues to shape Bulls more than two decades on, and has created an impactful and lasting change legacy that will continue for generations to come. Bulls is in a better place because of Jo. Her contribution has been outstanding, and we’re incredibly proud of her and thankful to her.
Congratulations, Jo.