Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood Community Board member Jo Zervos has confirmed she will stand for Christchurch City Council in the upcoming elections, saying she is frustrated by the council’s priorities and believes residents deserve stronger representation.
Speaking in a new interview, Zervos, who helped lead the fight to keep QEII in the east after the earthquakes, said she was proud of her long ties to Christchurch but disillusioned by what she described as the council’s misplaced spending.
“I really love the community, especially the coastal ward where I am a fourth-generation resident,” she said. “But I am frustrated. Post-quake, we have seen progress in some areas, but where it is really needed, it is not happening.”
Zervos singled out Christchurch’s deteriorating roads and footpaths as major concerns, saying the council was spending too much on speed humps, raised platforms, and cycle lanes at the expense of basic infrastructure maintenance.
“We should be fixing what needs to be fixed first instead of piling on additional projects,” she said. “People are being ignored. When they complain after the fact about things like cycle lanes or raised platforms, it is too late because the consultation process does not really listen to them.”
Zervos said her decision to stand for council came after years of frustration both on the community board and watching wider council debates.
“My father served two terms as a Christchurch City Councillor in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and I grew up seeing how important good representation is,” she said. “I see decisions being made by people who are disconnected from the real needs of the community. The only way to change it is to stand up and do it yourself.”
She said Christchurch needed urgent attention on critical issues like repairing quake-damaged infrastructure, restoring the city’s reputation as the Garden City, and addressing coastal hazards across not just the coastal suburbs but the entire city.
“We have lost the Garden City feel. There are overgrown weeds, graffiti, and vandalism everywhere. We are making improvements, but they are being neglected almost straight away,” she said.
Zervos said she brings practical experience through her work in business, community engagement, and land surveying, as well as first-hand knowledge of earthquake impacts.
“I understand how the land has changed, and where it is still vulnerable,” she said. “We need councillors who actually know the city and its challenges, not just political voices pushing ideology.”
Encouraging voters to look closely at candidates’ voting records and track records, Zervos said it was time for people to support those willing to push for real change.
“If you are happy with the status quo, vote the same way. If you want a council that actually listens and gets the basics right, it is time to vote differently.”
