Megan Owen is your everyday rural Kiwi - a wife, mother, and sharemilker who has worked, lived, and raised a family in the Waikato for over 20 years. She began her career in the dairy industry after completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Technology at Massey University. Megan worked in production roles before heading overseas, and when she returned home, she and her husband started sharemilking on a Morrinsville farm while she managed a production factory and later supply chain for the dairy industry.
Megan stayed at home while raising her two children. During the early years of her family, she became involved in the school’s Parent Association and Rural Women NZ. Swamped by paperwork, in 2017, Megan and her husband launched Orange Cross - a tool that helps farmers across the country better manage their Health and Safety obligations.
Over the years, Megan has become increasingly concerned by New Zealand’s tax and welfare reform and its many shortcomings. She’s seen parents in her community quit their jobs to take care of sick children, only to end up fundraising since quitting their jobs made them ineligible for welfare. She saw farm staff turn down job promotions because reaching the next tax bracket meant less money in the hand. Her family business, like all stock-owning sharemilkers, pay capital gains tax on their cows even though they don’t own the land they farm on. None of it made sense and the premise of a tax system with no penalties for trying to better yourself or your family seemed like a utopia - until she learnt about The Opportunities Party.
Megan has supported TOP previously, drawn in by their realistic goals based on fairness. She is standing as a candidate in the Waikato electorate because she believes a fairer tax and welfare system will impact the health, education, and safety of all New Zealanders, including the rural sector which makes up such a big portion of our country.