Mrs Omond was born in Dunedin in 1964 and moved to the Wakatipu in 2002. She and her husband, Matthew, have a farm at Gibbston. Mrs Omond worked as deputy registrar in the Queenstown District Court for three years and then as a legal personal assistant in Queenstown. She now works as a contract typist for barrister John Matthews.
Mrs Omond, a marriage celebrant since 2006, was nominated as a justice of the peace by the Waikouaiti Lions Club and the Dunedin Victim Support Group. She has volunteered with the two community groups for four years.
She has completed the introductory training for ministerial work and is part way through the judicial training course with the Open Polytechnic.
At Mrs Omond's swearing-in ceremony, Judge Paul Keller said JPs had a "stressful and arduous" job which required special skills. "There seems no doubt you have in spades all of the attributes that are required. You have great experience in work and start with quite an advantage in that respect," he said.
Mrs Omond said she had long wanted to be a JP.
