Māori singer-songwriter Ria Hall (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui) will formally announce her bid for Tauranga’s mayoralty at 10 o’clock this morning.
Tauranga, the largest city in Te Moana-a-Toi, Bay of Plenty, has been without an elected city council since 2020, when it was deposed by then local government minister Nanaia Mahuta due to significant governance issues.
Speaking to Te Ao Māori News, Hall said it’s time for her to give back to her community.
“Kua eke te wā, kua eke te wā me tū te ringa Tauranga Moana ake nei ki roto i tēnei āhuatanga. Kāore anō pea kia tino kite i te mata pēnei i a au i roto i taua whare rā.”
The time has come! The time has come for someone staunch to Tauranga Moana to raise their hand. We perhaps haven’t seen a face like mine in the council building before.
The Tauranga-born and raised musician says the wellbeing of Māori is top of her agenda, including concerns over racism.
“Kaore aku māharahara, kua wāia kē au ki tērā āhuatanga, pakeke mai i konei, mārama pai ana ki taua ngārara weriweri e kōrerotia nei e koe. Ko taku aronga matua ko te oranga tonutanga o ngā iwi katoa kia whai ora o tēnā hapori, o tēnā hapori”
“I’m not worried, I’m used to it. I grew up here and so I’m very much aware of [racism]. My main focus is the overall wellbeing of all people, all of our communities.”
In 2022, Te Pāti Māori chose not to stand a candidate in the Tauranga MP by-election out of fear for a Māori candidate’s safety.
Party president Che Wilson said at the time the city was a hotspot for racism and hate speech.
Earlier that year, leaflets were delivered to Tauranga residents bearing messages such as ‘Save the White Race’ and promoting white supremacy.
Hall concedes she can’t change that but promises a top-down reform of the council’s approach.
“E kore pea au e taea te panoni i ngā mātāpono o te tangata, engari anō mo ngā mātāpono o te kaunihera ka taea e au te panoni. Ki te tutuki au tēnei whainga ōku, ka taea e au te panoni tera āhuatanga i roto i te whare kaunihera.”
“I may not be able to change people’s values, but the council’s values I can change. If I’m successful in my goal of becoming mayor, I will be able to change the values in the council.”
Who is Ria Hall?
Over the course of her music career, Hall has amassed numerous awards acknowledging her contribution to music, including Best Māori Female Artist at the Waiata Māori Music Awards in 2018, and has featured as a television personality on Marae DIY.
Recently, she returned to the kapa haka stage joining Te Taumata o Apanui Kapa Haka at this year’s Mataatua Regional Kapa Haka competition.
Beyond her musical success, Hall has served as an advocate for social justice, indigenous rights and environmental sustainability.
A mother of three, she says her children are the reason she moves with deep intention and focus to make Tauranga the best little city in the country for all who call it home.
Now, Hall is ready to bring her passion for progress and dedication to service by running for mayor of Tauranga.
Why is Tauranga having an election?
In 2020, Tauranga’s council was deposed and replaced with commissioners after Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell quit and asked local government minister Nanaia Mahuta to appoint a commissioner to replace the dysfunctional council.
The council was overrun with infighting and significant governance issues, and its disbanding saw the appointment of a four-person team of commissioners led by former National MP Anne Tolley.
The commissioners’ term is reaching its end, with ballots set to be cast on July 20 for Tauranga’s first elected council in three-and-a-half years.
The city’s former deputy mayor, Tina Salisbury, has also announced her candidacy for the mayoralty.
She was a first-time councillor in 2019 and had been promoted to deputy mayor by the time the council was nixed just over a year later.
Salisbury told Bay of Plenty Times reporter Allisha Wilson her key priorities were addressing the housing shortage, building a connected city through transport and infrastructure, valuing community and fostering collaboration.
She has been a business owner, a church pastor and became a justice of the peace in 2021.