Two Māori candidates are among five vying for a vacant Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council seat following the death of long-serving Eastern Bay councillor and former Kawerau mayor Malcolm Campbell.
Campbell died in May after a short illness, triggering a by-election for the council’s Eastern Bay of Plenty general constituency.
Ngāi Tūhoe candidate Toi Iti and Ngāti Awa candidate Dayle Hunia are standing alongside former Whakatāne mayor Victor Luca, Jessica Sneha Gray and Richard Collins. Both Iti and Hunia see the contest as an opportunity to ensure Māori perspectives and experience remain represented around the council table.
Having previously served two terms as councillor for the Kōhī Māori constituency from 2019 to 2025, Iti’s decision to stand came after encouragement from those familiar with his experience in the role.
“I put my hand up because I got a call from some friends who are still sitting at the council, and because they know that I have done the job for six years, so being able to hit the ground running, not having to have that learning curve going in - because honestly, it doesn’t matter how smart you are, it takes time.”
Hunia, who has a background in environmental management and Māori economic development, says she reached a point where it was time to put that experience forward.
“There comes a stage when you get a bit older and you’ve got a lot of experience behind you where you actually have to step up. I have been an environmental planner for over 25 years. I understand te taiao. I understand what it [means] to work with communities to develop policy, the nitty-gritty stuff that’s going to need to be worked out.”
Both are seeking election at a significant time for local government in the Eastern Bay, as councils grapple with government-driven reform, changes to resource management and proposals to reshape local government across the region. Hunia says building relationships with fellow councillors would be her first priority if elected.
“We’ll all be there [representing] our regions, getting our heads around this reform. The Government has set in place some pretty massive changes around not only local government but resource management”, she said.
“At the same time, we have an amalgamation proposal on the table where we’re looking to group together Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki and Kawerau council, while over here at the regional council that’s being dismantled.”
Iti says his focus would be on drawing on his existing experience and influence to help shape what comes next.
“For me, my main priority would be to leverage every ounce of influence that I have, every relationship that I have, about how we actually transition into the next stage … so that whoever steps into the new entity, as much has been put into place in order to do that job well.”
The health of the Eastern Bay’s rivers, lakes, coastal waters and whenua also remains a major challenge for the regional council, and both candidates bring experience working on environmental and community issues. Hunia says much of her career has involved advocating for te taiao and communities while working across groups with differing interests.
“I’ve spent my entire career fighting for te taiao, fighting for communities, but also trying to find balance and I’ve been involved in processes at national levels with a real diverse range of groups, from Iwi Chairs, to Federation Farmers, Forest and Bird.”
Although the vacancy is in a general constituency and voting is restricted to those on the general electoral roll, Māori representation and the ability to work effectively across communities are also central to the candidates’ pitches. Iti believes the effectiveness of that representation ultimately comes down to who is sitting at the table.
“I would say to start with, having quality candidates at the table who have the ability to advocate and build relationships with Māori and non-Māori, who are able to walk into the room and bring a body of knowledge and relationships with them.”
With voting now open, both candidates are positive about the contest so far.
“I’ve got some pretty awesome running mates and it’s been enjoyable so far,” Hunia said.
“It’s good to be at this stage,” Iti said. “The envelopes have been arriving in the letter boxes. People just need to fill them out and send them back.”
Voting closes on Friday, 25 September.
