Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Grandfather inspires Raewyn Bennett into politics

Zoe Hunter
By Zoe Hunter
Bay of Plenty Times·
13 Sep, 2017 11:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Raewyn Bennett is standing for the Maori Party Bay of Plenty electorate. Photo/George Novak

Raewyn Bennett is standing for the Maori Party Bay of Plenty electorate. Photo/George Novak

Raewyn Bennett's grandfather inspired her to be a voice for Maori people.

The Bay of Plenty Maori Party candidate was raised by her grandfather during her early childhood and remembered his strong stance on politics.

"I think that is where I got it from," Mrs Bennett said. She said her mother would tell stories about his reaction when New Zealand politician Sir Apirana Ngata campaigned in Maketu.

"My grandfather used to give them hang at the political rallies. My mother was so proud of him," she laughed.

"In our family, there has always been a sense of identifying and advocating for the underdogs. I do believe in Maori self-determination."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mrs Bennett said she had learned a lot from her grandfather which she adopted into her role as a political candidate.

"I was very special to him," she said. "He taught me how to read people better, to be a good listener and to observe body language."

The Bay candidate said she was deeply concerned about child poverty. "I do not like the stress that lies on the kids in poverty," said the grandmother of four.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"As Maori who have whanau [family] who are in those circumstances, I see that in my relations.

"It is the kids who bore the brunt of poverty. I want every kid to have a space where they can shine."

Mrs Bennett said addressing poverty should not be a political issue and instead be something all parties co-operated on.

"I am campaigning for the future of the children," she said.

Discover more

Opinion: There is poverty in our country

25 Jun 03:17 AM

Mrs Bennett said if she was successful in this election she would ensure the Maori Party's policies to address poverty were put in place.

She said that meant helping families into housing and offering better wages and work.

Mrs Bennett's five-year goal was to have everyone employed in a job that paid well.

"I am not saying everybody needs to be rich," she said. But she believed the current living wage of $15.75 per hour was not enough.

She said the Maori Party's policies aimed to boost the Whanau Ora programme which gave families the skills to get back on their feet.

Mrs Bennett worked for a few years at a national machinery company in Auckland as a teenager before moving to the Bay where she had lived most of her life.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As a young adult, Mrs Bennett stood on the Tauranga Moana District Maori Council and observed her elders who worked there voluntarily.

"Some of them would take minutes and give us insights into situations that others would not know about. I am lucky to have had that opportunity."

In 2004, Mrs Bennett became one of the inaugural councillors for the newly formed statutory represented seats for Maori on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

She has also worked for indigenous people's rights and travelled to Geneva, Switzerland, every year for a few years as a Ngaiterangi representative on the indigenous forum.

"I was quite proud of that," she said.

She had also travelled to Alaska to study the Exxon Valdez oil spill following the oil spill at Astrolabe Reef.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I am interested in the environment and the impact it had on indigenous people," she said.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'Scary stuff': Locals on crash corner fear it will take a death to get it fixed

02 Jul 06:06 PM
live
Bay of Plenty Times

Authorities brace for fresh floods, destructive gales, as rain blankets NZ

02 Jul 06:00 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Bike racks back for Rotorua buses, Tauranga's a month away

02 Jul 11:55 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'Scary stuff': Locals on crash corner fear it will take a death to get it fixed

'Scary stuff': Locals on crash corner fear it will take a death to get it fixed

02 Jul 06:06 PM

'There’s a lot of traffic going through there and it’s a really sharp, ugly bend.'

Authorities brace for fresh floods, destructive gales, as rain blankets NZ
live

Authorities brace for fresh floods, destructive gales, as rain blankets NZ

02 Jul 06:00 PM
Bike racks back for Rotorua buses, Tauranga's a month away

Bike racks back for Rotorua buses, Tauranga's a month away

02 Jul 11:55 AM
NZ e-bike brand shines at Eurobike global showcase

NZ e-bike brand shines at Eurobike global showcase

02 Jul 03:13 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP