Hinewai Hawaikirangi latest candidate for Hawke's Bay Regional Council at local body elections

Hinewai Hawaikirangi believes more needs to be done with regard to the region's environment, and being on the Hawke's Bay Regional Council will allow her to do that. Photo / Supplied

Hinewai Hawaikirangi believes more needs to be done with regard to the region's environment, and being on the Hawke's Bay Regional Council will allow her to do that. Photo / Supplied
A Māori tourism operator has thrown her hat in the ring for a seat on the Hawke's Bay Regional Council at this year's local body elections.

Hinewai Hawaikirangi and her fiance Cam Ormsby own Napier Māori Tours, which incorporates Māori culture with their love of the natural environment.

She believes it is time to be at the decision-making table.

"I believe Hawke's Bay can lead New Zealand in job creation, sustainability and healthy communities. Our region has immense potential in technology, tourism and higher-value farming. However, these things don't co-exist without a thriving natural environment," Hinewai says.

"If elected, I will ramp up efforts to revitalise the Ahuriri Estuary and ensure the hard work is done to protect our drinking water sources and rivers."

Hinewai has a background in science, Māori language and physical education secondary school teaching.

She is a trustee of the Waiohiki Marae and a Māori representative on the Hawke's Bay Tourism Board.

She and Ormsby have two children, Kaea and Kipa.

"All groups and boards that I sit on, I feel I need to bring value and I shouldn't be there if I don't. Coming from a background of being a mother first of all, a background of that feminine, probably more empathetic, point of view, also understanding our cultural history of this land and these waters.

"Coming from a science background, I am able to sit around the table and discuss critically, ask the right questions to be informed to make the right decisions.

"So I think I bring a unique background that possibly they don't have currently ... I think there hasn't been the right person that has opened themselves up to wanting to go this far with looking after the environment, with caring about what happens with future generations, who can talk with all types of people and articulate my point of view."

The decision to run was made after current councillors specifically asked her, Hinewai said.

As part of her campaign, she has brought six "influential women together", whom she trusts and has known for a while.

"[They are women] who I've thought I need their expertise, whether it be mentoring in the political space, marketing around social media, a female leader who is already very tied up in the HBRC and how it functions in the Māori space. So I've had enough conversations with these women, who I will probably need to lean on through this process to help me because I probably can't do this all on my own."

Through the couple's business, they divert profits towards environmentally sustainable projects. Most notably, they have led projects to improve the health of the Ahuriri River, specifically through growing and planting native trees.

On June 2, they plan to plant a second batch of 1500 trees.

While they had little plant husbandry experience initially, Hawaikirangi says their success rate is now around 95 per cent.