Tapsell to contest Rotorua mayoralty

MAYORALTY HOPEFUL: Tania Tapsell has decided to run for the Rotorua mayoralty. Gisborne Herald file picture

National will have a new East Coast candidate in next year’s General Election, with Tania Tapsell deciding to run for the Rotorua mayoralty in October.

Ms Tapsell is a three-term Rotorua district councillor and has been the highest polling candidate several times.

At the last local body elections she won more votes than the mayor, Steve Chadwick, who will not seek re-election.

Ms Tapsell, 30, replaced the retiring Anne Tolley as National’s East Coast candidate in 2020 but lost the seat to Labour’s Kiri Allan by 6331 votes.

Labour had not held the seat since 2005.

Ms Tapsell was a highly-regarded candidate but like many National candidates, was blown away by the Jacinda Ardern-led landslide Labour victory.

National Party East Coast electorate chair Pat Seymour said they wished Ms Tapsell all the best.

She was an experienced local government councillor who would make a good mayor for Rotorua, Mrs Seymour said.

Nominations for the party’s East Coast electorate candidate will be opened some time early next year.

For seats the party do not hold, nominations are opened early in an election year.

The general process is that they sought to confirm candidates in the seats they did hold at the end of the year prior, and then move to recruit for seats they did not hold, Mrs Seymour said.

After her general election defeat in 2019, Ms Tapsell expressed strong interest in running in East Coast in 2023, but many political observers were surprised by her decision not to seek National’s candidacy in Tauranga following the resignation of former party leader Simon Bridges.

Ms Tapsell told Local Democracy Reporting she would not leave local government if a significant opportunity in national politics arose.

“All I’ve ever wanted to do is to serve my community well and to use the skills that I have in the best way possible,” she said.

Ms Tapsell is the great niece of former Labour Eastern Māori MP and Speaker of the NZ House Sir Peter Tapsell.

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