Rotorua councillor Tania Tapsell announces engagement

Like any good romance movie, it was love at first sight for Rotorua Lakes councillor Tania Tapsell who this week announced her engagement to partner Kanin Clancy (Tapuika).

Speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post, Tapsell said after two years together, the couple got engaged on Maketū beach, but their journey started in a less serene location.

"We just found each other in the crowd at a concert, and it sounds really cheesy, but it was love at first sight," Tapsell said.

"We just couldn't take our eyes off each other. We kept in touch and started dating for a few weeks, he is a real gentleman. It became quite clear we really liked each other so it didn't take long for us to make it official."

However, the pair decided to keep their engagement under wraps for a while, giving them the time to enjoy it with their whānau first.

"We've been engaged for a few months but we weren't sure when the right time to share it was.

"Things have been quite hard on people recently, so we thought it would be nice to share some positive news with people at this time."

Last year, Tapsell received more votes than any other candidate in Rotorua's local body elections. With almost 10,000 votes cast in her favour, she attracted more support than even the re-elected mayor Steve Chadwick.

Now Tapsell said she was excited to add wedding plans to an already extensive to-do list.

"I'm just used to dealing with so many things at once due to work, so this is just another really exciting thing to be taking on. It is nice to be working towards something really special together.

"We are both very work-focused. Kanin works at the Port of Tauranga and it has been really interesting getting to know his work, which is important to our agriculture and horticulture industries.

"Your partner should be an asset in your life and I am so lucky to have a partner who is so supportive of my aspirations."

As for wedding plans, Tapsell is tight-lipped.

"Because my role attracts quite a lot of public attention we enjoy keeping our personal lives private and so our wedding plans will be a reflection of that."