Tauranga Moana Election Campaign

Progressive Māori candidates Ria Hall and Hautapu Baker took on the challenge of running in a highly contested local body election in a largely conservative electorate that had experienced many years of division and dysfunction. Against this backdrop, Ria and Hautapu brought a future-focused vision of inclusion, belonging and hope, and the aim to unite the community.

Tauranga is a rapidly growing city, facing many challenges including the need for extensive investment in infrastructure, transport and housing. The July 2024 election was the first time in five years that Tauranga residents were able to vote for their mayor and local council after governance issues led to the replacement of the previous council with a government-appointed commission.

With 15 candidates for Mayor and 75 people vying for 10 Council seats, Ria and Hautapu needed to stand out from the crowd with a clear, energising message that would connect with a wide range of voters.

For Purpose worked with Ria Hall and Hautapu Baker on separate, but values-aligned campaigns. Both Ria and Hautapu are Tauranga residents with deep connections to the area and community.

Ria, a highly acclaimed musician, business-owner and mother of three ran for mayor and stood as a candidate in the Papamoa Ward. Hautapu, who has worked in diverse corporate and government roles and is a father of two ran as a candidate for the Welcome Bay Ward.

For Purpose worked with Ria, Hautapu and their campaign teams to map out campaign messages and framing and created a visual identity for each campaign that reflected Ria and Hautapu’s vision and values. We designed and built campaign websites that enabled the candidates to mobilise supporters and facilitate campaign donations, and created campaign collateral such as billboards and flyers.

For Ria’s campaign we used bold, fresh colours that convey strength and energy. The slogan ‘hope for change’ was supported by a rotating banner that communicated key campaign issues and concerns such as, ‘hope for the environment, hope for the arts, hope for the economy’. Hautapu’s campaign also used a clean, bold approach with a colour scheme that subtly referenced the beloved Bay of Plenty rugby team.

Ria and Hautapu used their extensive community networks to mobilise support for their campaigns and created a vision of change for Tauranga that centred on more sustainable, inclusive and community-led approaches to leadership.
Hautapu was elected as the representative for Welcome Bay Ward and Ria came third in an extremely competitive race. In an election that was dampened by disengagement and low voter turnout, their campaigns brought a spark of vitality and unity and hope for the future. The election is over, but we know their advocacy mahi in Tauranga Moana has just begun.