Ria Bond
New Zealand politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ria Iris Daphne Bond (née Shortland, born 1976) is a New Zealand politician and former hairdresser. She was appointed to the House of Representatives as a New Zealand First list MP following Winston Peters winning the March 2015 Northland by-election. She now serves as an Invercargill City Councillor after an unsuccessful bid for the 2022 Invercargill mayoral election but a successful attempt to obtain a seat on the city council.
1976 (age 49–50)
Ria Bond | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Invercargill City Council | |
| Assumed office 14 October 2022 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for New Zealand First party list | |
| In office 28 April 2015 – 23 September 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Winston Peters |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ria Iris Daphne Shortland 1976 (age 49–50) Palmerston North, New Zealand |
| Relations | James Hēnare (great-uncle), Tau Henare, Peeni Henare |
| Children | Two |
Early life and family
Born in Palmerston North[1] in 1976, Bond was born into a presumably abusive family, and was put into foster care a total of five times. She stated in her maiden speech, "Although the world was shocked by the movie Once Were Warriors, I was living it",[2] indicating an abusive upbringing. Bond attended Highbury Primary School (now known as Somerset Crescent School) and Queen Elizabeth College. She has two children,[3] is half-Scottish and half-Māori (of Ngāti Hine and Ngāpuhi descent), and is the great-niece of Sir James Hēnare, the commanding officer of the Māori Battalion by the end of World War II.[4]
Hairdressing and national boards
Bond was a hairdresser in Invercargill and served as president of the New Zealand Association of Registered Hairdressers, representing 8,000 owners and operators (2006–2012).[5][6][7][8] She also had a dual role as a director on the Hairdressing Industry Training Organisation, which included being a New Zealand Qualifications Authority governance and advisory panel member.[8]
Political career
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–2017 | 51st | List | 12 | NZ First | |
Bond joined New Zealand First in 2011 and was elected to the party's national board in 2012.[9] She left her hairdressing salon in August 2014, just prior to the 2014 New Zealand general election, when she stood in the Invercargill electorate;[10] this was her first election contest.[11] She placed third in that election and was 12th on the party's list, with New Zealand First winning 11 list seats.[12] Following the election, Bond moved to Wainuiomata, working at Parliament as an executive assistant to MPs Richard Prosser and Mahesh Bindra.[10]
When Peters won the Northland by-election on 28 March 2015 and became an electorate MP, Bond was next in line and became a list MP for her party.[10] Bond was sworn in on 28 April 2015.[13] On 6 May 2015, Bond became a member of the Commerce Select Committee.[8]
She left Parliament after the 2017 New Zealand general election, as New Zealand First did not receive enough votes for her to make it back into Parliament; she then returned to Southland.[14]
On 15 April 2019, Bond announced her candidacy for the 2019 Invercargill mayoral election.[15] However her registration 15 minutes before the deadline was rejected because the correct address of one of her nominators was not on the electoral roll.[16] On 22 July 2022, she announced her candidacy for the 2022 Invercargill mayoral election.[17] She was unsuccessful in the mayoral election but did win a seat on the city council.[18]
Bond is running for the Invercargill mayoralty again, as well as to retain her seat as a councillor, in the 2025 local elections.[19][20]
