Incumbent Bay of Plenty Regional Councillor, Toi Kai Rākau Iti, will campaign for re-election to his Kohi Constituency seat under the Māori Party ticket.

As an independent, Councillor Iti believes he has been successful alongside the region's two other constituency Māori councillors, in influencing pro-Māori changes at the Regional Council.

He now feels, however, that joining forces with Te Pāti Māori will help coordinate his localised efforts with a national movement.

'As the name suggests Local Government is local. It's government, with all its functions and colonial constructs, directly in your rohe. It is where the policy, that is set down in Wellington, is rolled out in your back yard, your awa, your moana, your whenua. Māori need to work together in order to meet the challenge of interacting with this particular manifestation of the crown. For me, Te Pāti Māori is a good vehicle with which to achieve that.”

President of Te Pāti Māori, John Tamihere, says the party is delighted to have Iti on board.

'We are proud to have Toi run for the Bay of Plenty Regional Council under the banner of Te Pāti Māori," says Tamihere.

"Māori have an opportunity to participate at the second most important governance level in Aotearoa and we must seize on the opportunity, just like Toi has. It really does spell the dawn of a new era for our people when Toi's generation are putting their hand up to advance our cause at Local Government level."

Rawiri Waititi, Co-Leader and Waiariki MP for Te Pāti Māori says that even though Toi is the son of Tame Iti, one of the most prolific Māori activists in advancing mana motuhake in Aotearoa history, he is leaving his own mark.

'Toi is a leader in his own right. Being an unapologetic Māori voice is in his DNA. He has already made significant shifts in his time as a Councillor for the Bay of Plenty region and we look forward to supporting him to doing more," says Waititi.

For Iti, being unapologetically Māori and working for the community as a whole are not mutually exclusive objectives.

'Some people get uncomfortable when you advocate vigorously for Māori perspectives and indigenous rights," says Iti. "But often that says more about that person's fragility and bias than it says about your approach to advocacy.

"Being pro-Māori is not being anti-pakeha. It's saying rather, that what is good for Māori is good for everyone. It's saying that when Māori are doing well, the taiao and the whole community is doing well. I will not shy away from bringing that strong Māori voice to the Local Government table to align with the style of advocacy that my colleagues take to Parliament."

Iti is standing for re-election to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council in the Kohi constituency.