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Former Wellington City councillor Nīkau Wi Neera is eyeing a return to politics, putting his name forward to contest the Te Tai Tonga Māori seat for the Green Party in next year’s General Election.

Wi Neera was the city’s first Māori ward councillor, but decided not to run for a second term this year to pursue a master’s degree in archaeology in the United States.

“I just think it’s a really important time for our country and the world, and I feel the need to contribute,” he told the Herald.

Wi Neera said it is still “early days” and candidate selection is ultimately a decision for the Green Party members.

Elected to the council at 23 in 2022 on a platform of returning land to Māori, Wi Neera left the country early in August for his studies and continued council business remotely until October’s election.

He announced in April he would not be standing again, saying at the time he would “be back before you know it”.

During his tenure, he was a vocal opponent of a controversial proposal to sell the council’s share in the airport.

Speaking today from an undisclosed location in the US, he said it had been “a pretty weird time over here”.

“I’m sort of trying not to draw any attention to myself.”

The Te Tai Tonga seat is the country’s largest parliamentary electorate by land area, encompassing the entire South Island and part of Wellington.

The seat is currently held by Tākuta Ferris who was recently expelled from Te Pāti Māori alongside Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.

“It’s a tricky electoral landscape to read at the moment,” Wi Neera said, labelling Te Pāti Māori “a real wild card”.

There are already a number of would-be candidates within the party vying for the Māori seats, Wi Neera said, noting there are “probably a million people more qualified” and if he were unsuccessful in being selected he would be “perfectly happy” to continue his studies.

Former councillor Nīkau Wi Neera wants to return to politics for the Green Party in Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell.

He would not be the only former Wellington City councillor in Parliament, with former mayors Andy Foster and Celia Wade-Brown currently members of Parliament for the NZ First and the Greens respectively.

Former councillor Tamatha Paul was re-elected to Wellington City Council alongside Wi Neera in 2022, but vacated her seat when elected to Parliament in the Wellington Central seat for the Greens at the General Election the following year.

Kāpiti Coast-born Wi Neera was a Second Lieutenant in the Army and featured in the popular Defence "codewords" advertisements.

Wi Neera was born in the Kāpiti Coast and whakapapas to Ngāti Toarangatira, Kāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi, and Ngāti Pāhauwera. He is a direct paternal descendant of prominent Ngāti Toa leader Te Rauparaha.

He has previously worked as a musical composer, and as a Second Lieutenant in the New Zealand Army. Wi Neera also featured in the Defence Force Codewords advertising campaign.

Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at [email protected].