Raymond Ahipene-Mercer (born 20 October 1948) is a former

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

politician, who served as a

Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, the Upper Hutt, Porirua, Lower Hutt and ...

lor for the Eastern Ward,Wellington City Council
"Councillor – Ray Ahipene-Mercer."
wellington.govt.nz. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. only the second

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

to be elected to the Wellington City Council and the first Māori to be elected since 1962."Councillor's journey from pop to politics." ''The Evening Post'', 5 May 2000, edition 3, page 8. He is also a guitar-maker, musician, and well-known

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

,Career Services. (ca. 2003
"Local Government Representative: Kanohi Kāwanatanga a-Rohe – Ray Ahipene-Mercer, City Councillor".
Career Services/Rapuara: Seek the Path. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. and was one of the leaders of the Clean Water Campaign, which led to the end of

sewage Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...

of the Wellington coast. He was a candidate for mayor of Wellington in the council elections of 2007,Community News Limited. (7 March 2007)
"Ray Ahipene-Mercer: 'I am your mayoral candidate.'"
CNews. cnews.co.nz. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. the first Māori ever to contest the position.He was runner-up to the incumbent. As a musician and guitar maker he usually uses the name Ray Mercer, and has used the name Ray Ahipene-Mercer for other purposes including his environmental work and politics.

Family background

Ahipene-Mercer is of

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, and Scots descent.''The Evening Post'', 3 May 2000, edition 3, page 5. He descends from the ancient Wellington tribes of

Ngai Tara Ngai (also called Múrungu or Enkai) is the monolithic Supreme God in the spirituality of the Kikuyu (or Gikuyu) and the closely related Embu, Meru and Kamba groups of Kenya, and the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania. Ngai is creator of the universe ...

and

Ngati Ira ''Ngati'' is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea. Production ''Ngati'' is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film written an ...

. Direct ancestors were members of the Ngati Ira people displaced after conflict in the Wellington area in the 1820s to the

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

."Tamairangi."
''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.'' Retrieved on 2007-06-18. Ahipene Mercer's closest Māori links now are at

Pirinoa Pirinoa is a rural community east of Lake Wairarapa, in the South Wairarapa District and Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. It includes the rural settlement of Pirinoa, and the coastal settlement of Whāngaimoana. Marae Kohunui M ...

, and

Kohunui Pirinoa is a rural community east of Lake Wairarapa, in the South Wairarapa District and Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. It includes the rural settlement of Pirinoa, and the coastal settlement of Whāngaimoana. Marae Kohunui Ma ...

Marae, the people of his maternal grandmother. His mother's father, from whom the name "Ahipene" was passed down, was of the Ngati Kahungunu, tribe from the area around Porangahau, and also of

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Poi ...

descent. This grandfather was also of Scots descent, through James Wybrow, a

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

. There is a strong family link with

Ruapuke Island Ruapuke Island is one of the southernmost islands in New Zealand's main chain of islands. It lies to the southeast of Bluff and northeast of Oban on Stewart Island/Rakiura. It was named "Bench Island" upon its discovery by Captain James Cook ...

, between

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

and the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. Ahipene Mercer's mother, Ramona Ahipene, married Eugene (Gene) Mercer, a seaman of mixed Welsh and Swedish ancestry who arrived in New Zealand after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Both parents were both active members of the celebrated Ngati Poneke Māori club in Wellington City, and later the famous

Hutt Valley The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zeala ...

Mawai Hakona group. The whole family was closely associated with the urban Orongomai Marae. Eugene Mercer was a staunch

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ist. Ahipene-Mercer married Christine (Chris) Viggars in 1972. After an extended

overseas experience Overseas Experience (OE) is a New Zealand term for an extended overseas working period or holiday. Sometimes referred to as "The big OE" in reference to the extended duration of the travel - typically at least one year, and often extended far longe ...

in the UK they returned to New Zealand, where Chris died, suddenly, in 1981.

Early life and education

Ahipene-Mercer was raised in

Petone Petone (Māori: ''Pito-one''), a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. The Māori name means "end of the sand beach". Europeans first settled in Pe ...

and

Upper Hutt Upper Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. Geography The Upper Hutt city cent ...

, and attended Trentham School and

Upper Hutt College Upper Hutt College is a state school, state Mixed-sex education, co-educational secondary school located in Trentham, New Zealand, Trentham in the city of Upper Hutt, New Zealand. The school opened in 1962 as the city's second state secondary sc ...

, where despite congenital problems with one arm and leg he captained the rugby first XV.

Musician

Ray_Ahipene-Mercer_(a_snapshot_at_his_home)

Ahipene-Mercer's father was a guitar player and his mother a singer. He began his music career playing in school bands in the early 1960s. In 1964

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

came to Wellington and the young Ahipene-Mercer attended their concert, resolving then to immerse himself in music. He joined the music programming section of the

New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) was a publicly owned company of the New Zealand Government founded in 1962. The Broadcasting Act 1976 then reformed NZBC as the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ). The corporation was ...

in 1967, resigning in 1969 to become a full-time musician at the age of 21. As Ray Mercer he played lead guitar with The Dedikation, which successfully recorded three singles and an album.Sergent, Bruce. (n.d.
"Dedikation."
New Zealand Music of the 60's, 70's and a bit of 80's. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. They were number two on the New Zealand Hit Parade in 1969 with their first single, "Wait for me Maryanne", a cover of a 1968 song by Marmalade, and reached number 12 on the national charts with their 1970 cover of the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

' "Ruby Tuesday." Dedikation appeared on the famous "C'mon" TV series, and were finalists in the

Loxene Golden Disc The Loxene Golden Disc was an annual New Zealand music award. It ran from 1965 to 1972. It was superseded by the Recording Arts Talent Awards (RATA). Background The awards launched in 1965 and is the forerunner of the New Zealand Music Awards. It ...

awards. Between 1972 and 1980 Ahipene-Mercer worked in London, UK, playing in pub bands, and returned to New Zealand to tour with the

Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the ...

in 1978. By that time, he had begun training in making guitars, with the aim of becoming a full-time

Luthier A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers o ...

. He returned to Wellington in 1980 as a Luthier, but has continued to play guitar both for pleasure and semi-professionally. He organised and performed in "Rock against Racism" concerts in Wellington in the early 1980s and worked with other bands such as the Wayne Mason band and Blue Highways. He had composed and recorded music for children's stories and some films, and took part in concerts for causes such as medical aid for

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

i children, child cancer and the Mary Potter Hospice. He claims to have played in every hall in Wellington. Ahipene-Mercer is an external assessor of live music performance at Whitirea Polytech, as a member of the music advisory board. He is a member of the Board of Studies at Te Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School. He has the unusual status as the only City Councillor ever to perform in the Wellington International Festival of the Arts as part of the "Maori All Stars" in 2006."It's showband time." ''The Dominion Post'', 4 Mar 2006, edition 2, page 14.

Community activist, environmentalist

Described as a "tireless environmental campaigner" by former Mayor

Mark Blumsky Mark Herbert Blumsky (born 29 August 1957) is a former New Zealand politician and diplomat. He was Mayor of Wellington from 1995 to 2001, and a Member of Parliament for the National Party from 2005 to 2008. Blumsky was New Zealand's High Comm ...

, Ahipene-Mercer, with

John Blincoe John Gary Blincoe (born 1952) is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1990 to 1996, representing the Labour Party. Early life and family Blincoe was born on 14 March 1952 in Nelson, New Zealand. His parents were Victor and May ...

, led the Wellington Clean Water Campaign, which successfully sought to have Wellington to treat its sewage, and stop dumping it, raw, in the sea. He is well known for his work to protect and rescue little blue penguins or ''Korora'',Wellington Conservancy. (2002–05).
"Dolphins perform for penguin palace builders."
''Footnotes'', issue 17, p. 2. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. and arranged the construction of the first artificial nesting areas for the birds in Wellington."Penguin protector." ''The Dominion Post'', 7 Aug 1998, edition 2, page 3. Poachers of paua, or New Zealand

abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any of a group of small to very large marine gastropod molluscs in the family (biology), family Haliotidae. Other common name In biology, a common name of a taxon o ...

, have been a particular target of Ahipene-Mercer's attention, and as an honorary fisheries ranger he has seized and returned many thousands of illegal paua to the sea. He regularly speaks to groups, especially schools, about environmental issues, and includes a strong Maori perspective in these talks. He is an advocate of reforestation in Wellington City and has been an active organiser of community tree-planting events since 1990. He has sought to reintroduce a number of Maori names to Wellington, such as Te Tangihanga-a-Kupe, for the rocks known also as

Barrett Reef The cluster of rocks that is Barrett Reef (often known as ''Barrett's Reef'') is one of the most hazardous reefs in New Zealand. It lies on the western side of the entrance of Wellington Harbour, on the approaches to the city of Wellington, at c ...

, and Tarakena Bay,''The Evening Post'', 10 Aug 1998, edition 3, page 13. and in 1996–1997 assisted

Karori Wildlife Sanctuary Zealandia, formerly known as the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected natural area in Wellington, New Zealand, the first urban completely fenced ecosanctuary, where the biodiversity of 225 ha (just under a square mile) of forest is being r ...

in creating an audio tape of

names of flora and fauna for use by sanctuary volunteers and members.Karori Wildlife Sanctuary Trust. (1997).
Annual Report 1997.
'' Retrieved on 2007-06-18. Ahipene-Mercer was awarded the

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to approximately 3,000 people. Background The New Zea ...

, and he received a major conservation award in 1998.

Politician

Ahipene-Mercer's work on environmental issues often brought him into regular contact with the Wellington City Council. He was elected to the Wellington City Council in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

in 2000, taking the Eastern Ward position previously held by Sue Kedgley, who was elected to parliament as a Green MP.Kedgley, Sue. (3 May 2000)
"Kedgley delighted at Ahipene-Mercer's election."
Press release. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. He was elected again in 2001Wellington City Council

Wellington.govt.nz. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. and 2004.Wellington City Council
"Eastern Ward." (2004 election results.)
Wellington.govt.nz. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. ''Mana News Service'' reported that in 2001 he was one of only 20 Maori, out of a total of over a thousand New Zealanders, to win office in local elections that October.Mana News Service. (1 November 2001)

Mana News Update 303. Retrieved on 2007-06-16. He is only the second Maori to be elected to the Wellington City Council and the first Maori to be elected since 1962. He is Cultural and Arts Portfolio Leader on the Wellington City Council, a member of the Council Controlled Organisations, Strategy and Policy and Grants Committee. He is a director of Wellington Waterfront Ltd,"Directors."
Wellington Waterfront Ltd. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. has been a member of the Wellington Conversation Board, and a trustee of the Joe Aspill Trust. Initially regarded as part of the "left" group on Council, Ahipene-Mercer has avoided alignment with any faction, preferring to work across all groups. He has fielded some criticism from supporters for his willingness to work cooperatively with right-wing Mayor

Kerry Prendergast Dame Kerry Leigh Prendergast (née Ferrier, born 28 March 1953) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 33rd Mayor of Wellington between 2001 and 2010, succeeding Mark Blumsky. She was the second woman to hold the position, after Fran W ...

, but announced in early 2007 his intention to oppose Prendergast in the elections to be held later that year. He told reporters he was "in to win", and if elected would continue to work with all councillors.He was runner-up in the election. Ahipene-Mercer attributed his 2001 council win to votes from

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non-Māori New Ze ...

(non-Māori) as well as Māori voters who recognized that he worked for everyone, not just for Māori interests. He does not believe in designated Māori seats on either the national and local level, and hence emphasizes the importance of

Treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations An international organization or international o ...

education so that Pākehā are well-informed about and responsive to Māori issues. He announced in November 2015 that he would not contest the 2016 elections, retiring back to his work as a luthier.

References

External links

Oral history interview with Ray Ahipene-Mercer on Upper Hutt City Library's Recollect websiteRay4mayor.co.nz
Website of Ray Ahipene-Mercer's Mayoral campaign 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahipene-Mercer, Ray 1948 births Living people People from Upper Hutt Māori politicians Musicians from Wellington New Zealand environmentalists People from Wellington City People educated at Upper Hutt College Wellington City Councillors