Ria Iris Daphne Bond (née Shortland, born 1976) is a New Zealand politician and former hairdresser. She was appointed to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

as a New Zealand First list MP following

Winston Peters Winston Raymond Peters (born 11 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician serving as the leader of New Zealand First since its foundation in 1993. Peters served as the 13th deputy prime minister of New Zealand from 1996 to 1998 and 2017 to 2020, ...

winning the March 2015 Northland by-election.

Early life and family

Born in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

in 1976, Bond attended Highbury Primary School (now known as Somerset Crescent School) and Queen Elizabeth College. She has two children; her daughter started high school in 2015 and a son who started a degree at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...

in 2015. Of

Ngāti Hine Ngāti Hine is an iwi with a rohe in Northland, New Zealand. It is part of the wider Ngāpuhi iwi. Its rohe (tribal area) covers the areas of Waiomio, Kawakawa, Taumarere, Moerewa, Ruapekapeka, Motatau, Waimahae, Towai, Akeramaa, Pakara ...

and

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland region of New Zealand and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2018 New Zealand census, the estimated population of Ngāpuhi is 16 ...

descent, Bond is the great-niece of Sir James Henare.

Hairdressing and national boards

Bond was a hairdresser in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

and served as president of the New Zealand Association of Registered Hairdressers, representing 8,000 owners and operators (2006–2012). 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.

Political career

Bond joined New Zealand First in 2011 and was elected to the party's national board in 2012. She left her hairdressing salon in August 2014, just prior to the 2014 election, when she stood in the electorate; this was her first election contest. She placed third in that election and was 12th on the party's list, with New Zealand First winning 11 list seats. Following the election, Bond moved to

Wainuiomata Wainuiomata () is a large suburb of Lower Hutt, in the Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. Origin of name The word 'Wainui-o-mata' is a Māori name made up of the words Wai = water, Nui = big, O = of, and Mata – which could refer ...

, working at Parliament as an executive assistant to MPs Richard Prosser and

Mahesh Bindra Mahesh Jaichand Bindra is an Indian-born New Zealand politician who represented New Zealand First as a list MP in Parliament between 2014 and 2017. He was the party's ethnic affairs spokesperson. Background Bindra was born in Mumbai and obtai ...

. 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. Bond was sworn in on 28 April 2015. On 6 May 2015, Bond became a member of the Commerce Select Committee. She left Parliament after the 2017 election, as New Zealand First did not receive enough votes for her to make it back into Parliament; she then returned to Southland. On 15 April 2019, Bond announced her candidacy for the 2019 Invercargill mayoral election. 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. On 22 July 2022, she announced her candidacy for the

2022 Invercargill mayoral election The 2022 Invercargill mayoral election took place on 8 October 2022 as part of the New Zealand local elections. Incumbent mayor Tim Shadbolt unsuccessfully sought a tenth term against nine other candidates, losing to his deputy Nobby Clark. T ...

. She was unsuccessful in the mayoral election but did win a seat on the city council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Ria 1976 births Living people Ngāpuhi people Ngāti Hine people New Zealand list MPs New Zealand First MPs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Māori MPs Unsuccessful candidates in the 2014 New Zealand general election 21st-century New Zealand politicians 21st-century New Zealand women politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election Invercargill City Councillors