24 Facts About Tania Tapsell

Tania Tapsell was born on 22 September 1992 and is a New Zealand politician.

Tania Tapsell has served on the Rotorua Lakes District Council since 2013 and was elected mayor of Rotorua at the 2022 local elections.

Tania Tapsell is the first woman of Maori descent to hold the role.

Tania Tapsell attended Rotorua Girls' High School but left at age 16 in order to attend Waiariki Institute of Technology, where she got diplomas in business and marketing.

Tania Tapsell achieved a Bachelor of Management Studies Degree from the University of Waikato, and is a qualified Resource Management Commissioner.

In 2013, Tapsell was elected to the Rotorua Lakes District Council and served as Chairperson of the Council's Operations and Monitoring Committee.

Tania Tapsell voted against the adoption of Maori wards in 2021, arguing that while some councils may need them to ensure representation, Rotorua did not.

Tania Tapsell marched with students during the School Strike for Climate in 2019, however she believes farmers should be excluded from the Zero Carbon Act.

Tania Tapsell has served as Deputy Chairperson of the New Zealand Community Boards Executive Committee.

On 6 June 2020, Tania Tapsell was selected as the National Party candidate for the East Coast electorate, having been a member of the party since she was a teen.

Tania Tapsell expressed interest in running again at the 2023 New Zealand general election.

Tania Tapsell was speculated by the media as a possible candidate in the 2022 Tauranga by-election, but declined.

On 10 May 2022, Tania Tapsell announced that she would run for mayor of Rotorua.

Tania Tapsell campaigned on stopping the spend, combating crime and vandalism, and restoring the city's image as a tourist destination.

On 8 October 2022, Tania Tapsell was elected as Mayor, becoming the first Maori woman to be elected as Mayor of Rotorua.

In September 2023, Tania Tapsell was recognized in The New Zealand Herald feature on the 130th anniversary of Women's Suffrage as one of the most influential women in today's society.

In July 2024, Tania Tapsell supported the Sixth National Government's new housing growth plan as a means of addressing the housing shortage.

Tania Tapsell said that there had been a significant increase in offensive submissions.

In late July 2024, Tania Tapsell attracted media attention after blocking Councillor Trevor Maxwell from asking why two notices of motions, including one by Councillor Lani Kereopa, called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

When Maxwell asked why the motions had been declined, Tania Tapsell refused to discuss the matter and insisted that it was outside council business.

In late August 2024, Tania Tapsell signed a friendship agreement between Rotorua and Taiwan's Pingtung County's Magistrate Chou Chun-mi.

On 10 March 2023, Tania Tapsell announced that they were expecting a baby girl in June.

Tania Tapsell's iwi are Te Arawa and Ngati Whakaue, and she has Danish ancestry as a descendent of Phillip Tapsell.

Tania Tapsell is the great niece of former Labour MP and Speaker of the House Sir Peter Tapsell.