Whānau Ora chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait will contest the Rotorua seat for Te Pāti Māori at the October 14 election.
Raukawa-Tait, who has unsuccessfully stood for Parliament before, is the first candidate to be announced by Te Pāti Māori for a general electorate seat.
The party is fielding candidates in all seven Māori electorates. Co-leader Rawiri Waititi is the MP for Waiariki, the Māori electorate that covers the Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Taupo areas.
Rotorua is currently held by National's Todd McClay, who won the seat away from Labour in 2008. He won it with an 825 vote margin in 2020 despite the red wave at that year's election. In 2017, McClay had a 7901 vote majority.
Raukawa-Tait chairs Whānau Ora, previously led Women's Refuge and served as a Rotorua Lakes Councillor for 11 years. She stood for the Christian Heritage Party in 2002, coming third.
Te Pāti Māori said Raukawa-Tait had informed the Whānau Ora board of her intention to stand as a candidate and any request for her to stand down from her role would be at their discretion.
Her Whānau Ora biography describes her as a "leading advocate for the rights of women & children and also a strong public voice in the campaign to understand and prevent family violence".
"Rotorua is my home and tribal area of Te Arawa. It's a beautiful place to live, work and play," said Raukawa-Tait.
"I understand intimately, both the highs and the challenges; how Rotorua has experienced unprecedented growth in employment and business in recent years alongside how it has been impacted by the pandemic."
She said Rotorua was "severely impacted" by the arrival of COVID-19 and accompanying lockdowns.
"Businesses have closed, jobs have been lost and hours reduced for many workers. However, I believe Rotorua has strong self-belief and is starting to rebuild and recover.
"Rotorua is an inclusive city and I want to ensure that all families can realise their potential as they move forward together leaving no one parked up on the side-line."
Raukawa-Tait said Te Pāti Māori believes "Māori must be in control of their own lives".
"I support how our Te Pāti Māori movement fearlessly and unapologetically speaks up for whanau, encouraging them to create strong cultural identity foundations on which to grow and flourish. We have unlimited potential so let's get on with the job and make it happen."
Te Pāti Māori President John Tamihere said: "There's a huge awakening happening amongst our people and a collective understanding that our voices are being raised and heard".
"Election 2023 is shaping up to be an incredibly significant milestone in the political landscape of this country and for Māori."
