Ria Hall

Ria Hall (born 1982 or 1983) is a Māori recording artist, singer-songwriter, television presenter, and political candidate. She has released two solo albums, Rules of Engagement (2017), which topped the Official New Zelaand Music Chart shortly after its release, and Manawa Wera (2020). Her work reflects Māori society and history, and Hall regularly sings in Māori as well as English.

Born in Tauranga with an extensive background in kapa haka, she moved to Wellington in her early twenties to attend university and launch her music career. She initially fronted the reggae band Hope Road. After sporadically performing with other contemporary Māori musical acts, such as TrinityRoots, Hall rose to prominence after performing the New Zealand national anthem for the opening ceremony of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Her self-titled debut EP, released that year, won Best Māori Album at the 2012 New Zealand Music Awards. Her debut album Rules of Engagement is a concept album about the Tauranga Campaign, specifically the Battle of Gate Pā, featuring contributions from Tiki Taane and Che Fu. Hall would later win Best Māori Female Artist at the Waiata Māori Music Awards for the work. Her second album Manawa Wera featured collaborations with Rob Ruha and L.A.B, and peaked at number 10 on the Official Albums Chart. Her song 'Te Ahi Kā Pō' won the APRA Silver Scroll in 2021.

Hall has also had a prominent career as a television presenter on Whakaata Māori (formerly Māori Television), one of New Zealand's two state-owned indigenous television networks. She has also collaborated with Stan Walker, Maisey Rika, and Troy Kingi. Having long been involved in advocacy for the Bay of Plenty, in 2024 Hall announced her candidacy for Mayor of Tauranga in the 2024 Tauranga mayoral election, part of the first local elections since the 2021 suspension of Tauranga's local government. She came fourth on provisional results.

Life and career
Hall was born in 1982 or 1983 in Maungatapu, Tauranga, where she grew up on marae with her three older sisters. She is Māori, and affiliates to Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and Waikato. She attended Maungatapu School, Tauranga Intermediate and Tauranga Girls' College. At secondary school she became interested in singing through kapa haka and later joined the kapa haka group Waka Huia. One of Hall's musical influences as a teenager was Che Fu's 1998 album 2 B.S. Pacific, which she reportedly listened on repeat when studying for her final exams at secondary school. Hall has said the album "changed the entire hip-hop, soul and R&B scene in New Zealand... It was such a necessary record at the time. I just found it really inspiring that he was Māori/Niuean and representing unashamedly what was possible in the New Zealand music scene for someone of a Polynesian persuasion."

Hall later moved to Wellington in 2006, where she studied political science at Victoria University of Wellington. There, she formed the reggae band Hope Road. She began to sing with TrinityRoots upon their reunion in 2010. She sang at the opening ceremony for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and released her debut self-titled EP in 2011, which won Best Māori Album at the 2012 New Zealand Music Awards. In 2013 Hall featured as a guest vocalist on Stan Walker's single "Like It's Over". From 2012 to 2013, she was a presenter on Maori TV's AIA Marae DIY. . Her debut album Rules of Engagement was released in 2017. A concept album about the Tauranga Campaign, specifically the Battle of Gate Pā, it featured contributions from Tiki Taane and Che Fu. She won the title of Best Māori Female Artist at the Waiata Māori Music Awards for the work. Her second album Manawa Wera featured collaborations with Rob Ruha and L.A.B, and peaked at number 10 on the Official Albums Chart. Her song 'Te Ahi Kā Pō' won the APRA Silver Scroll in 2021.

Hall has also collaborated with Hollie Smith, Laughton Kora, Kings, Fly My Pretties, Betty-Anne Monga and Whirimako Black. She has three children and continues to live in Tauranga.

Politics
On 5 May 2024, Hall announced that she would run in that year's election for Mayor of Tauranga. These are the first local elections in Tauranga since the 2021 suspension of its city council and elections in 2021. In a press release, Hall was described as a longtime political advocate for Tauranga through her music. On provisional results, Hall came fourth, missing the runoff which was subsequently won by Mahé Drysdale. She congratulated him and said running for council was an "absolute privilege".

Musical style and influences
Hall classifies her music as mainly roots and reggae, with influences of ragga, soul and hip hop music. She grew up listening to reggae, soul, hip hop and R&B, and her mother listened to country music.