Hayes' whakapapa is to the Whanganui-Rangitikei area.[2] She was raised in the farming sector.[3] Before being elected to Parliament, she worked in the health industry, as well as at Māori development organisation Ngā Tai O te Awa.[4]
In December 2013, National Party President Peter Goodfellow announced that Hayes would enter Parliament on the party list following the resignation of National MP Katrina Shanks,[8] which took place on 22 January 2014.[9] She was sworn in as a Member of the New Zealand House of Representatives on 28 January 2014.[10]
During the 51st New Zealand Parliament, under the Fifth National Government, Hayes served as the National Party's Third Whip, as a member of the Māori Affairs and Local Government and Environment Committees, and as the Chair of the Social Services Committee.[13]
In April 2017, a private members' bill in Hayes' name was introduced into Parliament.[14] The Minors (Court Consent to Relationships) Legislation Bill sought to prevent 16- and 17-year-olds from being pressured or coerced into legal and cultural marriages by amending the Marriage Act 1955 to require the marriage be approved by a Family Court judge.[15] The Bill was supported by all parties represented in Parliament and completed its final reading in August 2018.[15]
During the 2017 general election, Hayes contested Christchurch East against incumbent Poto Williams and was defeated by a margin of 7,480 votes.[16] However, she was re-elected on the National Party list.[17]
During the lead up to the 2020 general election, Hayes unsuccessfully sought to stand as National's candidate in both Palmerston North (which she lost to 17-year-old William Wood)[20] and in Te Tai Hauāuru (the party did not stand candidates in Māori electorates).[21] Ultimately, Hayes was selected as National's candidate for Mana.[22]
During the 2020 election, she lost to Labour's candidate Barbara Edmonds by a margin of 16,224 votes.[23] She also failed to get in on the party list due to National's landslide defeat.[3][24]
Post-parliamentary career
Three days after the 2020 election, Hayes was announced as the general manager of the Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā Trust, a post-settlement governance entity for the Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua iwi.[25][26]
Hayes is of Ngāti Porou, Ati Haunui A Paparangi, and Rangitane ki Wairarapa descent. She is married, and has two sons and three grandchildren.[22]
Notes
^Normally, list MPs do not have individual predecessors or successors, but Shanks resigned during a sitting parliament and therefore was succeeded by Hayes.
