Hekia Parata is a former candidate for the New Zealand Parliament, having stood for the National Party in the Wellington Central electorate.

Parata was educated at Waikato University, gaining a MA. She was also been a Senior Executive Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She initially pursued a career in the state sector, eventually becoming Deputy Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri , the Ministry of Maori Development. She also served on the boards of New Zealand On Air (a broadcasting funding authority) and the Ngai Tahu Development Corporation. Later, she moved into the private sector, establishing a consultancy firm.

In the 2002 elections, Parata stood as a candidate for the National Party. She chose not to contest one of the special Maori seats, instead standing in the general electorate of Wellington Central, challenging Labour Party MP Marian Hobbs. She was also ranked fifteenth on National's party list, a position which was thought to guarantee her entry to Parliament. Parata was generally considered to be part of Michelle Boag 's attempt to bring "fresh faces" into the party. In the election, however, National suffered its worst defeat ever. Parata placed second in Wellington Central, and the party did not win enough votes for her to enter Parliament as a list MP.

In early 2004, Parata distanced herself from the National Party over the race relations policy outlined by Don Brash in his Orewa speech. Parata publically stated that she was "ashamed" to belong to the National Party, and said that the policy was "the antithesis of everything I've worked for professionally and personally."