![\"Labour](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4K57B0Q_Image_4_jfif.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nPeeni Henare is stepping down after 12 years in Parliament.
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Samuel Rillstone\n<\/p>\n
Senior Labour MP Peeni Henare is “taking a step back from politics”, saying the time has come to put his energy elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Tuesday, the former minister confirmed to RNZ he would not be contesting the T\u0101maki Makaurau seat this year.<\/p>\n
But in an interview with M\u0101ori start-up Tuia News, Henare went further, revealing he would step down after 12 years in Parliament, six of them as a minister across multiple portfolios.<\/p>\n
He told the outlet there were many other issues within Te Ao M\u0101ori he wanted to focus on, including in Te Tai Tokerau and for Ng\u0101puhi.<\/p>\n
Henare noted the energy required to be successful in election year, and the recent resignation of his colleague Adrian Rurawhe. He said he realised he was the only one left.<\/p>\n
“Kua tae te w\u0101,” Henare said. The time had come.<\/p>\n
Both Henare and the Labour Party confirmed the decision not to seek re-election around 3pm on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
“I have thought long and hard about this over the summer and decided not to seek the nomination for T\u0101maki Makaurau again or a place on the Labour Party list,” Henare said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“Last year was tough after losing the by-election and after careful consideration and k\u014drero with my wh\u0101nau over the break, I have decided that it is time for me to take a step back from politics.<\/p>\n
“It’s time to focus on my family, my wellbeing and my future”.<\/p>\n
It stated Henare would leave Parliament in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Speaking to RNZ at Waitangi, Henare said he simply “didn’t have enough in the tank” to carry on but intended to still have an influence outside Parliament.<\/p>\n
“I know that people have said that I could have risen to the role of Prime Minister, but what I can say is: that takes a huge amount of energy and a huge amount of commitment, and after 12 years, I’m exhausted.”<\/p>\n
Henare said he had already received messages of shock from Ng\u0101puhi but was confident that Labour would still make a strong case to M\u0101ori this election.<\/p>\n
He told RNZ he wanted to announce his decision at his home patch at Waitangi.<\/p>\n
“Waitangi is my home. It’s a place where my politics started… it’s a place where I grew up and it’s amongst my people.”<\/p>\n
In a separate media conference later in the day, leader Chris Hipkins acknowledged Henare as a “staunch and passionate advocate for M\u0101ori” and a former senior minister who “contributed enormously” across a range of portfolios.<\/p>\n
“We will miss him and we wish him all the very best for his future.”<\/p>\n
Hipkins said Henare’s departure was a loss and an opportunity: “When you say goodbye to someone who’s been around a long time, yes, you lose their experience and their perspective, but you gain the opportunity for renewal.”<\/p>\n
He denied that the announcement has been mismanaged after Henare’s announcement was revealed earlier than intended.<\/p>\n
“I let people have their space to make their announcements, and that’s what I’ve done here,” Hipkins said.<\/p>\n
“Somebody, I think, jumped the gun and put some material out there earlier than had previously been planned.”<\/p>\n
A decade in Parliament<\/p>\n
Henare entered Parliament in 2014, winning the the T\u0101maki Makaurau seat over the M\u0101ori party. He held onto the seat for nearly a decade, before being ousted by Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori’s Takutaki Tarsh Kemp in 2023 by a slim margin.<\/p>\n
He contested the seat in the T\u0101maki Makaurau by-election in 2025, following Kemp’s death, but lost to Oriini Kaipara<\/a> who received around twice as many votes.<\/p>\n During the by-election he batted away suggestions of a Labour leadership bid, but didn’t rule it out<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the time Henare said Hipkins, the current leader, had his full support.<\/p>\n During the previous Labour government, he held portfolios such as Defence, Wh\u0101nau Ora, Civil Defence, Tourism and ACC.<\/p>\n