![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4L6N2CO_MicrosoftTeams_image_2_png.jpeg\")
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\nPeeni Henare and Chris Hipkins.
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Nate McKinnon\n<\/p>\n
Labour leader Chris Hipkins says there is nothing further behind his colleague Peeni Henare’s departure<\/a>, after New Zealand First’s deputy leader suggested there was more to the story.<\/a><\/p>\n Henare announced he was calling time on his 12-year Parliamentary career, citing exhaustion and a desire to spend more time with his family and on his future.<\/p>\n Earlier on Wednesday, Shane Jones said he was surprised by Henare’s announcement, and he was sure the “kumara vine” would inform him of more.<\/p>\n Jones said it was incumbent on Labour to reveal the circumstances.<\/p>\n “That’s up to them to ensure that there’s a very comprehensive account as to what’s happened to this young leader of Te Tai Tokerau, and why he, all of a sudden, is departing from the Labour Party,” he said.<\/p>\n “I mean, whatever we think about M\u0101ori leadership, Peeni Henare is blessed with the lineage of leadership throughout the north.”<\/p>\n Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, Hipkins said Henare had informed him of his intention to announce his retirement at Waitangi.<\/p>\n “I respected that, and I wanted to honour that. He indicated that’s where he wanted to announce to the New Zealand public that he was not going to stand again,” he said.<\/p>\n Henare had planned to make the announcement live on TVNZ’s Te Karere at 4pm, but Tuia News, another outlet, had got the story out first.<\/p>\n It meant Hipkins, while speaking about Henare’s decision to not contest the T\u0101maki Makaurau seat on Tuesday, was confronted with questions on Henare’s decision to step down altogether, before a 4pm embargo that nobody knew existed.<\/p>\n “Unfortunately, someone jumped the gun and put that information out there a bit earlier than that, so I’ll own that. It wasn’t as tidy as it could have been,” Hipkins admitted.<\/p>\n Asked whether there was any substance behind Jones’ claims, Hipkins said “Shane Jones is just doing what Shane Jones does: mischief-making.”<\/p>\n Hipkins said Henare had made it clear to him “some time ago” that he was not sure whether he had the “hunger” to run in T\u0101maki Makaurau again.”<\/p>\n “That was a real struggle for him. Losing that by-election hit him quite hard. So it didn’t come as a surprise, and he wanted to make his decision clear to people here at Waitangi, but he’s still working through the next steps.”<\/p>\n Jones also said if Henare did not join Labour for Thursday’s p\u014dwhiri, it would “compete with the breakdown of the M\u0101ori Party.”<\/p>\n Hipkins said he understood Henare would be sat with the hauk\u0101inga, but that was not unusual, as Henare had often alternated which side he joined year-to-year.<\/p>\n “He wants to sit with his family tomorrow, you know, his wh\u0101nau tomorrow. And given the announcement he made yesterday, I can completely understand that and I fully support him to do that.”<\/p>\n Senior National minister Tama Potaka also paid tribute to Henare, calling him an absolutely “formidable personality and politician.”<\/p>\n Potaka pointed to the influence of the Henare name around Waitangi, and respected his decision to step down.<\/p>\n