Peeni Henare 'stepping back', won't be contesting Tāmaki Makaurau seat at election

Senior Labour MP Peeni Henare is "taking a step back from politics", saying the time has come to put his energy elsewhere.

Earlier on Tuesday, the former minister confirmed to RNZ he would not be contesting the Tāmaki Makaurau seat this year.

But in an interview with Māori 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.

He told the outlet there were many other issues within Te Ao Māori he wanted to focus on, including in Te Tai Tokerau and for Ngāpuhi.

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.

"Kua tae te wā," Henare said. The time had come.

Both Henare and the Labour Party confirmed the decision not to seek re-election around 3pm on Tuesday.

"I have thought long and hard about this over the summer and decided not to seek the nomination for Tāmaki Makaurau again or a place on the Labour Party list," Henare said in a statement.

"Last year was tough after losing the by-election and after careful consideration and kōrero with my whānau over the break, I have decided that it is time for me to take a step back from politics.

"It's time to focus on my family, my wellbeing and my future".

It stated Henare would leave Parliament in the coming weeks.

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.

"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."

Henare said he had already received messages of shock from Ngāpuhi but was confident that Labour would still make a strong case to Māori this election.

He told RNZ he wanted to announce his decision at his home patch at Waitangi.

"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."

In a separate media conference later in the day, leader Chris Hipkins acknowledged Henare as a "staunch and passionate advocate for Māori" and a former senior minister who "contributed enormously" across a range of portfolios.

"We will miss him and we wish him all the very best for his future."

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."

He denied that the announcement has been mismanaged after Henare's announcement was revealed earlier than intended.

"I let people have their space to make their announcements, and that's what I've done here," Hipkins said.

"Somebody, I think, jumped the gun and put some material out there earlier than had previously been planned."

A decade in Parliament

Henare entered Parliament in 2014, winning the the Tāmaki Makaurau seat over the Māori party. He held onto the seat for nearly a decade, before being ousted by Te Pāti Māori's Takutaki Tarsh Kemp in 2023 by a slim margin.

He contested the seat in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election in 2025, following Kemp's death, but lost to Oriini Kaipara who received around twice as many votes.

During the by-election he batted away suggestions of a Labour leadership bid, but didn't rule it out.

At the time Henare said Hipkins, the current leader, had his full support.

During the previous Labour government, he held portfolios such as Defence, Whānau Ora, Civil Defence, Tourism and ACC.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.