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

✍️ Political Reporter 📅 February 02, 2026 11:33 PM ⏱️ 3 min read 🕐 Scraped: February 03, 2026

Summary: Peeni Henare didn't put his name forward to be the party's candidate in the Tāmaki Makaurau seat before the deadline for candidate nominations passed.

Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

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 Tokera

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Political Reporter

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🌍 RNZ

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Published Date

February 02, 2026 at 11:33 PM

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