Peeni Henare considering whether to stand in Tāmaki Makaurau after second loss

Tuesday, 9 September 2025

Labour's Peeni Henare gave an impassioned concession speech on by-election night, calling out Te Pāti Māori's 'gutter' behaviour on the campaign. Meanwhile, Te Pāti Māori only invited its favourite journalists to its function.

Labour’s Peeni Henare won’t commit to standing again for Tāmaki Makaurau, after suffering his second defeat at the ballot box.

Heanre lost the electorate by just 42 votes, against Te Pāti Māori newcomer Takutai Tarsh Kemp in 2023. Kemp’s death earlier this year triggered a by-election, which Henare contested - but his Te Pāti Māori contender, Oriini Kaipara, got double the votes. She was on 6030 votes, against his 3093.

He was the MP for Tāmaki Makaurau from 2014 to 2023.

Back at Parliament on Tuesday, following the weekend’s by-election, Henare said he couldn’t commit to standing in the electorate again next year.

He said he and the Labour Party were considering all options, but first he needed to reflect.

“I won't be saying anything on that today. I'll head back up north and visit the urupā, and see my dad, have some reflection. Then I’ll sit down with the team,” Henare told reporters.

Labour MP Peeni Henare says he is considering his options for next year’s election.

There had been suggestions, even before the by-election, that Henare should stand in the northern electorate, Te Tai Tokerau. He has whakapapa there, and is a highly regarded Ngāpuhi leader.

Henare told Stuff those conversations were continuing, but he didn’t plan to move north out of Tāmaki Makaurau any time soon.

“I know that's an ongoing conversation because of my whakapapa, but look, I was committed to Tāmaki Makaurau. I still live there and I certainly don’t plan to move home, despite the warmer weather up there,” he said.

Labour’s Māori campaign chairperson, Willie Jackson, said Te Pāti Māori had effectively campaigned using the “two for one” argument. With Henare already in Parliament, he said Te Pāti Māori won votes by framing a vote for Kaipara as a vote for two representatives.

To combat that at the 2026 election, Labour MPs have considered not standing on the list - meaning they would be reliant on an electorate win to return to Parliament. Henare said they would need to look at the strategy again next year.

“We did that in the past. That’s a decision we will have to make, or at least consider when we head towards 2026… Everything’s got to be on the table for us,” he said.

Incoming Te Pāti Māori MP Oriini Kaipara has won the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election.

Henare also said the party needed to release policies “soon”, to ensure voters had time to consider what the party stood for.

The Tāmaki Makaurau by-election also raised questions about how Labour and Te Pāti Māori could work together.

Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris targeted Labour’s non-Māori supporters for helping Henare campaign. His post, which Te Pāti Māori asked him to remove, targeted the “Indians, Asians, Black, and Pākehā” helping Henare.

Both Henare and Jackson called that out as “racist”, but on Tuesday Labour leader Chris Hipkins wouldn’t go so far as to say it was racism.

“I just don't think those labels are helpful. It's language that I strongly disagree with,” Hipkins said.