‘He’s done a runner on us’: Adrian Rurawhe to retire from politics next month

Wednesday, 21 January 2026

Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe has announced his plan to retire from politics.

After a decade as an MP, which saw him serve as the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2022 and 2023, Rurawhe said he would be leaving Parliament in just a few weeks, finishing on Waitangi Day.

Rurawhe is a list MP, but had previously been the MP for Te Tai Hauāuru. His retirement would make way for Georgie Dansey to enter Parliament as the next list MP for Labour.

“Over the summer break I’ve been thinking about different kaupapa, mostly whānau and church. Retiring now will allow me to be more involved - which I’m very much looking forward to,” Rurawhe said, in a statement announcing his resignation.

He made the announcement on Wednesday morning, a few hours before the Labour Party caucus was set to meet for the first time this year, during its caucus retreat in West Auckland.

But he decided not to attend that caucus meeting, where reporters - and senior Labour MP Willie Jackson - had been hoping to speak with him.

“We thought he was going to be here, but he’s done a runner on us,” Jackson told journalists on Wednesday.

Jackson said Rurawhe was with his whānau on Wednesday and was trying to hide from the limelight.

“It's a challenge for us to get him to do a valedictory speech. Actually, he's got no plans to do so,” he said.

He said Rurawhe told his Labour Party colleagues about his plan to stand down on Tuesday night, ahead of the caucus retreat. He hadn't given Jackson a special heads up.

Jackson recalled, “I found out like everybody did, just last night. I said, ‘What happened to our special, you know, our special relationship?’ He said, ‘No, you would have gone and spoken to all the Māoris. So I had to keep it secret.’

“But he made the decision over Christmas,” Jackson said.

But Dansey said she was given a call a few days ago, to say she would be entering Parliament.

“It was, it was exciting and overwhelming and very nerve-racking,” she said, about the call.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said Rurawhe would be missed.

“Adrian was respected across the House in his role as Speaker, he was a valued member of the Labour team, and a passionate advocate for Māori. We will miss him and wish him all the very best as he moves away from the political arena,” he said.

Dansey has been floating near the periphery of the Labour caucus for a few years.

Many had expected her to enter Parliament last year, when Labour was hopeful that Peeni Henare would win the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election.

She first stood for public office in 2020 and then contested the Hamilton West by-election in 2022, which National’s Tama Potaka won. She stood at the 2023 general election in the Hamilton East electorate, and said on Wednesday that she would do the same at this year’s election.

She has whakapapa to Ngāti Tūwharetoa, is a unionist and had a career in education.