Peeni Henare joins the ‘Blokesit’: What Labour’s shrinking male caucus means for Election 2026
Sunday, 8 February 2026
Vernon Small is a former journalist and ex Labour Government advisor.
OPINION: And Peeni Henare makes eight.
Whatever the reason for his decision to quit Parliament – either the totally understandable one that he didn’t have another election fight in him, or the traditional “there’s more to it” stirring from his opponents - he is a serious loss to the party.
He is young and able enough to have a future, and old and experienced enough to take on a leadership role. If not leader, then certainly a very senior position in any future Labour-led Cabinet.
But what should also be a concern to the party is that he is the latest in a long line of senior male MPs (including a significant clutch of Māori MPs) who have taken their leave since the 2023 election or have announced they are going.
Which is where the “eight” comes in.
Read More:
How Labour’s handling of Peeni Henare’s exit set Waitangi whispering
Election 2026: Could Winston change his mind about Chris Hipkins?
The tally of the Blokesit so far is: former deputy leader Kelvin Davis, Grant Robertson, Andrew Little, David Parker, Duncan Webb, Rino Tirikatene, Adrian Rurawhe and now Henare. That includes, worryingly, four senior Māori MPs against the backdrop of Labour’s ambition to win all seven Māori electorates.
The list may not end there, although former West Coast Tasman MP Damien O’Connor has thrown his hat in the ring for the Waitaki seat selection so he is willing to stick around, and Greg O’Connor is also staying in politics (and eyeing the Speaker’s chair) despite his Ohariu seat being dismembered in the boundary rewrite.
It means that of those Labour MPs planning on returning, about two-thirds are women and one-third men.
In each case those leaving have given a justifiable reason, so on the individual level they are just a series of personal choices. (Not that Andrew Little was totally over politics as it turns out, though he may be regretting it now that in his new job as Wellington Mayor shit has got real. Sorry, it really isn’t a laughing matter.)
Of course, on one level, so what if Labour has a lot more women than men in its caucus?
Women have been hugely under-represented for years in Parliament and are still under-represented in some parties. NZ First’s caucus is 75% male as are two-thirds of National’s MPs. Overall there is certainly no need for more men in Parliament to create a balance. Currently the make-up of the House is about 55% male - a retreat from October 25, 2022 when women were for the first time in a majority after Soraya Peke-Mason was sworn in.
So, no need, then, for Labour to get its y-fronts in too much of a knot over the “imbalance”?
Now, the gender make-up of the two big parties broadly reflects their support bases, and it has been a long time since James K Baxter’s characterisation was accurate of “National Mum and Labour Dad” in his Ballad of Calvary Street.
These days men lean heavily towards National and the broad right while women favour Labour and the broad left. (Having said that, the Greens and ACT have as close to a 50-50 split in their caucuses as it’s possible to get with an uneven number of MPs.)
But if Labour wants to expand its support up towards 40% - the level it will need to govern alone with the Greens (or at a stretch NZ First) without being reliant on Te Pāti Māori – then it may need a stronger offering in areas where it has shed support, and which its polling in the past has suggested is “winnable” vote.
Those include blue collar workers, tradespeople, contractors and gig economy workers – what in the UK’s gendered political shorthand are known as White Van Man reflecting their male-heavy occupations. They are also a cohort of potentially floating voters affected badly by the recurrent cost of living crisis, increased unemployment and sub-inflation income growth.
After Labour’s blokesodus, it is reliant on Chris Hipkins, Willie Jackson, Kieran McAnulty and Tangi Utikere to provide the bloke factor towards the top of its line-up, though the likely return of unionist Michael Woods, the two O’Connors, and the addition of hairy-armed but data-driven CTU economist Craig Renney, standing in Wellington Bays Miramar, should help.
Of course, there is no reason why women candidates cannot draw in those voters too, but it is always easier – especially in the more niche world of MMP - if your line-up reflects the demographic you are trying to appeal to.
In politics it helps to be representative as well as being cognisant of the inequities of history.
It’s something Labour should bear in mind as it selects the remainder of its candidates.
And it’s something National, with its phalanx of blue-suited men, should also be aware of.
It is not enough just to select a diverse range of candidates.
That diversity should also flow through to winnable seats and high list places.
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