Peeni Henare won the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate ahead of Rangi McLean of the Māori Party in 2014.[6] In 2016, a member's bill submitted by Henare which aimed to ban the import of goods produced by slave labour was drawn from the ballot.[7] The bill had been first introduced by Maryan Street and defeated at its first reading in 2009.[8] It was again defeated at its first reading in 2016 due to opposition from the National Party and Act New Zealand.[9]
In Government, 2017–2023
During the 2017 New Zealand general election, Henare was re-elected in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate, winning 9,396 votes.[10] Henare was elected as a Minister outside Cabinet by the Labour Party caucus following Labour's formation of a coalition government with New Zealand First and the Greens in October 2017.[11] He assumed the portfolio of Minister for Whānau Ora, which falls under the purview of Te Puni Kōkiri (the Ministry for Māori Development).[12][13]
During the 2020 general election, Henare retained Tāmaki Makaurau, defeating the Māori Party candidate and co-leader John Tamihere and Green co-leader Marama Davidson. When the official results were released, Henare had a majority of 956,[16] but after the Māori Party requested a recount in Tāmaki Makaurau,[17] Henare's majority fell slightly to 927.[18] In November 2020, Henare was announced as Minister of Defence and Minister for Whānau Ora. He also assumed the health, housing and tourism associate porfolios with responsibility for Māori health and housing.[19][20]
During a cabinet shuffle that occurred on 31 January 2023, Henare was succeeded as Defence Minister by Andrew Little. Henare became the Minister for the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), Minister of Tourism, and Minister for the Environment while retaining the Associate Minister of Health portfolio with responsibility for Māori.[23]
In Opposition, 2023–present
During the 2023 New Zealand general election held on 14 October, Henare lost Tāmaki Makaurau by a narrow margin of 42 votes to Te Pāti Māori (Māori Party) candidate Takutai Tarsh Kemp.[24] He was re-elected to Parliament on the party list.[25] In early November 2023, Henare applied for a judicial recount. On 15 November, the Electoral Commission found that Kemp has won by a margin of 42 votes.[26]
On 5 December 2023, Henare was granted retention of the title The Honourable, in recognition of his term as a member of the Executive Council.[28]
In February 2024, Henare attracted media attention after he used a metaphor involving a gun during a Māori language speech prior to Waitangi Day. Criticising the Government's policies towards Māori, he stated: "This is a fight that will not be fought just in Parliament. I lift my gun, and I let the shots do the talking." Henare subsequently clarified that he was referring to a "figurative gun" rather than an actual gun. ACT leader David Seymour described Henare's metaphor of shooting people as inappropriate. Henare was defended by Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins, who argued that Henare was using a metaphor and not making an actual death threat. Hipkins also responded that Seymour was not in a position to "throw stones" given his 2023 remarks about blowing up the Ministry for Pacific Peoples.[29]
Personal life
Henare's partner is Skye Kimura, who served as the chief executive of the consultancy group Tātou until early 2023.[30][31]
In mid August 2023, the National Party's public service spokesperson Simeon Brown called for the Public Service Commission to investigate the awarding of $600,000 worth of government contracts to Tātou in 2021 and 2022, including $250,000 from the Ministry of Health. In 2018, Henare had disclosed Kimura's business interests to the Cabinet Office and agreed not to be involved in any decisions regarding contracts with her agency. While the Health Ministry confirmed that Tātou had followed the rules and that Henare was involved, it acknowledged that the group had not declared a conflict of interest or instituted an internal management plan.[30] In mid September 2023, the Health Ministry commissioned an independent review of all contracts it had awarded to Tātou. Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes sought a copy of the findings but declined the National Party's request for a broader review of all government contracts awarded to Tātou.[31] In February 2024, PwC released its review, which concluded that the Health Ministry had failed to raise any concerns about conflicts of interest around the seven contracts it had awarded to Tātou between 2021 and 2022. Following the report, the Ministry undertook action to educate its staff about dealing with conflicts of interests.[32]
