Peeni Henare
Peeni Ereatara Gladwyn Henare ([ˈpɛːni ˈhɛnaˌɾɛ]) is a New Zealand Labour Party politician who has been a member of the New Zealand parliament for the Tāmaki Makaurau Māori electorate since the 2014 general election.
Peeni Henare | |
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![]() Henare in 2023 | |
16th Minister for ACC | |
Assumed office 1 February 2023 | |
Prime Minister | Chris Hipkins |
Preceded by | Carmel Sepuloni |
32nd Minister of Forestry | |
Assumed office 12 April 2023 | |
Prime Minister | Chris Hipkins |
Preceded by | Megan Woods (acting) |
38th Minister of Tourism | |
Assumed office 1 February 2023 | |
Prime Minister | Chris Hipkins |
Preceded by | Stuart Nash |
3rd Minister for Whānau Ora | |
Assumed office 26 October 2017 | |
Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern Chris Hipkins |
Preceded by | Te Ururoa Flavell |
41st Minister of Defence | |
In office 6 November 2020 – 1 February 2023 | |
Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern Chris Hipkins |
Preceded by | Ron Mark |
Succeeded by | Andrew Little |
14th Minister for Youth | |
In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020 | |
Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern |
Preceded by | Nikki Kaye |
Succeeded by | Priyanca Radhakrishnan |
26th Minister of Civil Defence | |
In office 27 June 2019 – 6 November 2020 | |
Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern |
Preceded by | Kris Faafoi |
Succeeded by | Kiri Allan |
8th Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector | |
In office 26 October 2017 – 3 July 2019 | |
Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern |
Preceded by | Alfred Ngaro |
Succeeded by | Poto Williams |
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Tāmaki Makaurau | |
Assumed office 20 September 2014 | |
Preceded by | Pita Sharples |
Majority | 927 |
Personal details | |
Relations |
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Website | www |
Family
Henare is a great-grandson of Taurekareka Henare, who held the Northern Maori seat between 1914 and 1938.[1] His grandfather was James Henare,[1] who had stood for the National Party in five elections between 1946 and 1963.[2] His father was Erima Henare, who was head of the Māori Language Commission,[3] and his mother is Te Hemo Ata Henare, a master weaver.[4]
Henare's uncle was the Māori activist Dun Mihaka.[5]
Political career
Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
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2014–2017 | 51st | Tāmaki Makaurau | none | Labour | |
2017–2020 | 52nd | Tāmaki Makaurau | none | Labour | |
2020–present | 53rd | Tāmaki Makaurau | 18 | Labour |
In Opposition, 2014–2017
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–present
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]
Following a cabinet reshuffle in late June 2019, Henare was appointed as Minister of Civil Defence.[14][15]
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]
In May 2022 he indicated to Labour Party President Claire Szabó that he would possibly be unwilling to recontest Tāmaki Makaurau at the 2023 New Zealand general election, preferring instead to contest the election as a list-only candidate.[21]
In November 2022, Henare in his capacity as Defence Minister visited Polish Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak. He subsequently visited Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov and paid tribute to the fallen at The Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine in Kyiv. Henare's visit to Ukraine marked the first visit by a New Zealand cabinet minister since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[22]
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]
References
- "Grandson aims to keep Parliament seat in family". The Northern Advocate. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. p. 247. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
- "Ngati Hine leader Erima Henare dies". Northern Advocate. NZME. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- "Northland weavers on mission to replicate Māori sail". Northern Advocate. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2023 – via nzherald.co.nz.
- Ruru, Karanama; Bhatia, Ripu; Tang, Eda (23 August 2023). "'He was a staunch man': Leaders, whānau pay tribute to Dun Mihaka". Stuff. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- Ropiha, Billie Jo (20 September 2014). "Peeni Henare presents humble victory speech". Māori Television. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- "Customs and Excise (Prohibition of Imports Made by Slave Labour) Amendment Bill – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Customs and Excise (Prohibition of Imports Made by Slave Labour) Amendment Bill – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Customs and Excise (Prohibition of Imports Made by Slave Labour) Amendment Bill — First Reading – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Tāmaki Makaurau: Electoral Profile". New Zealand Parliament. 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- "Who's in? Who's out?". Radio New Zealand. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- "Ministry of Māori Development". Te Puni Kokiri. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- "Ministerial List". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- "Winners and losers – PM reveals first substantive Cabinet reshuffle". Radio New Zealand. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- Small, Zane (27 June 2019). "Jacinda Ardern's Cabinet reshuffle: Phil Twyford's Housing portfolio split into three". Newshub. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- "Tāmaki Makaurau – Official Results". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- Hurihanganui, Te Aniwa (11 November 2020). "Māori Party requests recount in two electorates after claims of bias". RNZ. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- "Amended Official Result for the Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Tai Hauāuru Electoral Districts". New Zealand Gazette. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- "Ministerial List for Announcement on Monday" (PDF). Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2 November 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- "Ministerial List". Ministerial List. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- Moir, Jo (2 May 2022). "Big decisions loom on Labour MPs' futures". Newsroom.
- Coughlan, Thomas (20 November 2022). "Peeni Henare becomes first NZ minister to visit Ukraine since conflict". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- Neilson, Michael (31 January 2023). "Cabinet reshuffle: Prime Minister Chris Hipkins unveils new line-up; Government response to Auckland flooding". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
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