Peeni Henare held the Tāmaki Makaurau seat between 2014 and 2023, and has been confirmed as Labour's candidate in the 6 September by-election. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Labour is brushing off accusations it is being greedy by standing in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, saying if it were to win it would not diminish the presence of Māori in Parliament.
Peeni Henare, who held the seat between 2014 and 2023, has been confirmed as Labour's candidate in the 6 September by-election, which is being held due to the death of Takutai Tarsh Kemp.
Te Pāti Māori has selected Oriini Kaipara to contest the seat, which Kemp won off Henare in 2023.
Prominent figures in the party have since criticised Labour's decision to run.
Speaking to regional Māori news service Pūkāea, party co-leader Rawiri Waititi said win or lose, Henare would remain in Parliament, and if he did win the seat a Māori voice would be "lost" in the House.
Party president John Tamihere told the New Zealand Herald Henare could risk leadership aspirations by contesting the by-election.
"How many times are you going to run and lose?" he asked.
Meanwhile, Waititi's wife Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, who is also Tamihere's daughter and a party media liaison, said Labour was being "greedy" by standing in the by-election.
"Them standing a current MP in the by-election is a greedy move to take away from Māori. Why? Because Peeni already holds a seat in Parliament," she posted.
"The only reason they are running in Tāmaki is to take a seat away from Māori. Labour are not there to increase a Māori voice, they want to take one away."
She went on to say a vote for Henare was a "wasted" vote.
If Henare were to win the by-election, Labour would bring Georgie Dansey in off the party list.
Dansey is of Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent.
Her tūpuna Roger Dansey was a captain in the Māori Pioneer Battalion during World War I, and was also a Māori All Black.
Addressing Te Pāti Māori's criticisms, Henare pointed out the next person on Labour's list is a wāhine Māori, and dismissed the accusations Labour was being greedy.
"Any suggestion that I'm curbing a Māori voice in Parliament is absolute folly. Those kinds of reckons don't help what should be a good contest between two good candidates, and that's what we're hoping to do."
He said he got more than 10,000 votes in 2023, and owed it to Tāmaki Makaurau voters to give them a choice.
"Every green seat in the House of Parliament is a contested seat. Anybody who thinks a seat is going to be given to somebody is absolute folly."
Vision NZ leader Hannah Tamaki - who also contested the seat in 2023 - will stand again, while National, the Green Party, ACT and New Zealand First will not field a candidate.
The prime minister has called the by-election as a "pillow fight" between Labour and Te Pāti Māori.
Labour's Māori caucus co-chair Willie Jackson said Labour did not want to be "really contesting and having a bad relationship with Te Pāti Māori", and the by-election was more a fight against the government.
He said if Te Pāti Māori wanted a fight, he was up for it, but Labour would be running a respectful campaign.
He said when Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Parekura Horomia died in 2013, Te Pāti Māori contested that by-election.
"When they start talking tikanga, let's just remember what happened when our rangatira died, they lined up. I get it that they want us to stand aside, but it's not going to happen."
Henare would not say whether he would try again in 2026 if he did not win the by-election.
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