Peeni leaving politics became messy but his legacy too important to ignore
New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones is questioning the circumstances behind Labour MP Peeni Henare’s shock resignation, believing the whole story is not being told.
On Tuesday, Henare announced he was calling time on his 12-year Parliamentary career, citing exhaustion and a desire to spend more time focusing on his family and future.
“It’s a bit of, I didn’t have enough in the tank. It’s a bit of understanding that I can continue to influence the way people vote outside of being an MP and outside of Parliament,” he said.
Henare also said some opportunities had presented themselves to him.
RNZ
I really like Peeni and his legacy of representation at the highest levels should be respected and celebrated.
He has been an amazing voice for Labour and Māoridom and a real star in left wing politics.
His Haka in Parliament was a personal highlight for me, but he achieved much more than that:
- Expansion of Whānau Ora support
- Defence modernisation and capability upgrades
- Civil defence and emergency response leadership
- Māori health and social policy advocacy
- International defence and diplomacy
He is a very modest man, a very humble leader and an amazing bloke to have a beer with.
We are a lesser movement without him.
However.
I also think Peeni is a very genuine person and his shock and disappointment of the huge Tāmaki Makaurau by-election loss was felt deeply by him.
It wasn’t just the huge stonking win the Māori Party’s social media first strategy pulled off, it was also the reality that Oriini won.
Oriini has in her short time as an MP come across as flakey as hell and when a person of deep mana like Peeni losses to the shallow, I think it hurts on a very deep level.
Deeper than most realise and I think this loss put Peeni into a tailspin.
On the one hand he wanted a high list ranking to stay but didn’t want the humiliation of another electoral defeat.
Labour’s leadership, while loving Peeni, didn’t have the luxury of making high party placements for candidates who didn’t want to fight in the electorate.
I think the messy way it was announced was driven by Labour wanting Peeni to stand vs Peeni not wanting to stand (but wanting to stay on the list) and that difference (added to the grief of losing to someone as flakey as hell) did not a cocktail of good times make.
As for Shane demanding to know what happened, revealing that will only damage Peeni, so you knock yourself out Shane, are you going do an Eru by airing dirty laundry in front of the Marae?
Whose audience are you talking to when you say this Shane?
Northland Māori sympathetic to Peeni or your redneck supporters who love seeing Māori fight?
It was a messy resignation, but Peeni’s legacy should over shine that brief stumble. He is a person of mana who has served him community well.
We don’t need Shane Jones going through the dirty laundry in an attempt to smear Labour.
Dave Letele may be the next Labour Party candidate for Tāmaki Makaurau.
