New Zealand Rugby has announced former Cabinet minister and Horahora Rugby player Peeni Henare will take up the role of Kaihautū Māori.
“Peeni brings extensive leadership experience across governance, public service and executive leadership, along with a deep commitment to te ao Māori and the future of Aotearoa.” the social media post said.
Henare resigned earlier this year from the Labour Party, after 12 years in Parliament.
He entered Parliament in 2014 as MP for Tāmaki Makaurau and went on to hold several senior ministerial portfolios under the Labour government, including Defence, Whānau Ora, Civil Defence and Veterans, while also serving as an associate minister for Health and Housing.
Four months after delivering his valedictory speech, he will now join the executive team, where they say he will help shape the future of the game by supporting Māori to thrive across rugby and ensuring te ao Māori continues to be reflected throughout the organisation and the wider rugby system.
He will also provide strategic leadership on Māori engagement with iwi, hapū, clubs and provincial unions.
In 2025, New Zealand Rugby and the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board committed to establishing the Kaihautū Māori role as an executive position following the death of longstanding New Zealand Rugby kaumātua Luke Crawford in 2024.
Before entering politics, Henare worked in Māori development and community leadership and has longstanding ties to rugby through Horahora Rugby Club.
He also represented Parliament’s cross-party rugby team in charity and exhibition matches during his time as an MP, later joking he was “cut in half” by former All Black Rodney So’oialo in one of those fixtures.
