28 Facts About Tau Henare

Tau Henare was born in Otara, New Zealand, the son of a 37-year railwayman, on 29 September 1960.

Tau Henare himself was the brother-in-law to New Zealand Maori politician Tuku Morgan through Tau Henare's marriage to the sister of Morgan's wife.

However, Tau Henare was unsuccessful on his New Zealand University Entrance.

Also, at the age of 25, Tau Henare was arrested for breaking through a police line and laying a wreath for the Maori Battalion during a royal visit on Anzac Day in 1985.

In connection with Winston Peters establishing the New Zealand First party in July 1993, Tau Henare changed the focus of his activities to politics for the 6 November 1993 election.

Tau Henare first won election to Parliament in the 1993 election as the New Zealand First candidate for the Northern Maori electorate, a surprising result given Labour's traditional dominance in the Maori electorates.

In defeating incumbent Labour Party member Bruce Gregory, Tau Henare became New Zealand First's second MP, joining Peters in the House.

Tau Henare's election helped counter the perception that New Zealand First was merely an extension of Peters.

In December 1994, Northern Maori member of parliament Tau Henare supported Maori tribe's paramount chief Sir Hepi Te Heuheu in Heuheu's refusal to attend a meeting with then Prime Minister Jim Bolger for a roundtable discussion on government proposals to settle Maori claims, reasoning that the government's handling of Maori claims indicated a lack of understanding of the gravity of the issues involved and the meeting would be a public relations exercise.

Two months later in February 1995, Tau Henare supported a push to have the United Nations oversee a fiscal envelope negotiation process.

Tau Henare felt that United Nations scrutiny would ensure justice in the face of past treaty breaches and that the Government's forceful approach did not create future resentment.

Tau Henare easily won re-election in his electorate, which had been renamed Te Tai Tokerau.

When New Zealand First went into coalition with National, allowing a third term of the fourth National government, Tau Henare joined the Cabinet, with his most prominent ministry that of Maori Affairs.

Tau Henare contested the Te Atatu electorate, and was ranked thirty-fifth on National's list.

On election day, Tau Henare finished second in Te Atatu, and National did not win enough votes for Tau Henare to return to Parliament as a list MP.

Tau Henare expressed agreement with the controversial Orewa speech on race relations made by National Party leader Don Brash.

Tau Henare almost doubled his vote from the 2002 election result but still finished a distant second in Te Atatu.

In October 2007, Tau Henare had an altercation with Labour Party MP Trevor Mallard outside the debating chamber in Parliament House; Mallard was later convicted of fighting in a public place.

In 2008, Tau Henare contested Te Atatu; again, he finished second and was returned as a list MP.

The National Party formed a government but Tau Henare was not appointed as a Minister; instead, he was named chairperson of the Maori affairs select committee.

In 2009, Tau Henare was additionally appointed deputy chairperson of the select committee considering legislative changes following the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance.

In 2011, Tau Henare contested Te Atatu to come in second and be returned as a list MP.

Tau Henare was reappointed to the chair of the Maori affairs committee.

In March 2012, Tau Henare married Ngaire Brown, his long-term partner, in a Parliament select committee room.

In late 2012 Tau Henare was looking to succeed Lockwood Smith as Speaker, but dropped his bid when he lost the backing of the Maori Party.

The Maori Party said they were not responsible for the failure of his bid, they were simply canvassing whether it was likely he would be appointed Speaker, and that ultimately they believed that Tau Henare did not have the support.

Tau Henare appeared in Henderson District Court in December 2014 charged with knowingly breaching suppression orders under the Criminal Procedure Act.

In 2015, Tau Henare was appointed to the board of Housing New Zealand.