Former Speaker and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru Adrian Rurawhe dies

The former Speaker of the House and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru Adrian Rurawhe has died.A statement from his family noted "with deep sadness" he passed after a "recent illness.""The whanau are slowly coming to terms with such a great loss. Not only to our whanau, but to his church Te Haahi Ratana, his Iwi of Ngāti Apa and Whanganui, and his former colleagues in the House of Representatives where he served as a Member of Parliament from 2014 to January 2026."Adrian Rurawhe was first elected to Parliament in 2014 as the Labour MP for Te Tai Hauāuru and went on to serve four consecutive terms.Over the course of his parliamentary career, he held several senior roles including Speaker of the House of Representatives from August 2022 to December 2023.Rurawhe announced early this year he would retire from politics on Waitangi Day.He said he'd spent the summer thinking about whānau and church, and retiring would allow him to be more involved.Rurawhe was the grandson of two former MPs, Matiu and Iriaka Rātana, and the great-grandson of TW Rātana, the founder of the Rātana church.Whānau member Piriwiritua Rurawhe told Morning Report Rurawhe had left politics this year to take time for himself."We knew he had some ailments but Adrian was a very private man even to his closest, and kept things close to his chest."Adrian Rurawhe as Speaker of House in 2023. (File photo)Louis CollinsThe decision was primarily made to take a break from the public arena and spend time with his whānau, he said."There was nothing more important to Adrian than his siblings, nephews and nieces and mokopuna."Piriwiritua Rurawhe said Rurawhe was a very courteous and very kind man who he said would be remembered both for his kindness and his considered approach to everything he did.In a statement from Labour, leader Chris Hipkins called Rurawhe "one of the finest people ever to sit in the New Zealand Parliament.""He carried the mana of his people and of the Speaker's Chair with dignity and respect. He was firm without ever needing to raise his voice, and he was universally respected across every party in the House."Members of every party sought his counsel because they knew it would be honest, considered, and given in confidence.Rurawhe's first day as speaker. (File photo)VNP / Phil Smith"Aotearoa is poorer for his passing, and Parliament will miss him deeply," Hipkins said.Green Party co-leader and former colleague Chlöe Swarbrick told Morning Report on Wednesday Rurawhe was a "beautiful, beautiful man" who brought calm to the House of Parliament - a place that wasn't often calm.Swarbrick said he had a kindness and a "generosity of spirit" - however he was also robust with a "spine of steel" behind the scenes."That's a huge loss to our country," she said.MP Adrian Rurawhe gives his valedictory speech to MPs in Parliament in January 2026.VNP / Phil SmithPrime Minister Christopher Luxon said Rurawhe was an MP who carried real mana and was respected on all sides of the House."As Speaker he was fair and calm, as a Member of Parliament he was steadfast and committed to his people, and as a man he was warm and humble."He will be missed and he will be remembered. Rest in Peace."My thoughts are with his family as they mourn his loss, and also celebrate his life and contribution to New Zealand and his community," Luxon said.Parliament flags at half mastParliament flags would be flown at half mast following Rurawhe's death.Speaker of the House, Gerry Brownlee said he was deeply saddened by Rurawhe's death."He was a fine gentleman who brought a calm manner to the Speaker's chair and a dignity to Parliament."The flags at Parliament will be flown at half-mast in the following days as a mark of respect for a man whose time in politics emphasised the need for people to be respectful to one another."He will be deeply missed."Brownlee said he will join a "whole of Parliament delegation" paying respect to Rurawhe at Whangaehu Marae in Whanganui on Friday.Rurawhe said he was originally offered the Assistant Speaker role in 2017, but opted for the Junior Whip position instead as he "wasn't too keen".He then took up the role a few days later after Hipkins, then Leader of the House, rang him to say Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was asking him to reconsider."I'm thinking, pull that Jacinda card eh?"Three years later, Ardern asked him to be Deputy Speaker, which after admitting his initial disappointment he did not have a ministerial role, was assured there was a pathway to that or to become Speaker."I pinch myself almost every day, wonder how this guy from Rātana Pā gets to be the Speaker of this House."The statement from his family said Rurawhe would lie in state at Whangaehu Marae until his burial at Ngā Puketuurua Ratana Pa.