Adrian Rurawhe

Labour Party candidate Adrian Rurawhe is the current MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, a seat he won in the 2014 Election following the retirement of former Māori Party co-leader Tariana Turia.

Rurawhe, along with Labour’s other Māori electorate MPs, have chosen not to be on the Labour list.

He is a great-grandson of Rātana founder, Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana. His grandparents Matiu and Iriaka Rātana were MPs for Western Māori.

Rurawhe was chairperson of Ngāti Apa for 10 years and a Treaty negotiator for the iwi.

He was brought up in Taihape and worked for the railways from the age of 17 until he was made redundant more than a decade later.

Rurawhe has a background in management and was business manager at Te Atawhai o te Ao, a Māori health and environmental research unit, before entering Parliament.