Former Speaker of the House, iwi leader and Labour MP Adrian Paki Rurawhe has died, with his whānau announcing his peaceful passing surrounded by those closest to him.
The whānau of Adrian Paki Rurawhe have announced his passing at 2.15am this morning, marking the end of a life deeply connected to whānau, iwi, the Rātana movement, public service and the political life of Aotearoa.
In a statement, his whānau said Adrian passed peacefully surrounded by love, with his whānau close by.
They expressed their gratitude for the many messages, prayers, thoughts and expressions of aroha shared with Adrian and the wider whānau during this time.
Adrian will lay in state at Whangaehu Marae before being laid to rest at Ngā Puketuurua, Rātana Pā. Further details regarding the tangihanga, including times and arrangements, will be announced by the whānau.
The whānau have asked for time and space as they come together to grieve, remember and celebrate his life.
Adrian’s passing closes an extraordinary chapter of public service spanning iwi leadership, health, education and more than a decade in Parliament.
Born in Taihape in 1961, Adrian was raised in a whānau whose history was inseparable from Rātana Pā and Māori political representation. His father was a train driver and second-generation railway worker, while his mother trained as a nurse and later became a social worker. In his maiden speech to Parliament, Adrian spoke of growing up in a humble railway house and of the influence that his parents and Rātana had on his life.
His whakapapa carried an extraordinary political legacy.
Adrian was the grandson of Matiu Rātana and Iriaka Rātana, both of whom represented Western Māori in Parliament, and the great-grandson of Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, founder of the Rātana movement. His grand-uncle Haami Tokouru Rātana had also represented Western Māori, while Dame Tariana Turia, another member of his wider whānau, later represented Te Tai Hauāuru.
But Adrian forged his own path long before entering Parliament.
He worked across health and education and served for a decade as chairman of Ngāti Apa. He was part of the team involved in negotiating the iwi’s Treaty settlement with the Crown, bringing to that work the governance experience that would later become a hallmark of his parliamentary career.
His connection to education was equally strong. Adrian served on the board of Te Kura o Rātana, including 13 years as chair, an experience he later credited with teaching him much about governance, community and collective responsibility.
In 2014, Adrian entered Parliament as the Labour MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, succeeding Dame Tariana Turia.
He would represent Te Tai Hauāuru through three Parliaments, winning the electorate in 2014, 2017 and 2020. Following the 2023 election he remained in Parliament as a Labour list MP. His parliamentary service ultimately stretched from September 2014 until his retirement on Waitangi Day, 6 February 2026.
His rise through Parliament saw him move from Assistant Speaker in 2017 to Deputy Speaker in 2020.
Then, on 24 August 2022, Adrian Rurawhe was elected the 31st Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives.
It was a historic appointment. He became only the second Māori to hold the office of Speaker, following Sir Peter Tapsell. His election received support from both Government and Opposition MPs.
As Speaker, Adrian occupied one of the highest constitutional offices in the country, presiding over the House during a period spanning the governments of Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins and the transition following the 2023 general election. His term as Speaker concluded on 5 December 2023.
After leaving the Speaker’s chair, he continued serving in Parliament and held responsibilities including Whānau Ora and Associate Māori Development for Labour.
In January this year, Adrian announced that the time had come to leave Parliament.
He said he had spent the summer thinking about whānau and church and wanted to become more involved in both. He thanked the people of Te Tai Hauāuru, the Labour movement, the communities he had served and, above all, his whānau for supporting him throughout his political life.
He formally left Parliament on Waitangi Day.
Adrian Rurawhe’s story, however, was always larger than Parliament.
It was a story stretching from Rātana Pā to Ngāti Apa, from the railway household in which he grew up to iwi governance and Treaty negotiations, and ultimately to the Speaker’s chair in the House of Representatives.
He carried into Parliament a political whakapapa extending through generations, but also a lifetime of his own service to Māori communities.
For Te Tai Hauāuru, he was their parliamentary representative for nine years.
For Ngāti Apa, he was an iwi leader.
For Parliament, he became Speaker.
For the Rātana movement, he was part of a whakapapa that has helped shape Māori political representation for generations.
And for his whānau, he was Adrian.
His whānau will now bring him home.
Adrian will lay in state at Whangaehu Marae before his final journey to Ngā Puketuurua, Rātana Pā, where he will be laid to rest.
Details of the tangihanga will be released when arrangements have been confirmed.
For now, his whānau have asked for the time and space to grieve, remember and celebrate a life dedicated to service.
Haere e te rangatira. Haere ki te torona o Ihoa o ngā mano.
Moe mai rā, Adrian Paki Rurawhe.
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