Wairarapa MP Georgina Beyer will stand down at the next election.
Ms Beyer, a first-term MP, told Wellington's Labour regional conference she was leaving politics to spend time developing her links with iwi and whanau in Taranaki.
She also wanted to work on promoting human rights issues for the lesbian and transgender communities in New Zealand and overseas.
"My political life has been brief and meteoric."
She first stood in local government in 1993 and never expected to spend more than three terms in politics.
Being asked to stand in Wairarapa for Labour and then winning the seat had been a bonus.
"It was not my intention to be in politics for ever ... There are other things that I want to do in my life."
She was confident the work she had done in Wairarapa meant Labour would hold the seat at the next election.
Ms Beyer won the Carterton mayoralty in October 1995, but stood down in May last year after winning the Wairarapa seat in 1999. She was New Zealand's first transsexual mayor and MP.
The Prime Minister has expressed sorrow that Ms Beyer was stepping down.
The pair had a long talk before Easter about the MP's future. "She wants her career to take a different path," said Helen Clark.
As the first transgender MP, Ms Beyer had found the job incredibly demanding in terms of representing the gay and lesbian community. "I suspect that has taken its toll," said Helen Clark.
Ms Beyer yesterday expressed some disquiet about the adversarial nature of politics. "I don't think I have the skills to be a drama queen in the chamber," she said on TV.
- NZPA
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