Due to the demands of being speaker, he did not contest the electorate in the 2023 election, but returned to Parliament at number 11 on Labour's party list.

[5] He was the chairman of the Ngāti Apa iwi for ten years[5] and was on the team that negotiated the 2011 treaty settlement with the Crown through the Waitangi Tribunal.

[8] At the 2014 election, after Turia had retired from politics, Rurawhe contested the Te Tai Hauāuru electorate for Labour and defeated Chris McKenzie of the Māori Party.

[18] As part of a cabinet reshuffle on 13 June 2022, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern designated Rurawhe to replace Trevor Mallard as the next speaker of the House.

[19][20] On 24 August Rurawhe was elected as speaker of the House with the support of both the governing and opposition parties, becoming the second Māori to hold the position, after Peter Tapsell.

[23] Rurawhe did not contest the Te Tai Hauāuru electorate in the 2023 general election, but stood as a list-only candidate, as all previous incumbent speakers under MMP have done.

[26] Following the formation of the National-led coalition government in late November 2023, Rurawhe became spokesperson for Whānau Ora and Associate Māori Development in the Shadow Cabinet of Chris Hipkins.