[7] He beat 13 contenders (including Malcolm Douglas, Owen Greatbatch, Ken Hastings, Norman Kingsbury, Wayne Mapp and Lois Welch) to win the nomination on 23 April 1981.

[9] Three years later, when Labour won the 1984 elections, Goff was elevated to Cabinet by Prime Minister David Lange, becoming its youngest member.

As Minister of Housing Goff provided money to finance loans to households in dire financial situations and purchased state rental units.

In response he committed $100 million to reinstate government subsidised training schemes to help the unemployed gain skills for new jobs.

[14] He also inherited responsibility for the Tomorrow's Schools reform initiative discovering budgeting errors and a staffing shortage that occurred under his predecessor in the portfolio (Lange).

While many commentators blamed Douglas's controversial reforms for Labour's loss, Goff said that the main problem had been in communication, not policy.

Goff was appointed to a position at the Auckland Institute of Technology, and later accepted a scholarship to study for six months at Oxford University.

[19] After Mike Moore left Parliament to become Director-General of the World Trade Organization Goff also became the party's spokesperson for Foreign Affairs.

[20] In the 1999 elections, which Labour won, Goff accepted seventh place on the party list, but also retained his electorate seat.

The ship had previously been denied entry to Australia by the government of John Howard, dubbed by media as the "Tampa affair".

Goff defended the use of air strikes as part of the invasion which the government stressed were targeted at terrorists and were justified under the United Nations Charter stating that they were "regrettably necessary".

[26] In 2003 convicted rapist Stewart Murray Wilson doctored and distributed a letter from Justice Minister Goff, in an apparent attempt to get his case reviewed.

Goff signed the agreement on behalf of the New Zealand government together with the Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 7 April 2008.

In an October 2010 speech, Goff emphasised the "Kiwi Dream" of high-wage jobs, home ownership and social protection.

"[35][36] In John Key's Statement to Parliament in February 2010, the government announced its consideration of raising Goods and Services Tax from 12.5% to 15%.

[37] Goff opposed the raise, saying that "GST increase will hurt families that are already struggling to make ends meet", and the Labour caucus set out on an 'Axe the Tax' nationwide road trip.

[42][43] Outside Parliament Goff told protesters that he and Labour would oppose the proposals "at every stage", and pledged to re-protect any land released from Schedule 4, should his party return to power.

"[46] Three days after conceding defeat Goff and his deputy, Annette King announced they would be standing down from their leadership positions on 13 December, but would stay on in Parliament as electorate MPs.

While the Auckland Peace Action activist group and the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand had objected to Southern and Molyneux's planned talk, Goff's decision was criticised by the promoter David Pellowe and human rights lawyer Craig Tuck for violating free speech.

This group consisted of several business leaders, academics, lawyers, and journalists including the former Labour President Michael Bassett, former National and ACT parties leader Don Brash, Property Institute chief executive Ashley Church, Auckland University of Technology historian Paul Moon, left-wing commentator Chris Trotter, and New Zealand Taxpayers' Union Jordan Williams.

[61][62] On 18 July, Free Speech Coalition spokesperson David Cumin announced that the group had filed legal proceedings against Mayor Goff and the Auckland Council after a failed attempt to broker a deal with Goff and the council to reinstate the speaking event planned by Southern and Molyneux.

[63][64][65] On 25 July, the Free Speech Coalition withdrew their proceedings against Mayor Goff but warned that further legal action could go ahead.

Goff welcomed the development and reiterated his opposition to allowing Council facilities to host events promoting hate speech.

[73][74][75] On 14 February 2022, Goff announced that he would not seek re-election for a third term of Auckland mayoralty in September 2022, saying that he intended to retire after 41 years in politics.

In the 2017 New Year Honours, Goff was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), for services as a member of parliament.