Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson has moved himself down the Labour Party rankings in Parliament to give some of the newer MPs a chance to make their mark.
Mr Hodgson is now ranked 16th, down from 6th in government, and takes over the Opposition spokesman roles for immigration and defence.
"I've done that on purpose. Had I stayed on, I would have been the longest-serving MP on the front bench apart from the leadership.
"I'm as keen as anyone to make sure the rejuvenation of the party goes well," he said.
A group of senior MPs had met on the Monday after the election and decided whom they would support for the leadership of the party when former prime minister Helen Clark and her deputy, Michael Cullen, resigned.
When Phil Goff was elected leader, Mr Hodgson approached him and said he would not take a seat on the front bench.
Deputy leader Annette King contacted Mr Hodgson later to confirm that he really meant what he said.
Mr Hodgson said that Labour's second bench included Miss Clark, Dr Cullen, Trevor Mallard and himself - "reasonably good-quality opposition" - while the front bench had two established leaders and six or seven relatively new MPs.
Even former Maori affairs minister Parekura Horomia had been in Parliament only nine years.
Asked if it would be his last term in Parliament, Mr Hodgson said he made that decision every three years in consultation with his wife.
"I have had 10 or 15 portfolios. If it turns out we can form a government in three years' time then it's time for some of the others to shoulder that burden."
