Tau Henare

Wellington, June 21 NZPA - National Party MP Tau Henare is in hospital recovering from a heart attack, it was reported today.

Mr Henare, 49, told the New Zealand Herald from Auckland City Hospital he woke at 2am on Sunday morning and knew immediately he was having a heart attack.

The list MP's wife Ngaire "told me I looked like a tupapaku [dead body.] I rang the ambulance and I just started to sweat and threw up.

"It's a wake-up call - it's not every day you have a heart attack."

On Facebook Mr Henare described how he had a stent put in to keep blocked arteries open.

"Well at twoish this morning I had a wee heart attack. Freakiest thing in the whole world. Anyway, all is good they put a stent into my artery. Don't Panic whanau and don't jump for joy either."

In April, Mr Henare went public about having diabetes and trying to give up smoking and a fitness regime which saw him drop from 104kg to 97kg.

Mr Henare would not return to work until next month.