Career
He first entered Parliament as a list Member of Parliament in the 1996 elections, and was the Member of Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau since the 1999 elections. When the Labour Party formed a government following its victory in 1999, Samuels became the Minister of Māori Affairs, but resigned this role in June 2000 pending an investigation into alleged sex crimes committed before he entered politics. He was reinstated as a Minister of State in 2002, but in 2005 was involved in further controversy following a late-night incident in which he publicly urinated in a hallway within Auckland"s Heritage hotel.
However, he was returned to parliament due to his high position on the Labour Party list.
He was made the Associate Minister for Economic Development, Housing, Tourism and Industry and Regional Development. On 31 October 2007, during the Cabinet reshuffle, Samuels lost his position as a Minister outside Cabinet and was replaced by Darren Hughes.
He returned to the backbench. Samuels did not contest the 2008 election.
