Dispute leads to investigation of chief executive

A dispute between the chief executive of the Maori Language Commission and her staff has prompted the board to order an investigation.

The independent inquiry, conducted by Sir Wira Gardiner, was begun after some staff wrote to the board expressing concerns about Huhana Rokx's management style.

Commission chairman Erima Henare has been acting chief executive since November 10, when the board appointed Sir Wira.

Both Mr Henare, who earned $58,150 from the board for the year ended June 2008, and Ms Rokx declined to comment personally about the dispute yesterday.

Mr Henare issued a statement through Wellington public relations consultant Chris Wikaira, of Busby Ramshaw Grice. It said the board would meet to discuss Sir Wira's investigation next week.

Management and staff had been told not to speak to the media, Mr Wikaira said. "All media inquiries should be made through me."

But papers obtained by The Dominion Post claim staff members fluent in the Maori language use this ability to "show superiority" over their colleagues.

There have been at least two meetings between management and staff this year aimed at resolving the in-house problems.

One employee noted that, after one of these meetings, staff did not feel trusted and found their work environment suffocating.

"We could treat each other better and be more encouraging of each other," the staff member noted.

Mr Henare appointed Ms Rokx to the chief executive's job from a field of 14 candidates in February 2007. At the time he described her as a leader with a "certain X-factor".

Before her appointment, Ms Rokx, who is paid between $130,000 and $160,000 a year, was a kohanga reo teacher and Maori publishing manager at educational publisher Learning Media Ltd.

Sir Wira, who shares Bay of Plenty Ngati Awa tribal links with Ms Rokx, declined to speak about his investigation.

Board members Iritana Tawhiwhirangi, Ruakere Hond, Hana O'Regan and Wayne Ngata could not be reached for comment yesterday.