Maori King 'must open books'

Maori King Tuheitia Paki's authority faces challenge from members of the Tainui iwi.

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Elected Tainui officials are demanding the Maori King, Tuheitia Paki, open his books and reveal details of his spending.

Concern about the king's spending and the tribe's governance has mounted within Tainui over recent weeks and now tribal members want answers.

In an unprecedented move that directly challenges the king's authority, some members of Tainui's parliament, Te Kauhanganui, want the books of the king's office made public to quell suspicions over excessive spending.

They also want a group formed to review spending by the tribe's executive board, Te Arataura, which is headed by former MP Tukoroirangi Morgan. The executive has been criticised for what is claimed to be huge legal and consultant bills and it is understood that some members of the parliament are making plans to get rid of Morgan and the board.

The annual budget for King Tuheitia's office is $1.2 million compared to $250,000 when his late mother, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, reigned. The money is provided by the tribe.

However, only a few people are privy to how the money is spent and concerns have been expressed about overspending.

In the spotlight is the king's travel budget. He has enjoyed several overseas trips since his inauguration in 2006, and while the reasons behind the trips are not being questioned, the size of his entourage and the related cost is.

The cost and size of a delegation the king led to New York last year to join former prime minister Helen Clark for her welcome as head of the United Nations Development Programme has caused particular disquiet. The journey involved a side trip to Dubai involving the king and Morgan as well as other officials, which was also questioned. It is not known how much the trip cost.

Sources told the Sunday Star-Times the parliament has been unable to pinpoint exactly how money is being spent and some members want transparent accountability.

The demand comes at the same time that some members of parliament are looking to oust Morgan and follows a speech by the king at a parliament meeting two weeks ago in which he attacked parliament members for questioning his use of tribal funds, calling it "his money".

It was reported he threatened to abdicate if the questioning did not stop, but this has been strenuously denied.

In a further development which inflamed the situation last week, Tom Roa, chairman of Te Kauhanganui, resigned. Roa told the Star-Times he believed the parliament had become embarrassing and he had to take some of the blame for that.

He will remain as a member of Te Kauhanganui and will lobby for early elections of the parliament and the board after failing to persuade the board to resign.

"At the centre of it, Te Kauhanganui and Te Arataura are not performing appropriately. We've been going down this track for some time and nothing is really changing. I am saying to the board, we need to allow the people to express whether they still have confidence in us."

Roa says he has "real disquiet" that the king "feels a need to come down off his pedestal and tell us off".

But others in the parliament say King Tuheitia has "made the mistake of putting himself at the forefront of tribal politics and entwined himself in the whole mess".

"He has become involved when he should stay as far from politics as possible," one source said.

The appointment last year of Rangi Whakaruru, chief of staff in the king's office, has also caused widespread concern. Whakaruru, who once fronted an anti-violence advertising campaign with prominent New Zealanders without telling them of his violent past, is believed by many tribal members to be the wrong person for the job.

The king's office did not return calls.

Meanwhile, any move to remove Morgan and his board is likely to come at the next meeting of Te Kauhanganui in May. The parliament needs 75% support to pass a resolution for new elections. Sources say there is a groundswell of support for the move, motivated by concern that continued divisions will affect the tribe's commercial arm, Tainui Group Holdings.

"The only option left is to seek re-election of Te Arataura. It is too dangerous for the financial security of tribe not to," one member said.

A "success fee" of $100,000 each, paid to Morgan and Lady Raiha Mahuta for successfully negotiating a $310 million deal over the Waikato River, has also added to the tension.

Morgan would not discuss the payment with the Star-Times but said he had done a superb job securing the deal and, while he had previously gone on record saying he would not accept payment for his work, the fee was a decision made by the board.

"In a tribe like ours there will always be a small faction who moan and groan for salacious reasons. Frankly, I'm not interested in indulging in a tit for tat. I'm a stickler for process and welcome my colleagues to follow the constitution rather than indulge in innuendo and baseless allegations. I will accept whatever the democratic process throws up."

Lady Mahuta, the widow of Sir Robert Mahuta who negotiated the tribe's raupatu [land confiscation] settlement in 1995, has also spoken out about the tribal divisions. She acknowledged the divisions and said in a statement it was "embarrassing, frustrating and increasingly uncomfortable to deal with other iwi, leaders and heads of state because of the behaviour in Te Kauhanganui".

Tainui is also awaiting a ruling from the Employment Relations Authority over the employment of its chief executive Hemi Rau. Rau was sacked by Morgan in December for alleged media leaks but is seeking reinstatement.

- © Fairfax NZ News