Tamihere eyes up Waitakere mayoralty

BEN WATSON/Western Leader

FIGHTING FIT: Waipareira Trust chief John Tamihere plans to challenge for the Waitakere city mayoralty.

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John Tamihere will run for the Waitakere mayoralty in the October elections.

The controversial former Labour MP is probably the most high profile contender to surface in Waitakere city politics since incumbent mayor Bob Harvey was first elected in 1992.

The Waipareira Trust chief executive says he decided to run for the top job after being approached by several community figures.

But convincing his fiance, speech therapist and consultant Awerangi Durie, wasn't easy.

The pair are due to marry next month and have a blended family of five.

"She wasn't overly comfortable with it," the Te Atatu South resident says.

Mr Tamihere, the former Associate Minister of Maori Affairs, will step down from his role on the trust during the lead-up to the election.

But he says he'll return to the position if he loses.

Mr Tamihere, 48, expects a difficult few weeks ahead.

"I anticipate a bit of argy bargy, but I think a fiesty campaign is good," he says.

"I think it's good for west Auckland to make it a real competition."

Mr Tamihere rose to national prominence as the chief executive of the Waipareira Trust from 1991 to 1999.

He left the trust after winning the Maori seat of Hauraki for Labour.

His parliamentary career was controversial and he was investigated by the serious fraud office in 2004 over allegations of financial impropriety during his time on the trust.

He was stood down as a minister during the resulting inquiry and was cleared in 2005 only to find himself back under fire a few months later after an article appeared in Investigate magazine.

Mr Tamihere slated a number of his senior party colleagues in the piece which was written by magazine editor Ian Wishart.

He claimed it was an off the record conversation but was censured by Prime Minister Helen Clark after mainstream media picked up on his comments.

Mr Tamihere lost the seat of Tamaki Makaurau to Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples in the 2005 general election and is no longer a Labour Party member.

He returned to the Waipareira Trust, which was struggling after a period of financial turmoil, and was quickly elevated to the top position.

Mr Tamihere, who co-hosts a radio talkback show with Willie Jackson, is also chief executive of the National Urban Maori Authority.

- © Fairfax NZ News