Editorial: Tau best to refuse post at this time

Sonny Tau should not accept his recent nomination as chairman of Tuhoronuku, says Craig Cooper.

It is difficult to see how Sonny Tau can accept his recent nomination as chairman of Tuhoronuku, the body set to negotiate the Ngapuhi Treaty Settlement.

Mr Tau has only just resigned from the position, after he admitted publicly possessing protected South Island kukupa.

To accept the nomination and seek re-election would make a mockery of the mana of the Treaty negotiation process. The process is already disrespected by large portions of Northland Maori who do not recognise Tuhoronuku's mandate, and want a different, more consultative path taken.

The question would have also have to be asked "what has changed?" in the short time since Mr Tau considered it was appropriate to resign. Shame brought upon Ngapuhi must have been a factor in his decision -- seeking re-election would subject him to sideline analysis that he simply did not think his offending was bad enough to warrant standing down permanently.

There may well be an accepted time period to seek the post again -- no one is suggesting his misdemeanour, which he admitted quickly, is "fatal" to reclaiming the Tuhoronuku chair. It didn't cause him to lose chairmanship of the Ngapuhi runanga.

And if the people re-elect him, who can argue?

But the accepted time period cannot be mere weeks. Mr Tau, like any public figure in Northland, has his critics. Accepting the chairmanship nomination would throw fuel on the critics' fire. The ensuing clamour would harm, not help, the negotiation process.

Mr Tau has admitted possessing kukupa (he denies hunting them) and part of his sentence in the court of public opinion should include turning down his recent nomination. Like the early admittance of his mistake, it would be the right thing to do.