'I don't think I can work with Ms Rankin' - Maori advisor quits

Families Commission's Maori advisor Druis Barrett. Photo / Supplied

Families Commission's Maori advisor Druis Barrett says the appointment of Christine Rankin is the main reason she quit her job.

She told Radio New Zealand that she left on principle over Ms Rankin's attitude to Maori and her divisive style.

Ms Rankin made comments about Maori needing to address child abuse problems during a TVNZ 2007 interview.

A security guard at the station was sacked for confronting Ms Rankin over her remarks.

Ms Rankin previously headed Winz, now and Work and Income, but was not reappointed after extravagant spending. She lost a colourful legal challenge to her dismissal in 2001.

Ms Rankin told NZPA this week she did not regret her remarks and said Maori did need to face up to child abuse issues.

"We need to stop being politically correct."

Ms Barrett worked on the commission's whanau reference group.

"I am not convinced that she (Ms Rankin) is supportive of Maori in terms of the comments she made last year about Maori whanau and Maori children," she said.

"I don't really think I could actually work with a commissioner like that. She said that Maori whanau don't look after their own, and that we should be responsible for the many children that are at risk and have been killed.

"That comment, I suppose it can be true, but Maori are trying to address it too."

Ms Barrett said Ms Rankin was outspoken in the media instead of coming to the commission and seeing the lay of the land before publicly commenting.

In interviews Ms Rankin was critical of the commission's achievements.

Ms Barrett said she had not intended her resignation to be a big deal.

"I just had that (discussion) between the Families Commission and myself in terms of saying `you know I need to step down because I really don't think I can work with Ms Rankin'.

"I don't really think she will advocate for Maori."

Ms Barrett said the commission needed to work as a team and she doubted Ms Rankin could do that.

"Do I think she should stand down from the position? If I am being honest, I think she should...but she's already made that statement that she wasn't going to stand down."

She emphasised her position was not political.

"I have principles as a Maori woman and I stand by them...I am quite sad that I had to step down."

Cabinet ministers yesterday brushed off mounting criticism of Ms Rankin's appointment.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said she was surprised by the hostile reactions to it.

"You would think she was actually running the show and was moving to Wellington and was going to be in charge of a budget of millions, where the reality is she's one person sitting around a table with six others," Ms Bennett said.

Labour MP Rajen Prasad, former Chief Families Commissioner, suggested the Government might also have a new agenda for the Children's Commissioner because the position has been filled by an interim appointment for the last six months.

- NZPA