Prophetic voice from the grave

By VANESSA BIDOIS

RAGLAN - At the windswept Raglan grave of Maori rights campaigner Eva Rickard, daughter Angeline Greensill reminisces about her mother's prophetic stance against Tainui's $170 million raupatu settlement.

As the Waikato tribe's 40,000 beneficiaries reel from the news this week of a financial empire in crisis, Mrs Rickard's warnings back in 1995 have returned to haunt the iwi.

She questioned principal negotiator Sir Robert Mahuta's mandate to sign on behalf of Tainui while her marae, Poihakena, was one of several which refused to back the historic compensation deal struck with the Crown.

Her demands for Government intervention were ignored at the time but in an ironic twist, some beneficiaries and Maori MPs are now calling for the Government to stop the settlement process in light of the tribe's massive investment losses.

Sir Robert also faces a leadership challenge as he attempts to deflect the blame for the financial fiasco.

The wealthy iwi announced on Monday that it will slash $40 million off its balance sheet, confirming the findings of last month's Herald investigation.

"She wanted open korero (talk) amongst the people and that wasn't visible and it still is not," says Mrs Greensill.

"There was nothing wrong with the settlement but we could see that the process was not accountable nor transparent and that there were flaws.

"Nobody took any notice."

Mrs Rickard, who died in 1997 at the age of 72, led the successful fight for the return of the golf course at Te Kopua in Whaingaroa (the Maori name for Raglan).

This week marks the 22nd anniversary when 17 people - led by Mrs Rickard - were arrested while trying to hold a ceremony on the ancestral burial plots.

Family, friends and supporters will gather at the harbourside site this weekend for her annual Te Ao Marama festival which will also commemorate the fifth anniversary since the 25ha block was declared an independent state.

Mrs Greensill says her mother launched the new state in desperation at Crown inaction a year after the settlement.

"There were many things that went down that the Crown ignored.

"That's why I keep saying they have a responsibility for some of this mess."

Meanwhile, Sir Robert yesterday rejected claims made by former Tainui executive Greg Parker who is taking the tribe to court over his dismissal.

According to Mr Parker, Sir Robert has been aware for many years that the iwi was spending more than its means but had ignored the warnings.

Sir Robert says Tainui does not agree with Mr Parker's comments but those are matters that will be heard by the Employment Court.

"That is the appropriate forum to deal with this rather than conducting the debate through the media."