Tainui silenced as fifth member goes

Tainui's embattled ruling executive has been left powerless by the resignation of a fifth member amid claims by its acting chairman that he is being pressed by his own brother to quit.

The resignation from Tekaumarua of Rahui Papa, representative of Pohara Marae in South Waikato, leaves the former 12-member executive without a quorum.

The 12th member, Sir Robert Mahuta, has refused to meet the executive after it passed a motion last month stripping him of his corporate powers.

The democratically elected Tekaumarua has been plagued by division since it was appointed on April 30.

Mr Papa's resignation is the fifth in three months, and reduces the number of executive members to six.

The executive must have at least seven members to hold a meeting.



Acting Tekaumarua chairman Kingi Porima claimed yesterday that he was being pressed to resign as a representative of his marae, Waipapa at Kawhia.

He said his older brother Fred had told him to stand down. "I told him emphatically that I'm not standing down."

The wrangle between the executive, Sir Robert, Maori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the Tainui parliament (Te Kauhanganui o Waikato) and its chairman, Dr Koro Wetere, was taken to the High Court last week. The matter was adjourned until September 13.

Tekaumarua claims that the voting procedure used to sack it at a meeting of the tribe's 183-member parliament was wrong.

That was one of several allegations it put to the High Court at Hamilton and which resulted in an interim injunction to restore its financial powers in Tainui.

- NZPA