Arapeta Tahana Photo/Stephen Parker
Over recent months Arapeta Tahana has come to be seen as the young gun of Te Arawa but is he the smoking gun some would have us believe?
As iwi frontman for the controversial proposal that Te Arawa representatives sit and have voting rights on the council's major committees, Arapeta was the one in the firing line.
Our People has no intention of rehashing yesterday's news; our task's unmasking the persona that's Arapeta Tahana the younger. It's not only his well-known late father's name he carries; it's his acknowledged leadership capabilities.
At 34, the korowai (cloak) of authority sits as easily on this Arapeta's shoulders as it did on his dad's. Kaumatua (elders) defer to his business acumen, promoting him ahead of themselves to lead Te Arawa into the future.
Our invitation for him to step us through his life opens with the revelation that he was a father at 18, and still at school.
"Being a teenage dad forced me to take responsibility, face challenge, have an opportunity to grow myself. I've always believed our kids are great teachers, they come into the world unencumbered, a wonderful reminder that life begins as anopen book."
Now we've opened Arapeta's book we jump several chapters to discover that, at 23, bipolar affected disorder was diagnosed. Responding to our raised eyebrow, he insists he wants to talk about it . . . "because I don't agree with the way people judge people, living with bipolar I've learnt a lot, when I go through the different stages it's like the changing seasons. It's a blessing more than anything, I've learnt how to leverage off it."
Arapeta's take on his condition isn't medical, but linked to spiritual forces.
"Maori live in two worlds simultaneously, physical and spiritual, for me the highs and lows are messages from the spiritual world and what's going on around us. I've been on the sickness benefit because of it, it's taught me that we can't appreciate the light without experiencing darkness." With such a profound analysis of his condition, we flick back to the chapters of his life previously skipped over.
His final two school years were at Western Heights "because of the volleyball and rugby".
He captained Heights' senior A volleyball team, was a national under-19 rep player and vice captain of the 1st XV. He's no slug on the rugby paddock, has played for Ngongotaha and Rotoiti's premier grades, wasa NZ Sevens trialist in 1999, played in the national Maori Colts team and for the Steamers in 2001.
His career path was less assured, "I didn't tick any of the career advisor's boxes".
He gave a Waikato University business management degree a shot for six months.
"I was living with my partner and baby, commuting Monday to Thursday, coming back for rugby training."
He picked up his degree course at Waiariki, however mid-way through decided entrepreneurship attracted him more than academia.
"Business management degrees teach you how to be an executive, not the psychology required."
Arapeta looked towards authors preaching the gospel of motivational and personal development, his first job was as a Vodafone salesman.
When the company was sold to franchisees he "approached the bank of Mum and Dad", partnered with his manager and bought into the Pukuatua and Tutanekai St stores.
"That's the foundation of my business experience, a baptism of fire."
His involvement in iwi affairs began early.
By 20, he'd represented Te Arawa at a Young Persons' Forum, followed by a Te Puni Kokiri-sponsored economic development study trip to the US.
Home, he joined his sister Taria in Tahana Ltd "identifying strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for Te Arawa development".
A move to the Waitakere council introduces an ironical twist. "One of my jobs was looking at Maori representation. . . I've been around this stuff a decade." Next stop the Porirua City Council, working in youth development. He met his present partner in a Wellington nightclub.
"To be honest I thought it was a fling but we fell in love, now we have two, almost three, children."
A job leading the Rotorua District Council's Safer Community Unit drew him home but he only lasted nine months, he blames micro-management and the 'R' word.
"I experienced racism internally, officers had concerns I was becoming too biased towards Maori, I felt compromised, undermined."
When his father died suddenly in 2009, Arapeta and his high-achieving three sisters 'divvied up' his obligations.
"What fell out of that was replacing dad on the Te Arawa Standing Committee, it was a period of absolute frustration . . . the fire was lit for me around the Te Arawa Partnership
Proposal (TAPP), things needed to change."
His insider's knowledge of councils' workings intensified when, in 2013, he was elected as the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Okurei ward member.
"I was asked to stand, said 'yes', then tried to pull out because I was so busy with Te Arawa affairs, but becausemy name was already in, legally I couldn't."
Despite not campaigning, "I didn't have a single billboard", he took the seat, becoming a staunch regional council advocate.
"It's very effective, especially having a Maori voice at the decision-making table."
We quiz him about his TAPP involvement thrusting him into the limelight.
"I don't know whether it was limelight, there were some shadows there for a while, but being in a leadership position means listening to the people, all people, with humility and integrity."
He insists it was his parents who gave him the necessary skill sets. "Dad's philosophy was 'help your people', Mum's our rock, she's instilled very strong values in us all."