Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa trustee Roger Pikia has spoken out after an attempt was made at a recent hui to have him removed from the board of trustees.
The motion was voted down 11-4. "Overwhelming support for my presence on the TPT board by TPT trustees is because Iam able to provide a clear vision, logical strategies and prudent financial recommendations that protect the interests of the affiliate iwi/hapu and Te Pumautanga," Mr Pikia said.
"As a consequence of my defending the rights of the affiliate iwi/hapu that upsets the strategy and tactic being advanced... they have turned to attempting to have me and others removed from the TPT board. They have failed."
Mr Pikia is a business owner whose company operates in the investment and export sectors both internationally and across the country.
A high court hearing in Tauranga in 2013 found that Mr Pikia transferred $438,000 worth of his grandmother's land to himself without her consent. At the time Mr Pikia was the Chief Executive of Te Arawa Group Holdings, the commercial arm of the entity he has now been appointed to by his affiliate iwi Ngati Tahu / Ngati Whaoa.
Te Pumautangao Te Arawa is the post settlement group entity responsible for managing the treaty settlement received from the Crown in 2006 on behalf of 11 affiliate Te Arawa hapu/iwi. At a recent meeting trustee Geoff Rice sought to have Mr Pikia removed claiming that as a responsible trustee he has a moral and legal responsibility to ensure that the assets he and the other 14 trustees represent, are managed and protected in the correct manner.
"I don't think we are behaving appropriately in terms of how we are dealing with people that are in positions of responsibility...It's not good enough, I think people are too scared, I think people don't know how to say anything. I think it should be publicly said and he should be asked to resign," said Mr Rice.
"We should have the strength as a collective to make sure there is no way that can happen again."
