The best news we have had for a week. Wally Stone has been elected as a runanga representative of Ngati Wheke to the Te Runanga O Ngai Tahu ruling council.
Wally , who has the huge respect of the New Zealand business community fell foul of Mark Solomon and left his job as chair of the financial power house of Ngai Tahu empire - Ngai Tahu Holding corp earlier this year.
The last ten years has seen an unstable tribe council riven by bitter personality battles that have spilled into the public arena.
We have been happy to put our hand up and say that Solomon must go.
His reign at the top of the "Table" has not unified the tribe. And his ego has prevented him from making the decision that would have shown integrity - to step aside.
Just recently we came across Solomon in the Wellington Airport - he yelled at us and waved his big Solomon finger in our face. He is obviously no fan of Roarprawn and BustedBlonde and we saw first hand why some people believe he is a bully.
It was not the action of a man of dignity.
But we are not scared of him. Instead we just laughed at him. His finger may be big but his mana is puny.
So the election of Tahu Potiki last week and Wally Stone this week means that we will see a change of direction in our tribes politics. We hope that it will mean that Solomon will finally show some humility and step down.
Our dream team would be Wally Stone at the helm with Tahu Potiki as deputy and to ensure that we dont see anymore swinging dicks, that the role of the chair is more clearly defined on governance and not the semi titular head it appears to have become.
We also want to see some of the people who have built their own businesses and shown strong leadership representing Ngai Tahu on boards and organisations around the country instead of the same old tired faces who have been sychophants of Solomon.
We also want to see Ngai Tahu take the lead and form stronger relationships with other iwi so that we can take advantage of the economies of scale that joint ventures with other tribes can offer.
And we want, apart from issues of commercial sensitivy, utter transparency. No more PR spin glossing up the tribes performance - tell it like it is.
We are well pleased with todays events as every Ngai Tahi beneficiary should be. We firmly believe that together Potiki and Stone have the brains, financial prudence and wise leadership to take the tribe forward. Kia Kaha to you both.
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8 comments:
Great news. as a ngai tahu person this has got to be the quickest turn around in our history well done wally all good things come in time.
Forget about the richard parata & stewart bull comments that have been posted on previous web pages this year.
Well done my friend you thoroughly deserved this appointment.
Terry Nicholas
BB you have hit the nail on the head once again and we are well pleased to see Mr Stone at the table, the reps that were part of ousting Mr Stone along with Solomon never hung their heads in shame but tried all year to justify their one eyed action. Now they will have to face Potiki and Stone as EC said on an equally footing.
My, my. Things will be different around the table now. I predict a very interesting Hui a Tau. It will be a challenge for all the members of the Table to mind their p's and q's and act in the best interests of the shareholders, us, instead of favouring the sycophants who have a vested interest in the status quo.
I feel the winds of change rattling the windows in Hereford Street!
By the way, I echo the sentiments expressed by Terry, Anonymous and yourself, BB. The iwi has been the loser while Wally was sidelined. His commercial nous can only assist the Table.
Kia ora BB. Good to hear that Wally has been appointed as a TRONT rep. What runanga is he representing? There has been no formal notification from nga runanga of which I am a member.
Ngai Tahu you should be patting yourselves on the back with Wally & Tahu coming to the table.THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN!.Can you hear the whining (sorry)wineing going on.I can hear the bagd being packed now.There are 2 people that should get their tickets quick for the last stage out of Dodge.It leaves from outside the pub.I guess for at least 1 of you it's not far to stumble.from the southern sting!
What fantastic & truly comforting news to hear that Wally has been put into this position. As well as his supreme business skill that has been mentioned he brings to the table integrity, humility & mana, things that surely we all expect of someone in a leading position in our iwi. I too agree with others & hope that Wally will fill the position of Kaiwhakahaere. It has been too long that we have seen & heard of the antics of Mark Solomon, the inappropriate behavior seen in the airport is unfortunately what we have learnt to expect............ I for one hope that his reign of arrogance & shame is over, although I don't believe for a moment that he is going to step down, having the best interests of the people is not in Marks priorities.
Congratulations whanau Stone, you have my support!!
that is fantastic and refreshing news! TRONT will be so much richer to have Wally with his business acumen and Tahu with his Reo and knowledge of ngai tahu history and tikanga.
that is awesome!
Wally has a great business mind but should not be the next Kaiwhakahaere (I can see you having a fit now, but wait) the Kaiwhakahaere is a position which is strong in kawa, tikanga and mana to which Wally is not ready, and in saying that Mark has lost all off that.
Wally will be a good rep for the Hapu o Ngati Wheke.
It is a shame that I have not heard any stories of anyone standing against Mark for Kaikoura, its best it gets out there because 'the devil you know is better than the devil you don't'
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