BUILDING A HOUSE ON SAND

At the heart of the Ngai Tahu woes is a disagreement over the building of the " House of Tahu. " a $52 million dollar concrete monument to bloated egos.

Now when we heard that this was the issue we thought well if the financials stack up then why not?
We thought that Ngai Tahu must be confident that they were going to make lots of money from their commercial enterprises.

Nope wrong. You see the House is being built on the basis that the tribe is going to get more money from the Government as the original settlement included a relativity clause. Which means that if another tribe gets more than Ngai Tahu did then Ngai Tahu gets a top up. Ten points to the negotiators for organising that one. They were cunninger than cunning things and thats bloody cunning, even for Maoris.

So, the House of Tahu is being built with money from the government, not money that they have earned, but money they have been given.

But here is the kicker. It will house all of the people Ngai Tahu employ. Well, I said when told this stunningly interesting snippet, thats a lot of people I didn't think that the tribe employed that many .

Now it really does get worse.

Ngai Tahu has estimated that because of the extra money they will get they will increase the staffing levels by 33%.

Yip - that's the financial logic model that they have employed.

So it goes something like this - When you get more money you build a big house because when you have more money you have to employ more people.

We thought it was get more money, invest it in things that make more money, and disburse the benefits to the people in the way of business and education and cultural grants.

But no - it is to build a house on sand.

HE DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH

Mark Solomon the annointed leader of Ngai Tahu has sent out this very threatening missive to the people he serves.

It misses the point. What we are concerned about is his integrity. The fundemental issues is: Did he lie about the existence of the paper designed to orchestrate the dismissal of Wally Stone? click here for the background

If he did then the Whanui can no longer trust him and he must go. In many ways his fate rests with his noble runanga, Kaikoura. We think that like the Whales they protect, the people of Kaikoura are strong. They will not buckle in the face of threats and they will seek the truth.

Here is what Mark has sent to us. We think it is not becoming of a leader as it is threatening, contradictory and not coherent but we will not bow in the face of threats. We say to you Mark - Your people want to know the truth. Face the people , tell them the truth. You are their servant. Our comments are in red.

I am writing to all Representatives, Alternates and Papatipu Rūnanga on a matter of some importance. As you are all no doubt aware, following the decision of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu at the weekend to remove Wally Stone as Chair and director of NTHC a small number of Rūnanga chairs have chosen to take the internal business of Te Rūnanga to the media.

Sorry Mark you are wrong - some of those who have always supported you now harbour doubt

In my view, these are matters for the marae not the media. However, while I strongly disagree with their whakaaro and the forum they have chosen, they do have a right to voice their own views on this matter.

Yes we do Mark and when we feel that our voices cannot be heard at the table what other avenues do we have?

That said, the leaking to the media of the confidential internal memorandum written by Tony Gray is in another category. The public release of contents of the memorandum have the potential to irreparably damage the reputation of not only Wally Stone and the NTHC Board members, but also senior staff of NTHC. I am aware that the release of this internal memorandum has caused deep personal distress to some of the individuals concerned and to their families.

All we want to know is, who ordered the creation of the paper that was to outline the dismissal process for Wally Stone. Remember you are ultimately responsible for the action of Te Runanga O Ngai Tahu

On behalf of Te Rūnanga I wish to make it clear that the release of this memorandum, firstly to Te Rūnanga Representatives and then to the media cannot be condoned at any level. These are the actions of a few thoughtless and irresponsible individuals who are seeking to cause harm to the reputation of both Te Rūnanga and NTHC for personal and political reasons.

Many people are grieving, their actions are considered. They simply cannot let this rest without some measure of justice.

Those individuals should not remain anonymous. They should have the courage to come forward and to apologise for the distress and any reputational damage they have caused. It goes without saying that these actions are totally inconsistent with the fundamental duty of each Representative to act in the best interests of Ngāi Tahu Whānui. Therefore, if any existing Te Rūnanga Representatives have been involved in any way with the leaking of this memorandum to the media they should resign immediately.

This is your view as the servant of your people. The people who have given light to this issue do so because they believe that the only way for it to be settled is to take it from the Table and let the people they represent know what has happened.

I repeat the offer which was made in a previous e-mail - if any rūnanga wishes to discuss this or any other matter kanohi ki te kanohi then I am more than happy to do so. As we know, information in the media can be presented in a manner that stretches or distorts the truth. One example of this is that the vote taken was 11 in support of the removal of Wally and 7 against. In fact the vote was 11 for, 2 abstentions, 2 against and 3 absent. Te Rūnanga is confident that it has taken the right decision for the right reasons and that the Te Rūnanga Group is well placed to meet the challenges which lay ahead of us all.

If that was the case then the paper outlining the dismissal of Wally Stone should never have been written.

In the meantime, for those individuals who do feel obliged to continue to engage with the media either in person or behind the scenes, I urge you to carefully consider the consequences for Ngāi Tahu Whānui, your Papatipu Rūnanga and the reputation of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.

Do not threaten us. We will not cower in the shadows. We will continue to see this issue debated in the light of day. That way we know we are safe.

WALLY STONE WILL END UP THE WINNER

Word around the traps is that Wally is being head hunted as we speak for various boards and positions. Sad but the reality is that Ngai Tahu's loss will be the rest of New Zealands gain.
We would expect that National makes good use of him.

NGAI TAHU LEADERSHIP FOUND WANTING

Today we fear for our people. Ngai Tahu is in turmoil. Our phone has been ringing hot from people within the tribe and from those who have worked alongside Wally Stone who heads the tribes commercial arm known as Ngai Tahu Holdings.

Wally was ousted over the weekend by Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu board the tribes governing body. The vote was 11- 7 by the runanga ( regional councils) representatives to the Board. The tribe has been been split for sometime over issues of financial prudence and governance. Essentially, some at the "Table," as the Board is known, want a greater say in the running of the Ngai Tahu Holdings - the tribes commercial holding tank.

The 11 members of the board who voted to oust Wally Stone, nationally regarded as one of our finest entrepreneurs who also commanded wide respect for his financial management, have also voted in principal to spend $52 million on the House of Tahu - a glorified concrete monument to the extreme egos that dominate the " Table."

In the days coming we will reveal the way that the ousting was carried out - it was neither honourable or just. Integrity and honesty were the first victims. The Kaikoura runanga chairman is reported as being gobsmacked. Their representative at the table is chair Mark Solomon. So the actions of the tribal board members is at odds with their own people.

It is a travesty that Ngai Tahu, a tribe that has won national and international acclaim for its growth of assets and stewardship of social programmes, that have made a real difference to so many rank and file iwi members, is now riven by the soul consuming desire by some to create a concrete legacy in the commercial jungle of Christchurch. At issue is the need to borrow millions to complete the House of Tahu. At a time when leadership is required and caution should prevail, Ngai Tahu's anointed ones have been found wanting.

Last year the tribe came extraordinarily close to ripping itself apart over similar issues of financial prudence and governance. In the next few days, we think that this issue will be a touch paper for the tribe. What is needed is all Ngai Tahu to stand up and say no. They have the power to do that via their runanga.

The current so called "leaders" of the tribe should hang their heads in shame that a good man and a brave man has been cast a side in a sad, sad egoistic show of might. What those "leaders" have proved is that the tribe is in sore need of men and women who make decisions that are in the best interests, not of themselves but of the people they serve.

It is a day of great mateatea for our people. ( embarrassment and disgrace) but it must not go unchallenged.