Summarised by Centrist
Writing in Waatea News, Dr Rawiri Taonui rebuts bullying allegations levelled against the leadership of Te Pāti Māori.
The claims were raised by Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, her son Eru Kapa-Kingi, and Te Tai Tonga MP Tākuta Ferris.
They allege that party president John Tamihere and co-leaders Debbie Ngārewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi fostered a bullying, dictatorial, and unsafe culture within the party.
Ferris claims the leadership attempted to bully the late MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp out of Parliament, while Eru has said he resigned from party roles because of that culture.
One of Taonui’s sharpest passages addresses Eru Kapa-Kingi’s resignation. While Eru later described his departure as a response to bullying, Taonui writes:
“More likely, he left because Kemp’s withholding of money short-circuited his financial expectations.”
Taonui details invoices and proposed payments linked to Kemp’s electorate budget during her illness, describing them as “mercenary” and questioning their justification.
He also recounts a disputed attempt to access Kemp’s budget after her death, which the author characterises as “a raid on the budget of a recently passed colleague”.
A blunt characterisation attributed to party insiders states: “When Mariameno arrives, the boys and the invoices soon follow.”
Editor’s note: Waatea News is operated in part by the Waipareira Trust, which is headed by John Tamihere, president of Te Pāti Māori and subject of the allegations. Readers are advised to take claims made here with appropriate caution.
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