27 Comments
User's avatar
Skarlett Starr's avatar

The name Tamihere is a curse to many in NZ - we know about the Nepotism the grift the hideous amount of money he controls - that TPM has provided no financial statements…

And yet

For months now…

No action

Corruption in NZ?

Hell yeah…

But we seem powerless to do anything - it is so frustrating

@Shubz and Auntie Hei Hei are digging up dirt and shining the light on it…but Sheez

No wonder immigrants think NZ is soft on crime and a great place to set up cartels!

It is!

Expand full comment
Matua Kahurangi's avatar

@Shubz is doing a solid job right now exposing a few dirty actors. There are a couple of things where he hasn’t shown the receipts, which made it feel more like school yard gossip than fact, but you’re only as good as your sources. That’s why I always try to have proof before publishing or clearly state when something is an allegation. I’ve got some strong sources inside Parliament feeding me some pretty juicy stuff, but I’ll wait until we’re closer to the election before putting any of it out in the public arena.

Expand full comment
Skarlett Starr's avatar

Good policy

Just wish we could see some backbone in politics

Like a real will to clean shit up

Both sides of parliament are so riddled with corruption I have little faith in politics in NZ full stop - not that we will see the end of the grift!

Expand full comment
Matua Kahurangi's avatar

As soon as one grift dies another one pops up. They follow the same blueprint every time. Grab a few Māori bros, set up a faux social help agency and start screaming for donations. Once the funding rolls in those six figure salaries magically appear.

Expand full comment
Joanne Bedford's avatar

All on the taxpayer - with not a thank you!

Expand full comment
Matua Kahurangi's avatar

It’s actually disgusting. Hundreds of millions of dollars that could have gone into our health sector.

Expand full comment
Joanne Bedford's avatar

Yes. I think it’s time for a full trace back to the government departments and individuals that approved those Waipareira “contracts” without any accountability of the funds.

Expand full comment
Matua Kahurangi's avatar

Yeah, you’re right. I’ve actually just been talking to someone about the co-governance of the Ureweras by Tuhoe and it sounds exactly the same - no receipts, no accountability. Looks like I’ll be writing something up on this in the next few weeks.

Expand full comment
Joanne Bedford's avatar

I’ll look forward to it. Whoever approves this money lolly scramble also needs to be accountable.

Expand full comment
lee's avatar

I blame govts as well where in the hell are the safeguards to stop this blatant theft of taxpayers money. Has elite maori infiltrated so far into positions of corruption or what in the hell is going on. Clise all Tamiheres bs down wtf has 75 million in cash stashed on a marae while his beloved maori starve f me him and the bastard tmp have got to go. Grow some goddamn balls and take this arsehole down

Expand full comment
Matua Kahurangi's avatar

Yep, the government is to blame – they’re the ones letting this corruption run. Surely they can see that Tamihere and Co deliver nothing to ordinary Māori.

Expand full comment
Pope's avatar

Like all of Te Pati Māori, full of self entitlement. What about the land settlement funds? Only a fraction of that wealth dribbles down to Māori who need it.

Expand full comment
Matua Kahurangi's avatar

It hardly ever reaches the Māori who actually need it. It just sits in bank accounts earning interest, or somehow gets funnelled to the ones at the top.

Expand full comment
Pope's avatar

Yes the Māori Elite managing those Iwi funds seem to be focussed on building the value of those assets and in the meantime earning big salaries and perks that go with corporate life. Probably they think they’re the best people to decide on distribution but at some time if they want to help Māori in financial need they need to make bigger distributions and help them build personal wealth.

Expand full comment
lee's avatar

Somehow i cant see that happening these part maori bastards dont care for anyone but themselves. Wake up maori you are being taken for a massive ride. Now we know why tmp wont furnish accounts theyre connected for sure. Taxpayers of NZ have had enough of this racebased privledge handed to these huas on a silver platter, ffs its our money theyre 0handing out

Expand full comment
Matua Kahurangi's avatar

Many everyday Māori are waking up, realising that the Māori ‘social agencies’ receiving millions from the government to help them are delivering nothing.

Expand full comment
Pope's avatar

Maori ought to be warned if they ever get the chance to build personal wealth from their rightful distributions or share of Land Treaty Settlements, then our own Greta Thunberg (Chloe) will take it off them with outrageous taxes. Most of us want to build a better country but the Greens, having failed to do anything about climate change in 35 years, want to bring us all to a lower standing and make the country poorer. To be fair they’re now starting to excel at the politics of envy.

Expand full comment
Pope's avatar

No, it’s their money but they’re not handing it out.

Expand full comment
Katharine Birks's avatar

And he effectively "owns" a political party

Expand full comment
Matua Kahurangi's avatar

He's got his fingers in all the pies.

Expand full comment
Hooker Phil's avatar

Presume he walks with a briefcase.

Expand full comment
Cath's avatar

I'm amazed it's taken so long to expose him for who he is. When you work in front line services and see up close the poverty and the struggles of everyday people, this behaviour makes me sick.

Good piece Matua

Expand full comment
Matua Kahurangi's avatar

Gotta hand it to Duncan Garner on this one, Cath. I’ve written a few pieces on him before, but Garner absolutely tears into him in the video above.

Expand full comment
Cath's avatar

Yeah I watched it on YouTube he really did go for the jugular! But it's like he said there are so many different connections intertwined it's difficult to follow.....bit like a spider in it's web....

Expand full comment
David Hancock's avatar

Who oversees these trusts? This has been clearly evident for at least 12 months and yet we see no action. It’s nothing to do with Crown law by chance?

Expand full comment
Matua Kahurangi's avatar

I’m not entirely sure, David. We’ve known this has been happening for years, but it’s only in the last 12 months that the proof has finally come out. I’m glad JT and the trust lost their charitable status, but more needs to be done. We all know it’s not just the Don doing this. There will be plenty of others who have followed the same blueprint.

Expand full comment
Susan's avatar

There have been comments made about JT and his huge grift for several years, how has his Trust not been investigated. FFS if this was run by a group of white guys or a church they wouldn’t get away with it. What’s even more galling is he loves to flaunt it in front of us all, Almost ‘I’m untouchable’. Can I refuse to pay tax on the basis I don’t want a penny of my hard earned $$ going to this bunch of grifters?

Expand full comment