Management of marae to be restructured

Press, 23 February 1987, Page 3

Management of marae to be restructured

The management structure of the Nga Hau E Wha National Marae in Christchurch will be overhauled after a meeting of 150 Maori elders and marae trustees yesterday. The restructuring comes after a year of controversy for the marae with probes into the alleged abuse of public funds and the police report into contract work schemes which alleged poor financial administration and overspending of funds on marae projects. The secretary of the Board of Trustees, Mr Hori Brennan, will have his duties cut markedly under the restructuring. Mr Brennan offered his resignation to the meeting but the meeting unanimously decided not to accept it. Mr Brennan said after the meeting that he had put forward the proposal to restructure management of the marae and it had been accepted in principle. The board of trustees will meet tomorrow to discuss details of the restructuring. Mr Brennan, who has been secretary for seven years, said he was happy at the outcome of the meeting. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family and the pressure of

the job had sometimes been too much for one person. Mr Brennan, aged 55, is a diabetic and said his doctor had warned him to reduce his workload or his health would suffer badly. The meeting also discussed the police report and the wide criticism generated by the news media. Mr Brennan said many Maori elders had been upset at the events of the last year but the meeting went a long way toward restoring the unity of people involved with the marae. He said it had been confirmed that the meeting house would be officially opened within seven months. “The public will then be able to see the tremendous work that has gone on here.”