Maori Access scandal in Taranaki?

Press, 1 June 1988, Page 8

Maori Access scandal in Taranaki?

By OLIVER RIDDELL, in Wellington The Auditor-General has been asked to investigate another alleged scandal over the allocation of money for Maori Access programmes, this time in Taranaki.

A preliminary audit has found enough substance in an allegation of the allocation of money to Manawatu-Rangitikei Maori Access programmes to begin a formal audit into its legality.

The Opposition spokesman on Maori Affairs, Mr Winston Peters, alleges that similar irregularities exist in the Taranaki region.

A battle for power was under way to usurp the control of Maori Access from the Taranaki Maori Trust Board, he said, and alleged that the trust board had not seen a dollar of such funding since the programme had begun.

The future had started with devolution and illustrated the “perfect hash” the Minister of Maori Affairs, Mr Wetere, had made of the concept, said Mr Peters. Tribal authorities were supposed to be the agents for devolution in their regions and trust boards were recognised as. such — like Tainui in Waikato

and Ngai Tahu in the South’lsland, he said. That had not happened in Taranaki. Instead, an ad hoc group of debatable authority had been set up to by-pass the board. Money for Mana Enterprises schemes had been handled the same way with the same group of people involved. . “What aroused my suspicion was that the body designed to administer Maori Access and Mana Enterprises on a national level — the Board Of Maori Affairs — seemed to have a vested interest in by-passing the rightful Taranaki authority,” said Mr Peters.

The Minister l had clearly been negligent in ignoring the repeated requests by the Taranaki Trust Board to get its money.

Mr Peters alleged that threats of intimidation had been made over the administration of Maori Access in Taranaki. Internal strife in Taranaki was clearly affecting the quality of service to the Maori consumer there, he said. The Mana Enterprises scheme was “light-years behind” in disbursing moneys because the Taranaki Trust Board was under attack from individuals antagonistic to it.