Defiant Tamihere tells critics to be careful

John Tamihere

Labour MP John Tamihere is still defying his critics and says he won't pay back the golden handshake the Waipareira Trust gave him when he left it.

The Serious Fraud Office yesterday cleared Mr Tamihere of cheque fraud allegations, and the only ammunition opposition parties have left to use against him is the Waipareira payout.

Mr Tamihere said before the 1999 election he would not take a golden handshake from the trust. He was its chief executive before leaving to become an MP.

Today he said he had earned the $195,000 payout, which included unpaid bonuses.

"I'm sick and tired of people being the conscience of the nation" he said on National Radio when he was questioned about the payout and whether he should return it.

"Why should someone pay back a bonus they've earned.

"Yes I did say I wouldn't take it, and when it was re-offered I took it."

Mr Tamihere said the inquiries he faced, and the investigation into the payout, had set a new standard of scrutiny for MPs.

"I don't mind opposition MPs raising issues of ethics, morality and values," he said.

"We're not talking about illegality or wrongdoing. People in glass houses have to be very wary about what they're doing right now."

Mr Tamihere resigned from the cabinet when the investigations began, and Prime Minister Helen Clark indicated yesterday she was unlikely to reinstate him until after this year's general election.

While he has been cleared by the SFO, the golden handshake issue still leaves him open to attack from the National Party and Act.

Mr Tamihere said today he was going to "get back into the ring" and do his job as an MP, but returning to the cabinet was up to Miss Clark.

"She's my chief executive officer and a very good leader," he said.

"When you work in a team, and you've got the captain calling the shots, the team works very well."

Act leader Rodney Hide has been leading the charge against Mr Tamihere, and said yesterday he did not owe the former minister an apology.

"John Tamihere should be apologising to voters at large for telling them one thing and doing the opposite," he said, referring to the payout.

Mr Tamihere today refused to react.

"Rodney Hide is a waste of time. The voters have already decided that," he said.

- NZPA