KEY POINTS:
Urban Maori advocate June Jackson is stepping down as chief executive of one of the largest Maori authorities in the country but is sending a serve to tribal- based organisations as she does so.
Mrs Jackson, who has been involved with the Manukau Urban Maori Authority since its
inception more than two decades ago, will be replaced by her son, broadcaster and former MP Willie Jackson, who has also been a key operator in the authority. He was appointed by the board on Wednesday.
June Jackson was instrumental in taking legal action to the Privy Council in 1996 on behalf of urban Maori to force a fairer share of the Crown's fisheries settlement for those with few if any tribal affiliations.
The final settlement set $20 million aside for urban Maori of the $700 million in assets, a sum she viewed as paltry. She still views the result as a failure.
Mrs Jackson said tribes had accomplished little with the fisheries settlement since then.
"I think there are more out of the tribe than in, so if you're not in the tribe you don't get the benefits. A small conclave of people manage the resources in the tribal areas.
"For all these people who are out here [in Auckland], how do they benefit? They don't. But if you stay in the wa kainga [at home] and you're in the know and controlling the dough you do. I don't think we've got the formula right."
Mrs Jackson said that among the tribal elite, her views had often led to her being snubbed.
"I didn't care - that just made me worse. I was quite a warrior in my day, I was never frightened of any bugger. I talked about how selfish they were. I told them straight."
In terms of urban Maori authorities, Manukau's is second in size only to West Auckland's Waipareira Trust. But unlike Waipareira, which delivers many social services, the Manukau group is not heavily tied to government contracts.
It does around $5 million worth of business through Radio Waatea, which Willie Jackson runs, the radio station George FM, a driving school and a funeral service company. Its social arm includes restorative justice programmes and education contracts.
June Jackson, 69, a smoker for 50 years, had a triple bypass operation last year and has lost 20kg. But she says her health is not the reason she is stepping down. She wants to focus on her passions: working with Maori women and prisoners. She has been on the Parole Board since 1991.
