Both fame and infamy litter Tamihere’s political history

John Tamihere and Helen Clark at the Otara Markets on Saturday. Picture / Chris Skelton

Accolades and controversy have gone hand-in-hand in the chequered career of John Tamihere.

During the late 1990s he was voted New Zealander of the Year by North and South magazine, Person of the Year by the Sunday Star-Times, and Man of the Year by Metro magazine.

But his political career had barely started before cracks started to show.

In February 1999 he offered to withdraw from the race for the Labour's Hauraki seat after revealing he had been accused of rape two years earlier. The allegations were never made to police.

A year later Prime Minister Helen Clark was seeking assurances from Mr Tamihere that his earlier conduct, as Waipareira Trust chief executive, would not bring into disrepute "his family, himself, the Labour Party or the Government".

He was investigated by five organisations - the Serious Fraud Office, police, Audit Office, Prime Minister's Department and a Maori Affairs select committee, over trust affairs, but the mud would not stick.

Mr Tamihere's continued staunch views and outspoken rhetoric posed problems for the Government, even as his popularity grew.

In 2003 he prepared a speech based on his firm view that parents should be allowed to smack their children. His comments broke just about every rule in the political book.

The same year he had to apologise after attacking Social Development Minister Steve Maharey for "bull-shitting".

Then he owned up in the House to being discharged without conviction in 1995 after admitting to forgery.

Outside politics he was also making waves. In his biography last year he criticised the police handling of the investigation into the murders of two Swedish tourists, for which his brother was convicted.

There were also three drink-driving convictions and six speeding tickets, three as driver, of his ministerial car.

Last October marked the beginning of what now looks like the end.

Mr Tamihere announced he was going on leave while being investigated over a $195,000 golden handshake received after leaving the Waipareira Trust job to stand for Labour in 1999.

He was cleared of wrong-doing.