Tamihere out of the house and out of a job

By AUDREY YOUNG and JOHN ARMSTRONG

John Tamihere says he was going "absolutely nuts" at home in West Auckland while his political opponents were putting him through the mincer in Wellington.

And he was driving "my missus" nuts too.

"You can only water-blast the house so much and mow the lawns so often.

"You can't have a bloke like me out of circulation to that extent in light of the challenge that the Maori Party is putting up, nor in light of a number of other matters that I might turn my hand to down here."

Like what?

"Utu!" he said with a laugh disguising his depth of his feelings.

He is referring to Act leader Rodney Hide, who, with TV3, raised questions three weeks ago about Mr Tamihere's financial dealings with the Waipareira Trust, which are now the subject of two inquiries.

The former minister returned to Wellington on Monday with his "missus", Awerangi Durie, to discuss his resignation from the Cabinet with Labour colleagues.

Mr Tamihere said he had been receiving legal and political advice.

The legal advice was to lie low and "not do anything premature".

But his gut lay with the parallel political advice - and he had put up the option to resign last week to deputy leader Michael Cullen.

The Prime Minister faced sustained questioning on the issue for the first time on Tuesday.

"It was unacceptable for me to allow her to continue to be exposed to that extent," Mr Tamihere said.

Being relieved of Cabinet duties means he will have more time to sell the Government's foreshore and seabed policy and counter the challenge from the Maori Party.

"I was going absolutely nuts in Auckland and sitting up there and listening to myself get sliced to pieces is not nice, it's not comfortable, it is not healthy."

Mr Tamihere was chief executive of the Waipareira Trust, a social-service agency for West Aucklanders, for 10 years until 1999 when he stood for Parliament.

But he has always stayed involved in the highly factionalised trust and was one of those who wanted the financial review which was the catalyst for his career crisis.

Asked yesterday if he regretted not cutting ties he said he couldn't have.

"Wherever I go in West Auckland ... they see me as Mr Waipareira Trust still.

"I have been publicly owned for some time and that's just the nature of living in the community that I serve."

But he also said he would now distance himself from the trust.

"This ain't a golden handshake, it's a sledgehammer. I didn't deserve this from them people."

Among the issues raised in the financial report was that the trust, financed mainly through Government contracts, had paid the insurance on his Toyota Landcruiser, a vehicle he owned for his services as a director to the trust's investment company, Westland.

Mr Tamihere said yesterday he had not known that the trust had paid the vehicle insurance.

Westland had paid until the time he had resigned from the board of directors in 2002.

"What happened after that I had no bloody knowledge of. And so how could I know? They never told me. They [the trust] should never have paid for the insurance."

Mr Tamihere said he had received huge support, and not only from Maori.

"What has been humdinger for me over this period has been the massive support shown to me from Pakeha communities."

One of the staunchest members of Labour's right faction, Mr Tamihere says he has been treated very fairly by the party leadership.

He says he has had support from leftist colleagues, too.

"They sent a bigger bouquet of flowers - though it might have been for the funeral."

Other casualties from Helen Clark's ministries

Dover Samuels

When: June 2000.

Reason: Sacked as a minister after allegations of sexual impropriety, of which he was cleared. Re-appointed minister outside Cabinet, August 2002.

Ruth Dyson

When: November 2000.

Reason: Resigned from Cabinet after being caught drink-driving.

Re-appointed June 2001.

Marian Hobbs

When: February 2001.

Reason: Resigned when an inquiry into her housing allowance claims started. Cleared - re-appointed a month later.

Phillida Bunkle

When: February 2001.

Reason: Resigned after becoming embroiled in a housing and allowances scandal similar to Ms Hobbs. Cleared, but never re-appointed.

Lianne Dalziel

When: February 2004.

Reason: Resigned but effectively sacked after admitting releasing usually-confidential documents and then lying about it. Not re-appointed.

Tariana Turia

When: April 2004

Reason: Resigned over the Government's foreshore and seabed policy. Now co-leads the Maori Party.