Wananga staff keep emotions in check for talks with Act critics

Act Party members of Parliament, accompanied by Te Wananga o Aotearoa chief executive Rongo Wetere (far left) and others, receive a tense welcome to the Te Awamutu campus. Picture / Amos Chapple

A smile flickered gently across Rongo Wetere's lips yesterday during a powhiri in the carpark of Te Wananga o Aotearoa's Te Awamutu campus.

The embattled organisation, which he headed until last week, threw open its doors to welcome Act MPs Ken Shirley, Rodney Hide and Deborah Coddington, who have levelled stern criticism at it in Parliament.

As he turned to watch a warrior in traditional dress fling a taiaha centimetres from the face of a nervous-looking Mr Hide, creases in the corners of Dr Wetere's mouth showed briefly. Most of the time the wananga leader, now replaced by Crown manager Brian Roche, remained sombre.

It was to be a heated day, said one wananga employee.

The wananga wanted the MPs to feel safe, he said, but its employees and students were angry about accusations of extravagance, nepotism and poor management.

Those emotions played on staff and students' faces as they sang a waiata, conch shells wailing in the background.

The group parted to allow Dr Wetere and the MPs to walk between them into the wananga's foyer- but not before members displayed faces of warriors going to battle.

Dr Wetere and the group had already shared terse words at a meeting before arriving at the wananga.

None would say exactly what was said in Dr Wetere's office but, speaking to the 350 people gathered for the powhiri, Dr Wetere said he had "invited Ken to make his comments again in my office so I could have a crack at him".

Among those seated inside were Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta, Maori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu, Pita Sharples and an ever-vocal Titewhai Harawira, who muttered "rubbish" as Mr Shirley told the crowd Act did not want to see the wananga close.

He said Act had always opposed the state monopoly in education and recognised the vital role the wananga had played, but the party's criticism had not been levelled lightly.

The wananga's problems lay squarely at the feet of the Government, which had opened its chequebook too readily, said Mr Shirley.

Mr Hide said strong words and a frank exchange had taken place at the meeting before the group arrived.

There had been concerns for some time about the wananga's operation, he said.

Dr Sharples thanked the MPs for coming, adding that he hoped they did not want to take the wananga down.