Summarised by Centrist
The Waipareira Trust is taking the Department of Internal Affairs to court in a bid to stop its deregistration as a charity, following a years-long investigation into hundreds of thousands of dollars funnelled into John Tamihere’s political campaigns.
The trust’s spending on Tamihere’s failed 2019 Auckland mayoral bid and the 2020 Te Pāti Māori campaign, which he co-led, was later reclassified as a no-interest, related-party loan.
That loan was only repaid in mid-2023. Despite a temporary settlement, further complaints emerged that Waipareira’s Matariki event was used to relaunch Te Pāti Māori’s 2023 election campaign, prompting renewed scrutiny.
Deregistration would have serious implications. Tax liability across Waipareira’s assets, loss of charitable status, and further complications for its government contracts. A High Court judicial review was heard in May, with a ruling pending.
But when asked to explain the trust’s legal defence or its mounting legal costs, Tamihere offered just six words. “Your caucacity never fails to amaze me.” The barb, a blend of “Caucasian” and “audacity,” appears to be a racial slur directed at journalists probing the trust’s conduct.
The Charities Registration Board’s decision has been deferred until the court ruling, with further appeals possible. Charities Services says group deregistration will not affect its case against the main trust.
Waipareira’s filings reveal the charity paid average executive salaries of over $510k last year. These salaries have more than doubled in recent years, reaching levels that eclipse the Prime Minister’s pay and top the entire New Zealand charity sector, funded in part by taxpayers.
Editor’s note: The Waipareira Trust is one of several entities still under investigation following allegations that personal data gathered during the 2023 Census and COVID vaccination efforts at Manurewa Marae were used to support Te Pāti Māori’s election campaign. The inquiry, which also implicated the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, Manurewa Marae, Stats NZ, Health NZ and the Ministry of Health, has been referred to the Privacy Commissioner and NZ Police. Waipareira denies any wrongdoing.
Read more over at The NZ Herald (paywalled)
