John Tamihere prepares to launch Auckland mayoral bid

Friday, 25 January 2019

John Tamihere is expected to confirm he will contest the Auckland mayoralty

One-time Labour cabinet minister turned talkback host John Tamihere appears poised to launch a long-signalled bid to become Auckland's next mayor.

Tamihere has scheduled an unspecified announcement for 9.30am on Saturday, and he will host a 'special announcement' on Facebook.

John Palino is also in the running for the Auckland mayoralty.

The chief executive of West Auckland urban Māori trust Te Whanau o Waipareira signalled the possible move during a stoush with the council last September.

Stuff understands Tamihere will make the unusual move of naming his prospective deputy and running-mate, as former National Party minister Christine Fletcher.

Former National Party cabinet minister and mayor of Auckland City Christine Fletcher is tipped to be John Tamihere's running mate.

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Tamihere told Stuff in October he had canvassed existing councillors to see what support he would have in the event of a mayoral bid.

'I'm ticking boxes, and so far the boxes are all getting ticked,' he said in October, on the likelihood of him standing.

Tamihere's public life has been a roller coaster, and he is likely to provide the highest-profile competition to the incumbent Phil Goff.

Tamihere has had a high-profile and at times controversial public life.

His early work as the CEO at the Waipareira Trust from 1994, helped him win Person of the Year awards from the Sunday Star Times, and both Metro and North and South magazines.

Tamihere was elected to Parliament in Helen Clark's 1999 Labour government, after winning the Māori seat of Hauraki.

He became a junior cabinet minister in his second term, until stepping down in 2004 during an inquiry into tax liabilities in his term as CEO of Waipareira, which found no wrong doing.

Tamihere's career as an MP effectively ended in 2005 when a conversation recorded by Ian Wishart of Investigate magazine was published and quoted Tamihere as referring to women as 'frontbums'.

He lost his seat to the new Māori Party's co-leader Pita Sharples.

Tamihere unsuccessfully ran for the Waitākere City mayoralty in 2007, and found a new calling as a talkback radio host alongside Willie Jackson on Radio Live.

That career move ended in controversy at the end of 2013, over the tone of an interview connected with the 'Roastbusters' scandal, a group of young men who boasted on social media of allegedly raping women and girls as young as 13.

His running mate - a new concept in local body elections - is expected to be confirmed as Christine Fletcher, a one-term mayor of Auckland City, and three-term National MP from 1990-1999.

Fletcher has spent three terms on the Auckland Council, holding one of two seats in the Albert-Eden-Roskill ward.

As well as Tamihere, two-time challenger John Palino has tossed his hat back in the ring, and Goff is next month expected to announce his intention to seek a second term.