An urban Maori authority that gets most of its funding from the public purse paid $500,000 into and out of a lawyer's trust account controlled by chief executive John Tamihere on the day he settled the purchase of the family's $1.3 million Auckland home, according to documents obtained by the Herald.
The document recording the April 2008 transaction using money from the Waipareira Trust is headed Residential Land Purchase and gives the address for the family property.
It shows a "Te Whanu [sic] O Waipareira Trust advance" for $500,000 was paid into the "Tamihere Childrens Trust" held with Corban Revell lawyers on April 18, 2008. The money was paid out again the same day into an unknown BNZ account. That day was recorded as the settlement date for the house sale although the title did not change hands until May 7, 2008.
Mr Tamihere did not reply to messages about the payment and whether it was declared. Trust spokesman Joe Lose said emailed questions could not be answered "on legal advice".
Which is odd, unless they're hiding something. And it certainly looks bad - like senior management using a charity as their own personal piggy-bank. Which makes you wonder who this charity is really helping...