21 December 2004

White Report Clears Tamihere

Member of Parliament for Tamaki Makaurau John Tamihere welcomes the findings of the White Report, which has been released publicly today.

Mr Tamihere said, “Since 14 October 2004 I have been subjected to trial by media, fuelled by a carefully orchestrated political hatchet job. Through this report I can now again hold my head high, with my mana intact, knowing that my name has been cleared and my reputation restored.”

Tamihere said “Until now every allegation has been made and reported by some as if it were fact and I have been judged and condemned in the most harsh terms. My family and I have been smeared from pillar to post as a consequence. ”

“With the findings of this report in the public domain the question must now be asked, where is the evidence, where is the illegality? I have been subjected to twenty allegations over a period of sixty days. In that time the ACT party, and those others behind the hatchet job, have been unable to produce a single shred of credible evidence to substantiate their allegations of illegality,” says Tamihere. “The greatest tragedy throughout this painful process is that I have been constrained in my ability to serve fully the communities and people that sent me to Parliament. That is not to mention the thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money that have been wasted on this exercise.”

The only minor technical point of doubt in the White Report concerns the possible need to have declared the vehicle provided by the Trust/Westland. “I consider I did not need to declare the vehicle as it was part of my 1999 departure package and therefore was not something that arose while I was a Minister,” said Tamihere.

“I regret I am not perfect. I regret I have failed at times. But where is the crime to justify this hatchet job? I am equally confident that I will also be cleared by the SFO inquiry,” Mr Tamihere concludes.

ENDS

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