Here we are, six days deep into this festering saga of cronyism, bullying and union-busting at the Manukau Urban Māori Authority (MUMA) and the legacy media remains as silent as a graveyard at midnight. Astonishing does not even begin to cover it. We know the Platform has been slapped with legal letters and similar denials or threats are floating around elsewhere. Yet the prevailing media atmosphere is one of crickets. Not a peep from the usual suspects who would be baying if this involved a National, ACT or NZ First MP. If it was one of those blokes, we would have dozens of stories by now – front-page splashes and breathless TV segments. Instead, nothing. It makes you wonder if they are too gutless to touch it or actively suppressing bad news for their Labour mates. Either way, their silence just makes them complicit in this tawdry, shameful, episode.
I have got a stack of documents on this mess and I will keep drip-feeding them as new information rolls in. Today, we are dropping three bombshells that prove Matt McCarten was not spinning yarns in my podcast when he said he and his union had been trespassed by Willie Jackson. These papers lay bare the high-handed, arguably illegal antics of a former employment minister, trade union official and senior Labour MP who is now acting way outside the law to stomp on union rights. Remember, Labour bangs on endlessly about being the party of workers and strong unions. Yet here is one of their bigwigs issuing trespass notices to block collective bargaining; all to protect his missus, Tania Rangiheuea, from a negative review that painted her as the queen of a toxic bullying work culture at MUMA.
Start with the trespass letter itself, dated 25 July 2025 and signed by Willie Jackson as chair of Ngā Whare Waatea Marae. This is no casual note: it is a formal notification under Section 4 of the Trespass Act 1980, aimed squarely at Matt McCarten and extended to “any persons affiliated with or representing ‘One Union Inc’.” Jackson accuses McCarten of “repeated breach of tikanga and kaupapa Māori” and claims his presence is a “threat to the integrity, purpose, and mana of the marae community”. He bangs on about McCarten initiating bargaining without “consultation, consent, or any regard for the tikanga, kawa or mana of our marae”. The notice prohibits entry to the marae grounds, buildings and associated areas, including the early childhood centre and school, for a minimum of two years, with police enforcement threatened. Jackson wraps it up by declaring the action “non-negotiable” and insists all future comms go through email – no in-person contact allowed.
This is classic Jackson: wrapping his power play in cultural language to make it sound noble. But strip away the tikanga talk and what you have is a senior Labour MP using his position as marae chair to ban union access to a workplace on marae grounds where MUMA operates. MUMA is the employer here, not the marae, and the workers are trying to bargain collectively over pay and conditions. Jackson admits the marae is not party to the employment stuff, yet he is meddling anyway. The hypocrisy does not get much thicker.
McCarten fired back on 27 July 2025 with a scorching response. He calls Jackson out for trying to “frustrate the bargaining process with MUMA as the employer”, labelling it “not legally tenable”. He reminds Jackson of Section 20 of the Employment Relations Act 2000, which gives authorised union reps a statutory right to enter workplaces for bargaining and employment matters. McCarten points out this right cannot be unilaterally blocked by an employer or landlord. Issuing a trespass order to prevent lawful access? That undermines workers’ rights and could be unlawful interference. He expresses disappointment that Jackson, a “former trade union leader” and MP who “voted for right of unions to access workplaces”, is now proposing to breach the law. McCarten denies any past disrespect and offers to meet for protocols that respect the marae while allowing union duties. As a goodwill gesture, he says the union will not enter the next day, but demands the notice be withdrawn by end of business.
Then comes McCarten’s email the next day, 28 July 2025, suggesting a compromise to avoid escalation. He notes the police will not enforce the trespass notice, and the Employment Relations Authority would likely issue an injunction. Physical obstruction could lead to criminal assault charges and a media circus, which he wants to avoid. Instead, he proposes a single hui on the marae to explain the bargaining to workers, then stepping back unless MUMA breaks the law. He promises to honour marae conduct requests. In a PS, he gives background on why the union got involved: workers approached him over unfair pay scales, lack of transparency and a stalled review. One worker faced a disciplinary meeting after raising a salary claim. McCarten says he only took new members in to his union recently to meet legal requirements and is open to MUMA’s alternatives.
These documents scream desperation. They show the extraordinary lengths McCarten is going to to settle live employment disputes in a fair, constructive way. On the flip side, they highlight the absurd measures Willie Jackson is taking to shield his missus from scrutiny. All this stems from that February 2025 independent review we revealed last time, which found serious bullying and misconduct by CEO Tania Rangiheuea and recommended her removal. Instead of addressing it, Jackson allegedly sacked the chair, stacked the board with Labour loyalists and now is trespassing the union to kill bargaining in its tracks. Now he is denying it even exists.
We already published McCarten’s letter to Chris Hipkins back in September, laying it all out. To this day, it remains unanswered. Hipkins cannot claim ignorance – he is just hoping it blows over. But how does this square with Labour’s union-loving rhetoric? Take Sandra Grey, president of the CTU, who gave a barnstormer of a speech at the Labour Party conference just a few weeks ago. She declared workers need “a genuine place at the table in their workplaces and in the national political realm” not dominated by big business. They want a government ensuring “workers and iwi are full partners at the decision-making table”, stronger laws for union action and strong public services funded by shifting the tax base. Grey pledged the CTU would stand with Labour if they deliver “fundamental and systemic change”, urging boldness with that cheesy Rocky Horror nod: “Together we can do this, after all its just a jump to the left!”
Stirring stuff. But what does Sandra Grey say now? These documents prove a senior Labour MP is doing everything in his power to deny workers at MUMA that very place at the table, blocking union access and frustrating bargaining, all to save his manky missus from a review exposing bullying and a toxic culture. Is this the “hope” and “systemic change” she meant? Or does union solidarity stop when it involves a Labour bigshot’s family? The CTU loves to lecture on workers’ dignity, but silence here would make them look like hypocrites too.
This whole affair stinks of the same rot we saw in the police corruption scandal: top brass covering up abuse to protect their own. Jackson is wielding his MP clout like a club and Labour is looking the other way. We have got more documents coming, folks. Stay tuned as we keep peeling back the layers on this mess. In the meantime, where are the legacy media? Hiding under their desks, apparently. If this were a right-wing pollie, the press gallery would be in feeding frenzy mode. Instead, tumbleweeds. It tells you everything about their priorities.
Willie Jackson built his rep on fighting for the little guy. Now he is the big guy squashing the little guys to protect his own. Time for the Privileges Committee to step in or for just one Labour MP with a spine to make the complaint. Just one. Is there anyone left in that party who actually believes in the principles they spout?
