Summarised by Centrist
New documents released by Cam Slater of The Good Oil have intensified scrutiny of Willie Jackson’s handling of staff disputes inside the Manukau Urban Māori Authority, where his wife serves as CEO.
The materials, which appear to support key parts of Matt McCarten’s complaint to Parliament, emerged after several days of silence from major news outlets.
Slater, who first published the documents, said he released them because the public “deserved to know” what was being contested behind the scenes.
He also claimed Labour insiders were raising concerns internally, though that assertion has not been verified.
The dispute sits within a broader ecosystem Jackson has been connected to for decades. He has long served as chair of Ngā Whare Waatea Marae in Māngere, a position that places him at the centre of a cluster of influential entities based on the marae grounds.
These include the Waatea urban marae itself, Waatea News and Waatea Radio (often described as “the voice of Māori media”), and MUMA.
One document shows McCarten warning him that MUMA’s attempt to trespass a union organiser could not survive Employment Relations Authority scrutiny and risked turning the marae into a media flashpoint.
McCarten also detailed what he described as inconsistent pay practices, staff concerns about transparency and an apparent pattern where raising employment issues triggered disciplinary responses.
Slater argues the documents demonstrate that McCarten’s account is accurate and that senior Labour figures were aware of tensions long before the complaint became public.
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