Summarised by Centrist
Willie Jackson is being accused of using his own political power to silence staff, sideline union organisers, and bury a damaging review that found serious misconduct by his wife, Manukau Urban Māori Authority CEO Tania Rangiheuea.
Former Labour power broker Matt McCarten has laid a formal complaint with Speaker Gerry Brownlee, alleging Jackson pressured and threatened MUMA’s long-serving board chair after an independent review recommended Rangiheuea’s removal.
McCarten’s account describes political influence used to sack a chair, install Labour-friendly replacements and shut down collective bargaining efforts involving vulnerable workers.
According to McCarten’s complaint, an internal review in early 2025 documented “multiple serious cases of bullying and misconduct” by the CEO. “She’s very intelligent, but her people management is not great,” McCarten told blogger Cam Slater on his Good Oil podcast.
The chair planned to take it to the board, but Jackson intervened, declaring himself his wife’s “employment advocate” and allegedly ordering the chair to “bury the review and issue a written apology”. When he refused, the chair was dismissed days later at a special meeting. “I was ambushed, sacked on the spot, and my email and phone were cut off immediately,” he says.
Jackson is accused of then installing three new board members “with no visible appointment process”, including his electorate agent and senior Labour figures.
When MUMA staff sought help over bullying and wage issues, they joined McCarten’s revived One Union. Within hours, Jackson emailed trespass orders banning McCarten and every union representative from all MUMA sites. “A Labour front-bencher banning union access,” McCarten wrote. “You cannot make this up.”
Staff were allegedly called to meetings and warned they could lose their jobs for speaking out. The sacked chair received “three lawyers’ letters in four days” before High Court action was filed. Much of MUMA’s funding comes from taxpayers, raising questions about who is covering legal costs.
McCarten informed Labour leader Chris Hipkins in September and received no substantive response. “I feel betrayed,” he wrote. “Imagine how the workers feel.”
