Iwi leader steps down as SFO carries out probe

An iwi leader has stepped down from prominent roles dishing out Treaty settlement money while the Serious Fraud Office investigates his financial activities.

The Sunday Star-Times last month revealed Roger Pikia, a business consultant, adviser to the Maori King and chair of two Te Arawa iwi trusts, was being investigated by the SFO.

The inquiry came after it was revealed $775,000 belonging to the Te Arawa River Iwi Trust (Tarit), which Pikia chairs, had been invested in Ka Ora Ltd, a health food company of which he is a director and previous shareholder.

And it was revealed that the small Tahu Whaoa iwi, which Pikia also chairs, had covered the $2.6m in debts of a failing Tongan forestry company and had agreed to pay a further $3.5m in return for control of the firm.

Pikia is a board member of the Waikato River Authority, set up to distribute $250m of Treaty money to clean up the river.

He stepped down voluntarily from his roles while the SFO inquiry was carried out, chief executive Bob Penter said.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing WRA.

Pikia could comment.

Invoices and bank statements show that Pikia used a Tarit credit card while in Tonga in 2015, racking up $1500 at the Seaview restaurant and the Ladies and Gentlemen Club in Nuku’alofa.

On his return, Pikia stayed for a week at the Novotel Hotel at Auckland in relation not be to reached the for airport, notching up $1600 for accommodation and $435 for food, according to the invoice, which was sent to Tarit for payment.

Tarit staff are understood to have questioned the expenditure as the organisation had no business in Tonga.

Pikia said at the time there was a mistake by his travel agent but no further explanation was forthcoming.