Power struggles on remote island
He laid an assault complaint but the local police officer, Chris Mankelow – a new arrival to the island who practises medieval combat in his spare time – declined to lay charges, citing inconsistencies in Prater’s version of events.
Mankelow declined to comment but police said in a statement that one person received a written warning and one person was spoken to in relation to the incident. (Solomon vehemently denies he was warned.)
The irony of this unseemly altercation between the chief Treaty negotiator for Moriori and the man he shoulder-tapped to be operations manager is that Moriori pride themselves on their peaceful traditions.
They have a covenant of peace known as ‘‘Nunuku’s law’’, whereby fighting had to end once blood was drawn – it’s still enshrined in the HMT trust deed.
The covenant had disastrous consequences when two Taranaki tribes, Nga¯ ti Mutunga and Nga¯ ti Tama, arrived in 1835 and began an annihilation of the essentially defenceless Moriori.
Hundreds were killed; some roasted and eaten, the rest enslaved.
In 2017, the Crown acknowledged that it had failed to take action to protect Moriori when the Chatham Islands were annexed to New Zealand in 1842, despite their pleas for help, and agreed to pay $18m in redress.
Solomon, a barrister based between Wellington and Rekohu, was the lead Treaty negotiator and was previously a Treaty of Waitangi fisheries commissioner.
His critics believe that, as chief executive and chairman of HMT, he wields too much influence.
They believe he is responsible for a high turnover of staff, pointing to the number of people who have moved on or been sacked and lodged personal grievance claims.
Solomon declined repeated requests to be interviewed in person and at one stage communicated through lawyers, who warned of defamation action. By email, he said he did not tolerate ‘‘inappropriate behaviour from employees’’.
Any action he takes against errant staff is done with the full backing of his board, he says.
Solomon says he moved to the island in 2009 to sort out HMT’s financial problems – it was technically bankrupt – and a major restructuring was required.
Some staff were made redundant, others left voluntarily. During his time as a senior manager, Solomon says, six employees have been dismissed by the board or left ‘‘under a cloud’’, three lodging personal grievances.
Prater’s wife King – second cousin to Solomon – grew up with Solomon in Temuka, South Canterbury, and says he’s been interested in the plight of his people since he was in high school.
But she believes he has too much power and she stood – unsuccessfully – at trustee elections in November hoping to topple him. She received 85 votes to Solomon’s 190.
‘‘I just wanted to try and stop the stronghold of him running the show.’’
In 2012, Solomon was accused of rigging trust elections as general manager, in order to get rid of then executive chair Shirley King.
He lobbied for another candidate, Tom Lanauze, and announced that Lanauze had won, unseating King.
But King cancelled the elections and Solomon was suspended for allegedly undermining the trust and electioneering.
Solomon told the trustees they couldn’t cancel elections because they didn’t like the results, and took a case to the ERA.
The ERA ordered his reinstatement and awarded him $8000.
Solomon says he did nothing inappropriate around the elections.
‘‘I did contact members of my own hunau [family] . . . and a handful of other members lobbying support for whom I thought were suitable candidates. I did so in my private capacity.
‘‘We live in a democracy and it is up to individuals within each Moriori family to vote how they wish.
‘‘Not all family members will support a candidate just because they are from that same family.’’
Following the election debacle a group of elders from seven prominent Moriori families went to the High Court seeking the removal of King and her faction – whom they called ‘‘rogue trustees’’ – and for new elections to be held.
Justice Brendan Brown found that the terms of all trustees had expired and removed them.
He touched on the history of HMT in his decision, noting it had been formed in 2001 from the amalgamation of two competing trusts. ‘‘Hokotehi’’ had been chosen for the name because it was the Moriori word for unity.
‘‘Regrettably, the trustees are now anything but united,’’ Justice Brown wrote.
In 2015, new elections were held, Solomon was elected and appointed executive chairman.
He told the board he would look at standing down as general manager if he was elected, but is yet to do so.
Solomon says he advised last year that he’ll be stepping down as CEO no later than 2020.
He wears many hats for Moriori, he says, but will divest himself of some roles in the near future.
‘‘The job is an extremely challenging and demanding one. It has also taken a toll on my family and private life.’’
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