Koro Wetere

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Hon. Koro Tainui Wetere CBE (Born 22 June 1935) is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1969 to 1996, representing the Labour Party. He served as Minister of Maori Affairs in the Fourth Labour Government (1984 - 1990).

[edit] Member of Parliament

He was first elected to Parliament in the 1969 elections as MP for the Western Maori electorate, one of the four Maori seats in New Zealand's House of Representatives. Given Labour's traditional dominance in the Maori seats, Wetere held his position without difficulty until his retirement at the 1996 elections.

[edit] Cabinet miniser

Wetere became Minister of Maori Affairs when the Labour Party won the 1984 elections.

Wetere was criticised at one point for the "Maori Loans" scandal, in which the head of Wetere's department attempted to arrange an unauthorised loan to help Maori businesses. Wetere was the subject of strong attacks over the issue by National Party MP Winston Peters, but denied any wrongdoing. When Labour lost power in the 1990 elections, Wetere returned to opposition for two terms before retiring from politics.