Ngai Tahu kaiwhakahaere (chairman) Mark Solomon was yesterday called on to resign by kaumatua from his own marae.
A statement signed by Kaikoura kaumatua (elder) Martin Solomon - Mark Solomon's uncle - and obtained by the Otago Daily Times, calls for Mr Solomon to resign as the Kaikoura representative of Te Runanga O Ngai Tahu (Tront), a position he has held since 1995.
The move would effectively strip Mr Solomon of his Tront responsibility.
He was elected chairman in 1998.
In the statement, Kaikoura kaumatua Martin Solomon, who originally supported his nephew in his bid for the role of chairman, says he and his sister Hariata Manawatu "believe it is time for change, and we will put forward a more appropriate delegate in the coming weeks".
Events of the previous week, including the sacking of Ngai Tahu Holdings Corporation chairman Wally Stone, was the "last straw and I call for our representative on Tront to resign".
A divided board and an abusive email sent to Kaikoura runanga chairman Thomas Kahu, Mr Solomon's cousin, were the main reasons for the move.
The statement has the support of the Kaikoura runanga.
The statement was addressed to "Ngai Tahu whanui".
Questions put to Mr Solomon went unanswered yesterday, but in a statement he said "the place to debate tribal politics is the marae".
"Ngai Tahu will always have tribal politics, simply by virtue of being a tribe."
Mr Solomon has survived previous attempts to remove him from the Ngai Tahu chairman's position, for which he receives a base annual salary of $155,000 plus a company car.
The iwi has an estimated asset base of $600 million.
Mr Kahu said the call for Mark Solomon's resignation was a "difficult one" for Martin Solomon to make.
"It is now up to Mark to decide what the next step will be."
Kaikoura runanga would be calling for another representative to stand at its election in June and "if he has any regards for his last remaining elders, we hope he stands down".
In another twist for Ngai Tahu, the ODT understands Tront deputy chairman Donald Couch has been replaced.
Mr Couch, who has represented Rapaki runanga since 1998 and served as deputy chairman since July 2004, is overseas and could not be contacted.
His support for a $52 million cultural centre, The House of Tahu, in Christchurch, is believed to be a major factor in his dismissal.
