A former head of the Waikato-Tainui executive who plans to stand for the role of the tribe's parliament chair says he wants to change the way the tribe is governed so the Maori King has the final say over tribal decisions.
Tania Martin was stood down as head of the Waikato-Tainui parliament following a vote of the tribe's leadership groups at the weekend. She was accused of bringing the parliament into disrepute - a charge she rejects.
Her demotion follows a letter by the Maori King which called for squabbling between the tribal parliament and the tribe's executive to cease.
Past chair of the tribal executive Tukoroirangi Morgan says he has decided to stand for the position of parliament chair at next month's annual general meeting.
He says tribal leaders need to put aside their egos and instead focus on the people and the tribe's future.
Mr Morgan says if he's elected he'll work towards making changes to the tribe's constitution.
He says members must never be able to go to court with tribal issues, and Kingi Tuheitia should be given the right to veto or dissolve a tribal parliament.
In a statement, Ms Martin said she does not agree that one person should have the capacity to dissolve an organisation, especially a body responsible for managing a tribal asset base that belongs to the people.
