A member of the board of Maori Television has resigned, saying his colleagues panicked over political attacks on its process to hire a new chief executive.
Ian Taylor announced he had quit on Tuesday - on the same day the channel decided not to go ahead and hire a CEO, after failing to reach a unanimous decision on who was the best candidate.
The developments follow accusations from the Labour Party linking the chair of Maori TV, Georgina Te Heuheu, with a leading contender for the job, Paora Maxwell.
Ms Te Heuheu says the right process has been followed, and there has been no conflict of interest.
Departing board member Ian Taylor says his colleagues should have stood up to political pressure.
He says the board was going to follow the recruitment process and the politicians' fears would have been addressed if the board was trusted.
Ian Taylor - of Ngati Kahungunu and Ngapuhi - won't say why he resigned from the board.
Maori Television intends to hire an interim chief executive before embarking on a fresh round of recruitment.
