by Metro magazine. Member of Parliament Election and roles In the 1999 election, Tamihere stood as the Labour Party's candidate for the Māori electorate of Hauraki. He won the seat with 60 percent of the vote; his nearest rival gained only 15 percent. He became chairman of the Māori Affairs Select Committee and also served on the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee. In the 2002 election, Tamihere contested the newly formed Tamaki Makaurau electorate, which he won with 73 percent of the vote. He gained the second-highest majority in a Māori electorate, exceeded only by that of Parekura Horomia, the Minister of Māori Affairs. Tamihere was appointed to Cabinet in 2002. He served as Minister of Small Business, Minister of Youth Affairs, Minister of Statistics, and Minister for Land Information, as well as functioning as Horomia's deputy as Associate Minister of Māori Affairs until 2004. Journalist Vernon Small said that "in the mid-2000s Tamihere was seen as a rising star, and even a potential prime minister". Foreshore and seabed controversy The foreshore and seabed controversy of 2004–2005 put considerable strain on the Labour Party's Māori MPs, with many showing dissatisfaction with the party's policy. Two Labour MPs, Tariana Turia and Nanaia Mahuta, chose to vote against Labour's legislation, and Turia elected to leave the party. Tamihere, however, eventually voted in favour of the legislation, and defended it from its critics. Tamihere also criticised the new Māori Party established by Turia and her supporters, saying that it would ultimately fail. According to Tamihere, the party's leaders belonged "to a relatively wealthy, educated elite", and did not represent ordinary Maori. Resignation from Ministerial roles In October 2004, Tamihere was accused of dishonest financial dealings, including accepting a "golden handshake" from the Waipareira Trust after stating that he would not take one, and failing to pay tax on this payment. On 15 October 2004, Tamihere requested leave from his Ministerial portfolios; he said that he had "done nothing to bring shame", but portrayed standing down from his Ministerial roles during the investigation as the "honourable" course. On 22 October, the Waipareira Trust accepted that it, not Tamihere, had the responsibility for tax on any payment, but other allegations relating to the financial management of the Trust persisted. On 3 November Tamihere resigned from his Ministerial portfolios, citing as untenable the retention of his responsibilities during on-going investigations. On 21 December, an official investigation