A young man has alleged he was sexually abused as a teenager by former iwi leader Te Awanuiārangi Black.
The man, said to be in his 20s, told the Bay of Plenty Times he was regularly sexually abused by Te Awanui Black during visits to the late iwi leader's house.
"Talking about it today is extremely hard," the victim, who asked to remain anonymous, told the newspaper. "But I was repeatedly used and lured into doing things with Awa that were horrible, yuck and male me feel sick even talking about it today."
The widow of Te Awanui Black, Anihera Black, recently revealed in a Facebook video that her late husband was allegedly a paedophile and made a chilling plea for his victims to come forward to seek help.
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Her late husband, who died in 2016, was a prominent leader among iwi in Tauranga - so well-respected that a mural of him was painted there. But that mural has since been destroyed by the artist who created it.
The young man who says he was abused by Te Awanui is said to have made a police complaint last Sunday in Auckland. The Bay of Plenty Times reports the man's complaint has been taken to the inquiry team in the Bay of Plenty but he hasn't been formally interviewed.
The victim says he didn't come forward sooner because Te Awanui allegedly threatened violence if he told anyone about their encounters.
"I have never shared this with anyone else because I was so scared, embarrassed and ashamed and also did not think anyone would believe me because I was only a kid," he told the newspaper.
Ms Black says her late husband was sexually abused as a child, and as an adult abused other children. She'd always wondered why her husband had invited so many young people into their whare.
The complainant told the Bay of Plenty Times "lots of kids" were in and out of Te Awanui's household over the years, and has urged other victims to come forward.
Ngāi Te Rangi Iwi Trust has offered an $11,000 reward if someone can present any evidence that Te Awanui was a paedophile. But the young man says that didn't motivate his decision to come forward.
"It's not about the money," he said.
Newshub.
