Lawyer and later Government Native Minister John Sheehan, who spoke fluent Māori, acted on behalf of the Repudiation Movement. Matua attempted to stand as an MP but lost and the movement, deep in debt, petered out.
John Sheehan, a lawyer and later government official fluent in Māori, acted on behalf of the Repudiation Movement. Despite Matua's attempt to become an MP, he was unsuccessful, and the movement ultimately dissolved due to financial difficulties.