Harawira arrives at hui over complaint

Hone Harawira. File photo / Steven McNicholl

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira has arrived at a hui where his local electorate will discuss a complaint laid against him by his own party.

Mr Harawira did not speak before going onto the marae and media are excluded from the hui.

About 100 supporters arrived, some on a bus from Kaitaia. Any doubts his electorate would not side with Mr Harawira over the issue were swiftly dispelled by signs outside the Whakapara Marae saying "change the leadership" and "Hone's the man."

The party's whip - Te Ururoa Flavell - who laid the complaint with the party's council was not at the meeting. The chosen mediator Ken Mair and Party President Pem Bird were also absent. The hui is expected to end at 3pm when Mr Harawira's Te Tai Tokerau electorate committee will set out their stance on the matter.

The complaint followed a column Mr Harawira wrote in the Sunday Star Times questioning whether his leaders and caucus were still effective voices for Maoridom or if the coalition agreement with National had compromised them.

Speaking on Radio New Zealand this morning, Mr Harawira said he stood by the column.

"I see absolutely no reason to resile from any of the comments that I made," he said.

"I'd like to say that Mr (John) Key's state of the nation address yesterday, where he didn't even mention the Maori Party and didn't mention anything of value for Maori and didn't even mention one cent going to any Maori project to any Maori project anywhere in the country for the rest of the financial year, suggests that my column is very much in line with what Maori people are concerned about in the relationship of the Maori Party with National."

Mr Harawira has previously ruled out running for the leadership or challenging Pita Sharples. However this week he said he would step up if the party membership asked him.

The Maori Party is understood to have budgeted $22,000 for the disciplinary process which will include at least three hui and lawyer Mai Chen's legal bills.

Maori Party president Pem Bird told nzherald.co.nz he only knew about today's hui from an email sent to him by Te Tai Tokerau electorate officials at 9.23pm yesterday.

No invite was sent to Mr Flavell and he had already committed to attend a meeting in Christchurch today, he said.

Mr Bird said he was upset media knew about the time and venue of the hui before he was informed.

"It is disappointing. I can say that. It is disappointing.

"I get an email at 9.23pm last night and I wasn't told the time or exactly where the marae is.

"We've been lambasted and criticised for going the Pakeha way. Well this is a Maori process... Face to face. Whose faces? Te Ururoa's and Hone's."

The hui between Mr Flavell and Mr Harawira was originally scheduled for last Friday but was delayed at the request of Te Tai Tokerau officials.

Mr Bird said he approved the delay as it could have offered a chance for more "clear heads, clear hearts".

"The communication of my team has been very, very clear about the purpose of the meeting.

"This issue cannot be resolved at electorate level. It's incapable of resolution. It's for the two of them to talk together - in the tent. To bring some resolution there."

Mr Bird said he could not speculate on Mr Harawira's future in the Maori Party until the complaint process is resolved.

"That's an issue we're going through at the moment. There's a number of scenarios or outcomes that might suggest themsleves and I'm not going to predict what they might be."

- With NZPA