Harawira heads for uncertain future

Hone Harawira, pictured at Kaitaia Airport yesterday, says he will comment more fully on the election fallout once special votes have been declared. Photo / Christine Cornege

Mana Party leader Hone Harawira says he hasn't spoken to Kim Dotcom since election night.

Mr Harawira is revealing little to the media until October 4, when special votes will show whether he has lost his Tai Tokerau seat to Labour's Kelvin Davis.

The defeat spells almost certain doom for the Internet-Mana Party.

Speaking to the Herald at Kaitaia yesterday, Mr Harawira said he had yet to speak with Kim Dotcom, who bankrolled his election campaign, or Internet Party leader Laila Harre.

"When I do that will be part of the statement that I will make after October 4.

"I don't want to go beyond that until such a time that we have really talked about it to everybody."

Mr Harawira said he had had "a bit of a shake-up" following a car accident in the weeks before the election.

"I wasn't injured ... It happened in the Mangamukas, in the gorge. It was a bit of a shake-up, more of a Maori shake-up.

"My tupuna were sitting on my shoulder saying, 'Kia tupato [be careful]'."

While he still hasn't conceded defeat, it would take a miracle for him to overcome the 1119-vote margin of Mr Davis, who reversed his 2011 loss to Mr Harawira.

Hine Te Waipuna Popata, a kaiako at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Pukemiro in Kaitaia, was saddened to see Mr Harawira lose but believed he could still be effective outside of Parliament.

She said Mr Harawira had helped to establish a kai programme at the school, which has a roll of 120 pupils.

Ritihia Kereopa, who was at the alcohol-free, child-friendly party for Mr Harawira on election night, said his loss "still hasn't sunk in yet".

"If anything it's a dull feeling because we would always see Papa Hone on TV and always expected him to stay there. But we know Papa Hone, he's brave and he fights those issues that are hard issues, that's why I admire him."

But Te Rarawa leader Haami Piripi suspected Mr Harawira had been outshone by Kim Dotcom and people were becoming increasingly concerned for outcomes.

"In nine years there really wasn't much to show. What pieces of legislation has he been responsible for? It's hard to promulgate legislation or achieve a policy breakthrough when you're a one-man band."

Mr Piripi said there wasn't so much a backlash against Mr Harawira as a lack of surety and understanding about the things he was advocating.

"You'd listen to Laila Harre and you could tell she knew nothing about us. Our old people went and fought world wars and here we are about to put this German fella into Parliament and he is already suspect - a lot of people saw that straight away."

Mr Harawira earlier posted a statement on the Mana Party's Facebook page saying had the left won, the Mana Party's Feed the Kids Bill would have been passed at the first sitting of the new Parliament.

He said Mana's aims to end child poverty, create a living wage, promote jobs and build more state houses "are all still desperately needed".