Holocaust remark repeated in book

Tariana Turia

Tariana Turia's infamous "Holocaust" comments feature in a collection of the Maori Party co-leader's speeches being sold to raise money for the organisation.

The book, called Walking the Talk, features 30 of the better-known speeches Mrs Turia has given over the past six years.

The book's editor, Rachel Selby, said they decided not to shy away from including the more controversial speeches.

One of the most contentious was in 2000 when Mrs Turia, then a minister, said "the holocaust suffered by Maori tribes during the Land Wars needs to be acknowledged".

She was both commended and condemned for her use of the word, and Prime Minister Helen Clark banned her from repeating it.

The book also includes a speech Mrs Turia gave on "trauma and colonisation" which was controversial because she said the "non-indigenous" media's reporting of her holocaust comment was sensational, emotive and ill-informed.

In the speech, which she gave in 2002, she predicted she would be subjected to "the bash" from the media during election year as politicians pushed buttons of prejudice.

A thousand copies of the book, which are being sold for $20, have been printed.

Mrs Turia said the original idea had been to put out a biography, but she had not been keen, so it was decided to compile the speeches.