Maori Party kidnapped my boy, says mother

Pita Sharples

The mother of a 16-year-old Labour supporter allegedly kidnapped by the Maori Party laid a complaint with the police last night.

It came just hours after the Maori Party laid its own complaint against Labour MP John Tamihere for allegedly vandalising its billboards.

Police have confirmed they are investigating both complaints.

The allegations came as polls put just three points between Mr Tamihere, the MP for the Auckland seat of Tamaki Makaurau, and Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples, who is standing against him.

On Wednesday night, Maori Party members discovered a group of Labour supporters, including the 16-year-old, putting "Vote for Tamihere" stickers on Maori Party billboards.

It is alleged Dr Sharples' campaign team billboard manager, former Black Power member Martin Cooper, threw the boy into a car and took him to Dr Sharples' house, where he was filmed on a camera phone describing what he had done. The boy spent the rest of the night removing the stickers from the billboards and was not allowed home until yesterday morning.

The boy's mother told the Herald last night that her son "feared for his life" during the ordeal and that claims he went with Mr Cooper willingly were untrue.

Mr Tamihere said he did not condone the stickers being placed on the billboards but it was no reason to take the boy against his will.

"He was nabbed, thrown in a car and kidnapped ... This kid didn't deserve this treatment at all."

Mr Tamihere said the boy was intimidated, too scared to try to leave and unable to call his worried mother to tell her where he was.

The MP has criticised Dr Sharples for not calling the boy's parents.

At a press conference yesterday Dr Sharples gave a different version of events, saying the boy went willingly with Maori Party members and was apologetic for his actions.

Afterwards, campaign team members said the boy had been taken to a police station - to provide evidence for a complaint against the police - and somewhere to eat during the night. These were public areas and if the boy had wanted to get away from the men, he could have easily done so at those times.

A One News-Colmar Brunton poll last night put support in Tamaki Makaurau for Dr Sharples at 45 per cent and that for Mr Tamihere at 42.