Sparks fly during foreshore bill reading

Hone Harawira, returns to the debating chamber as an independent today. Photo / NZPA

The foreshore and seabed repeal bill passed its second reading in Parliament last night with bitter exchanges between Act and National, and Hone Harawira and his former Maori Party colleagues.

However Mr Harawira failed to vote on the bill, saying he had been called out of the House and got side-tracked.

He will have many other opportunities for votes tomorrow and next week when the bill, the marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill goes through its committee stages.

Act's John Boscawen, who opposes the bill, said he had been ashamed at the way the Government had behaved over the bill and at the way Tau Henare had treated submitters to the bill as chairman of the Maori Affairs select committee.

"I feel ashamed that I am supporting a Government that plays the Act members off against the Maori Party members," said Mr Boscawen, the Minister of Consumer Affairs and deputy leader of Act, a National support party.

Mr Henare challenged him to "give up your warrant" and called him "the Charlie Sheen of New Zealand politics".

Mr Boscawen also attacked Mr Henare and National colleagues Simon Bridges and Paul Quinn for interjecting often as Green co-leader Metiria Turei spoke.

The exchanges between Mr Harawira and the Maori Party, in his first speech since leaving the party over the bill, were more one-way.

Mr Harawira attacked his former party colleagues and in doing so appears to have breached a divorce agreement that they refrain from attacking each other.

He said the bill "preys on the desperation of the Maori Party to be seen to be doing something about the issue from which it was born".

He said the leadership of the party had forced him out of the party "so they can say the Maori Party unanimously supports this racist piece of legislation".

And he said their supporters would abandon them if the party "sells out their people" and votes for it.

Co-leader Tariana Turia had left the House by then but she said she had been proud to lead the debate on a bill that repealed the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004.

INCHING CLOSER

The Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana Bill)

* Restores the right of Maori to claim customary title in the courts.
* Sets out criteria for the courts to follow, instead of relying on common law judgments from other countries.
* Gives iwi the right to avoid court and negotiate customary title with the Government.
* Customary title is an ownership title but it can't be sold and free access will be guaranteed.
* Bill is ready for clause by clause deliberation in committee stages.