Editorial: Admitting he did wrong is a good start

Sonny Tau, left, said he made a mistake which he deeply regretted. Photo / NZME.

There's a joke that goes something like this.

A judge is sentencing a wood pigeon poacher.

"I am curious, I have to ask" says the judge. "What do wood pigeons taste like?"

"They taste a bit like kiwi, your honour".

Sonny Tau has found himself in a hot water - he's not accused of poaching but it seems he was caught in possession of several kereru - protected wood pigeons.

It's not a joke - preservation of the kereru has become a life's work for some conservationists. Kereru have been protected since 1921.

There is some argument for controlled hunting of them.

It seems now though, that Mr Tau will have to experience the sour taste of public ignominy. As a Maori leader, at the forefront of treaty negotiations with the Crown, his misdemeanour will attract attention. And perhaps even calls for him to stand aside - if he breaks the law, should he be involved in something such as a historic treaty settlement that requires the utmost integrity.

Or is this a storm in a kereru pot?

The brickbats will come - so too should some praise.

There are plenty of prominent people around these parts who run for the hills when the temperature gets hot, they don't front up, some hide behind a name suppression.

Mr Tau has said he had made a mistake which he deeply regretted, and that he had failed to respect the laws around native bird protection. His relative, Northland Conservation Board chairman Mita Harris, says Mr Tau has to put things right. Mr Tau's public acknowledgement of his mistake was a good place to start.