MP's koha passed to school

The Maori Party looks to have avoided a potentially messy scandal, with assurances last night that one of its MPs was not accepting money from constituents.

In a television interview yesterday, Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira admitted taking cash gifts from constituents - and then went on to say there was nothing wrong with the practice.

He told the Agenda programme the money was given to his wife and then passed on as a donation to a Kaitaia kura kaupapa (Maori language immersion school).

The comments, which could have damaged the Maori Party's reputation, were made during a debate over Labour's Mangere MP Taito Phillip Field, who is being investigated by police after allegations about taking "lafo" from a constituent.

Harawira has jumped to Field's defence, claiming the embattled MP is a victim of "brown bashing" and is within his cultural rights to accept gifts from constituents.

Harawira did not return Herald on Sunday calls last night, but his wife Hilda said her husband's comments had been taken out of context.

He had only been given cash once and that was a donation which was passed on to the local kura kaupapa to help two "needy students", she said.

It was nonsense to suggest her husband was "on the take" as some people might think.

"I manage his money and I know what goes on, " she said.

He was well aware of his parliamentary obligations and would never accept cash in return for providing services to constituents.

"My mother is always trying to give him petrol money but he always gives it back," Hilda Hawawira said.

"I think some people think he is working his butt off and has no money."

The only other "koha" Harawira received was the occasional bucket of fish from a Te Hapua family.

That was then shared out among the elders.

"If you're talking koha, my husband is the one who hands loads out," Hilda Harawira said.

One of National's Maori MPs Georgina Te Heuheu said it was important to always remember the job of an MP was to serve constituents without any expectation of payment in return.

The issue of koha was again in the spotlight last week after new allegations from a former electoral worker, known as Siniva, that Field took "donations" from people in the community in return for helping them.

Field was cleared in July over allegations of a conflict of interest in providing immigration assistance to a Thai overstayer.

But the investigation into his conduct raised issues about Field's judgment.

Koha is a common practice among Maori, and often involves the giving of gifts by visitors to a host marae.

Traditionally this has often taken the form of food although taonga (treasured possessions) are also sometimes offered as koha.

However, these days koha most commonly takes the form of money.