Sharples sees end for rival at poll

The Labour Party will lose the Tamaki Makaurau electorate at the next election with or without embattled MP John Tamihere, says the co-leader of the Maori Party.

Pita Sharples, who is also the Maori Party candidate for the Auckland-based electorate, has welcomed the decision to let Mr Tamihere stay, but he doubts it will make any difference at the polls.

"John is gone. I don't know if it is going to be before the election or after, it doesn't bother me."

Dr Sharples believed it was important the incumbent MP was beaten at the ballot rather than eliminated by his own party.

And he hopes the decision puts an end to the media overkill Mr Tamihere has experienced in the past two weeks - coverage he believes has won him support from Maori voters who did not support him in the past.


Mr Tamihere launched an attack on the strong feminist influence in the Labour Government, some former Cabinet colleagues, and said he was sick of hearing about the Holocaust.


Dr Sharples voiced concern at the outrage shown following Mr Tamihere's Holocaust comments. He said there was little dialogue around atrocities endured by Maori as a result of colonisation.

He said the time had come to move on from the sideshows and get on with the job of contesting the election.

"To war we go. Let's get on the battlefield," he said.


* An earlier version of this story may have incorrectly given the impression Dr Sharples backed Mr Tamihere's comments on feminist influence in the Labour Government. Dr Sharples says he backs criticism of the growing influence of political correctness in Parliamant.