Te Arawa hit back at PM's hikoi comments

12.30pm

Te Arawa leaders have hit back at comments made yesterday by Prime Minister Helen Clark that those leading the hikoi to Wellington are "haters" and "wreckers".

Helen Clark said the march was being led by the same old faces such as Annette Sykes, Ken Mair and the Harawiras who "come out of the chaos of Waitangi".

Doug Tamaki, who, with his brother Mike, led the hikoi through Rotorua on their Harley Davidson motorcycles, said Helen Clark couldn't sit back and say that all she was dealing with were radicals.

"She's going to get one hell of a shock come Wednesday in Wellington because I've never seen such a unity of Maori since Dame Whina's hikoi."

He said the march was about bringing awareness to people.

"The biggest problem is a lack of understanding about what's actually happening. New Zealanders -- Pakeha and Maori -- need to be more informed about the hikoi and the foreshore and seabed issue," he said.

"I'm sure that there would be more support for Maori if people knew more about what's really going on."

Mr Tamaki said Maori were the kaitiaki (guardians) of the land and always had been.

"We don't own the land, we look after it and ensure it's there for future generations. Different governments don't," he said.

"You have to include us because the land is a part of us and we are a part of the land. You can't make a decision behind closed doors and take it away from us."

Mr Tamaki said Helen Clark could not disregard Maori and needed to open the door and talk to them.

"Otherwise she's opening a can of worms and she's asking for trouble. You sow a bad seed and you're going to get a bad harvest," he said.

Sir Howard Morrison, who supported the hikoi in Rotorua, said Helen Clark needed to realise that a new forum of people had come to the fore over the issue.

"You don't see people like [Auckland Maori leader] Pita Sharples or myself jumping up and down at Waitangi."

He said his respect for the opinions of Judge Ken Hingston, who spoke out at the dawn parade on Anzac Day, and the Waitangi Tribunal had helped him make up his mind regarding the legislation.

"For the Government to legislate on the basis of the people's reaction [to Don Brash's Orewa speech] is deplorable," he said.

Sir Howard said many of the Waitangi Day radicals Helen Clark was referring to had given him a lot of undeserved stick over the years.

"And they were the same ones I walked with on the hikoi, not because of them but because of the issue."

He said the most heartwarming thing about the hikoi for him was when Rotorua Primary School children stood outside the school to show their support.

"That was something for me that will always make me mindful of the legacy that can be sustained by a future generation.

"I mean, what are we standing up for? It's those kids who were standing up there doing the haka to our people," he said.

Te Matarae io Rehu tutor, Wetini Mitai-Ngatai, who carried the main flag which also led Dame Whina Cooper's 1975 land march, said people from all walks of life were participating in the march.

"We are joining to make it clear to Helen Clark that if they can take 30 per cent [of the foreshore and seabed] from 40,000 brown people, then why can't they take the 30 per cent owned by the rich people. For me as a very conservative Maori it's not about white and brown, it's about justice," he said.

Hollywood movie star Cliff Curtis, who also marched in Rotorua, said Miss Clark may have been misinformed about who was attending the marches.

"I am not a radical or troublemaker. I saw the march as a positive and peaceful way for a people to express their views, otherwise we could see the negative emotions imploding on our communities and families," he said.

- DAILY POST (ROTORUA)