Turia tipped to rebel and lose portfolios

By RUTH BERRY, political reporter

Tariana Turia is expected to decide today to vote against the foreshore legislation and lose her ministerial warrants.

It remains unclear if she will force a byelection in her Tai Hauauru seat.

Mrs Turia will meet iwi in her home town of Wanganui today for a final discussion of her options and may announce her plans this afternoon.

She is under huge pressure over what to do about her political future and has this week given conflicting signals about her intentions.

On Monday, she said she planned to cross the floor on the legislation and would inform her caucus colleagues of that on Tuesday.

She said she would not resign her five portfolios as she had done nothing wrong, and that she planned to join the foreshore hikoi.

Her decision not to resign her portfolios would have forced Helen Clark to strip them from her - a step the Prime Minister planned to take on Tuesday.

But after a late-night meeting on Monday, Mrs Turia pulled back.

She said nothing at the Tuesday meeting and left hiding in Helen Clark's car.

She said later that she had been given another option to consider - failing to vote on the legislation - and would take it to her constituents.

In a letter to local Maori leaders, Mrs Turia asked them to send by today their views on what she should do. The letter said she was "required" to inform the Prime Minister of her plans by Monday.

But sources say Labour MPs were told they could expect a decision from Mrs Turia by late today.

She told TV3's 3 News yesterday that she had agreed to consider the non-vote option after being asked to by Helen Clark.

"She said she would give me the option: would I go to my key leaders in the electorate and ask for their opinions on that. I have done that. I'm expecting a response by tomorrow."

Asked if she was planning a byelection, Mrs Turia said: "Like the options I had for staying in the Executive, there are options available for me to consider for my political future and I'll make that known tomorrow when I've received the rest of the emails and faxes and phone calls from people in the electorate."

Whether this means she will spell out her plans or simply the full range of options before her was unclear.

Her spokesman was unable to say when she would make a final announcement, saying plans were changing all the time.

Some Labour supporters close to Mrs Turia still claimed last night that she did not want to leave the party.

Other supporters said her conscience was telling her to vote against the bill and her public stance would make it difficult to do anything else without being seen to have sold out.

They believe the hikoi marching to Parliament has increased the pressure on Mrs Turia to force a byelection.

The hikoi arrives in Wanganui on Sunday, the next possible date for an announcement if it is not made today.

Whanganui Trust Board chairman Archie Taiaroa, who will meet Mrs Turia today, said there was no disagreement in the electorate about how bad the foreshore policy was.

But he questioned whether she should leave Parliament and how effective an independent MP would be for the electorate.

Mr Taiaroa said Mrs Turia's supporters could talk about a byelection, but actually holding one took considerable resources.