Editorial: Mana logs in for 2014 election

130414bf13 Kim Dotcom speaks at the Mana Party AGM held at Mataikotare marae in Rotorua 13 April 2014 Rotorua Daily Post Photograph by Ben Fraser

Will the Mana Party get together with Kim Dotcom and the Internet Party?

The weekend's gathering of Mana Party members and the wealthy internet businessman in Rotorua could not arrive at a decision, but there was plenty of media interest nevertheless.

Two future outcomes loom for the Mana Party - grassroots members will be consulted more to gain a more clear indication of its future with Kim Dotcom, and party president Annette Sykes is to decide whether she will put forward her candidacy for the Waiariki electorate. At the moment, Hone Harawira is the sole Mana Party MP in parliament.

We are reporting in today's paper that a decision for the alignment of the Mana Party and the fledgling Internet Party is weeks away - but there is also a lawsuit hanging over Kim Dotcom for copyright violation which could see him extradited on charges to the United States.

Time will tell where the Mana Party decides to hang its hat - there are serious party decisions to be made in the run-up to this year's general election.

Three dominant, ongoing events have been stimulating our appetites for world news - the Royal tour in New Zealand, the month-long hunt for answers to the missing Malaysian flight MH 370, and coverage of the trial in South Africa of the killing of Reeva Steenkamp.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge came near to visiting Rotorua at the weekend when they dropped in to the namesake township between here and Hamilton. Some travelled from here - including a Rotorua District Council contingent that attended the national cycling centre Royal opening - in the hope of meeting a future king, or to admire his glamorous wife, Catherine.

We also await outcomes for the missing Boeing 777 and court trial of Oscar Pistorius. Rotorua Daily Post readers will receive informed coverage of two different but important news events that call to be reported responsibly.