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Harawira faces hui over abusive comments

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Maori Party MP Hone Harawira will face up to a hui in Kaitaia today following his recent misdemeanors

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira will face up to a hui in Kaitaia today following his recent misdemeanors

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 8:03a.m.
Hone Harawira fronts up to a hui in Kaitaia today over his racially abusive comments about white people but Maori Party leaders are staying away.

Co-leaders Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia appear to be distancing themselves from the uproar over the MP's "white motherf....rs" comment in an email, a reaction to criticism of his unauthorised trip to Paris while on a parliamentary trip to Europe.

Mrs Turia said yesterday his comments had damaged the party and it was up to Mr Harawira's local electorate to decide how he should atone for them.

She admitted there had been a "massive reaction" from the public and she had received many abusive emails herself.

The Te Tai Tokerau (Northland) MP has given a qualified apology for his remarks and the party has decided not to expel him.

But there is mounting pressure for disciplinary action.

"They cannot just let this go by as if it's one of those things that happen," United Future leader Peter Dunne said yesterday.

"It is quite an unusual set of events and I think the public of New Zealand are expecting them to take quite a strong stand."

Prime Minister John Key has previously described the comments as offensive and yesterday suggested the media should ignore him.

"I think you are giving him and his comments too much credence," he told reporters.

"He is known for making these comments. He is known for wanting media attention...if you ignore him, it might be quite an interesting result."

Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres said the comments had generated a record number of complaints -- 365 compared with 407 for all of last year.

He decided last week Mr Harawira had not breached the Human Rights Act because he was entitled to free speech.

Mr Harawira left a parliamentary delegation visiting Brussels to take his wife to Paris for a day's sight-seeing.

His subsequent defence of his actions included an email in which he said "white motherf...rs" had been "raping" New Zealand for years and he was not beholden to "white puritanical bullshit".

NZPA
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Comments [20]

Jan..
16 Nov 2009 9:10a.m.

nessa: my household pays 35 to 40 percent tax yearly so Hone and his wife can use some of that percentage..
Brent: leave your hangmen and your language to those who critisized all the jews and all others unfortunate deaths.
We haven't forgotton to how you sent our deads home from the war..
Enough: your comment 12 NOV 2009 10:25A.M. Are you commenting about yourself? the Mongrel are minding there own business, are you asking for a gundown,leave the sleeping dogs sleeps..
Venice: Phil Golf should go to prison for the mess of our country, we haven't forgotton to how they sent our deads from the war, the black Americans has recently granted thier humanrights after all these years and what was the holdup and whom to say or has that right to any humanbeings rights..Morons..

Helen
14 Nov 2009 9:23a.m.

Keep strong Hone! Youre on track and you have my support whole heartedly no matter what the outcome is. Kia kaha e hoa!

jda1
13 Nov 2009 10:50a.m.

Sir,It is with amazement that I find that the maori Leaders are not supporting one of their own that has told the truth and like the holocost the amount of denial by the people concerned has been glossed over by those that are the guilty party but whilst this is going on old Rodney Hyde,s faux Paux goes into oblivion so isn't he off the hook.
Hoe has told the truth and many Maori are in denil of the fact.

Helen
13 Nov 2009 7:57a.m.

Good luck to your Hone! I guess it was a slip of the tongue that bought this all on and now for the weather... all half breeds report back to duty please and Have A Nice NZ Day! Just thought Id round off my day with a sense of LoL!!! humanour I mean humour.

Brent
13 Nov 2009 7:14a.m.

if he was a white man he would have been hung right now for being a racist and as for the tax payer paying for him and his wifes holiday i think he should be charged as with theft as a servent we don`t need a racist like him running our country

Ruth
12 Nov 2009 7:22p.m.

His electorate consists of 95% family 5% who are to frightened of him and his family. As for his remarks if it was a "whitey" as he abtly puts it. Emailed the things he said, there would be a worse outcry than what is happening now, and Hone would jump in boots and all wouldnt stop till the offender was removed from office and he would make sure the tax payer never forgot it.

venus
12 Nov 2009 7:16p.m.

I agree with John Key, you are all giving HH's remarks too much credence. And it seems you all know better than the Race Relations Conciliator, who ruled the email to be not racist, and he has, twice now, given the legal definition of what racism is, which you all seem to be ignoring. HH's remarks were abusive and for that alone he should leave The Beehive and buzz off. But this is nothing new for HH. Right from the get go, he was and still is blunt, and crude and he should go, but you are all over reacting in leaps and bounds.

Whenever anything like this happens, and Vernice has made a few points here, all the real racists crawl out from under their hiding places - refer to Tariana Turia's comment that many of the emails the Maori Party is receiving are real racist reactions to HH's remarks. I believe, they were flowing in a steady stream before HH made those remarks. I have no doubt that they will continue to flow long after this silly debacle is long forgotten - that is a fact that Maori live with and have lived with for a very long time now.

The Treaty settlements are putting much of the bad vibe in Aotearoa in the done and dusted basket, and pretty soon, if not already, we Kiwi will enjoy the best multicultural society in the world.

So get over yourselves and if you havent anything constructive to say, and all you want to do is vent, say it to Hone. I dare you. HH has, it seems, given some an excuse to do a wee bit of Maori bashing, and that is so boring. HH should go, and probably will.

Wolfman you are so wrong because Hone Harawira will not come out of this smelling of roses. Who are you referring to when you say 'peers'. Are you calling all of the Tai Tokerau Electorate racist? Or are you saying all of the Maori Party are racist? Who are his peers in this instance? You are over reacting.

The Maori Party was founded on very good principles. Its had some tough times and it will weather this storm.

Easily










Jim
12 Nov 2009 5:00p.m.

nessa, well put
Vernice, as dave said in another post. We were not the first people here, but it has just been cleverly covered up.
Hone, I am of part Ngapuhi descant and I am appalled with your constant "white men owe me" attitude. You know that the only people who consistently use these lines are ones that have their heads in the sand regarding past Maori (pre-European) atrocities’ There is too much finger pointing going on instead of occasionally looking in the mirror at the sad, deluded monster that stares back at us. It is time to change!!!

Jim
12 Nov 2009 4:59p.m.

nessa, well put
Vernice, as dave said in another post. We were not the first people here, but it has just been cleverly covered up.
Hone, I am of part Ngapuhi descant and I am appalled with your constant "white men owe me" attitude. You know that the only people who consistently use these lines are ones that have their heads in the sand regarding past Maori (pre-European) atrocities’ There is too much finger pointing going on instead of occasionally looking in the mirror at the sad, deluded monster that stares back at us. It is time to change!!!

Ann S
12 Nov 2009 4:52p.m.

What a waste of space this wimp is,nothing will be done they are all the same in the Maori Party.

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