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Hone Harawira pleads not guilty to 'petty' charge

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Harawira pleads not guilty to 'petty' charge

3News NZ

Hone Harawira

Hone Harawira

By 3 New online staff

Mana Party leader Hone Harawira has pleaded not guilty for his part in a state housing protest in Auckland last week.

The Te Tai Tokerau MP appeared in Auckland District Court this morning charged with failing to remove a vehicle from the road, after he and seven others tried to stop a state house being moved from Glen Innes to Mt Wellington.

Harawira called the charge “petty” and a waste of his time, after he reportedly parked over the driveway of the house being removed.

He told media he was just sitting in his car listening to music when police smashed a window and pulled him out of the vehicle.

Speaking outside court, Harawira said his actions were justified as he was “defending the rights of the poor”.

“Those people were promised they wouldn't have to move. They ran a survey, nobody wanted to move, they have been driven out of their homes,” he says.

Housing New Zealand is removing 156 state homes from Glen Innes and replacing them with 260 high density homes and apartments.

Harawira will reappear in court on November 8.

3 News / NZN

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Comments

17/10/2012 7:20:00 p.m.

normz wrote:

high density homes and apartments,hey that's a good idea.That way we can get all the poor people cheaper affordable housing and move them to areas where they can congregate and form gangs and when they start rapping about ghetto life, happy coincidence they actually live in one,and how about the convenience,no more walking down the road for a'P' hit i'll just go across the corridor,there goes the weekly excersize...great idea!!!!!

17/10/2012 5:56:09 p.m.

joey256 wrote:

hone says that he was just listening to the radio then says he was defending the rights of others, another liar in parliament ?? what is the difference between his lies and that of others

17/10/2012 2:03:44 p.m.

Boyd wrote:

What a shame Hone isn't John Banks. The Key would fight his battles for him.

17/10/2012 1:05:37 p.m.

cyril wrote:

Sounds like a good swap to me. Remove 156 houses and replace them with 260. Nearly doubles the houses available great work.

17/10/2012 12:40:05 p.m.

dave wrote:

what a sad state of affairs when people like hone get elected into our house of parliment..... what has he done so far....mmmm nothing.

17/10/2012 11:18:18 a.m.

constructive not destructive wrote:

Maybe Hone should get out there and do something instead just getting his photo in the papers. State housing is for those who need it not just those who WANT it, wouldnt we all like cheap housing but thats not the way the world works. Why doesnt Hone buy some land and build some housing for those he believes need it. I have a friend who is still living in his 3-bedroom family home and he is the only one left there as the family have moved on of course he has to shift so some-one else can benefit its just common-sense and if we can build more homes for more people by selling prime land thats what we need to do simple help more or help a few

17/10/2012 11:17:44 a.m.

Jonno wrote:

Public nuisence at the most is all he should be charged with, but really commen sense says drop the whole thing. . However the the police COULD be charged with vandalisem . But there are those who only see what they want to see.

17/10/2012 11:02:23 a.m.

Cher Watti wrote:

Ay fullas leave ou Hone alone. Good honest bro should b race relations conciliator. Jus jigging to da sounds ou. Fuzz should bust dude pinch my TV.

17/10/2012 10:56:51 a.m.

madness wrote:

Of course he is innocent he never does anything wrong................yeah right!!! If there is aneed for more housing then removing those ones and putting in over 100 more is good and GI is known for all its state housing so why not there. Hone you need to get a real job and stop causing trouble!!!

17/10/2012 10:21:05 a.m.

Jason Ryder wrote:

The Police and seemingly Govt Depts can do what they want and are accountable to know one as for when they get caught they will deny all knowledge and culpability so Hone you are stuffed Bro and will have to take your punishment even though you were doing it for the goood of the people and if you read my comments from a year ago it was then that I highlighted that H.N.Z were getting rid of their houses or should I say our houses as we the tax payer bought them.....