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Treaty obligations must be met: Harawira

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Sun, 05 Feb 2012 7:52a.m.

Hone Harawira said he could not speculate over whether there would be protests

Hone Harawira said he could not speculate over whether there would be protests

By Cleo Fraser

Mana Party leader Hone Harawira says Prime Minister John Key will "have a fight on his hands" if Waitangi treaty obligations over state assets are not met, ahead of today's treaty celebrations.

Controversy over asset sales and job cuts at Te Puni Kokiri, the Ministry of Maori Development, have raised tensions ahead of the annual event at Waitangi's Te Tii Marae in the Bay of Islands.

Speaking in Paihia, Mr Harawira, who is the Maori MP for Northland, told NZ Newswire he hoped Mr Key would get the message today, the day the Prime Minister is set to be welcomed onto the marae.

"I'm hoping that the Prime Minister seriously gets the message that if he wants to take the treaty out of the State Owned Enterprise legislation so that he can sell off those state owned assets, he's going to have a fight on his hands."

Party organiser Malcolm Mulholland said earlier that feelings are running high and there could be demonstrations.

Mr Harawira said he could not speculate over whether there would be protests.

Mr Key plans to raise the asset sales issue with Kiwi leaders on the marae.

Mr Key said they were being "bamboozled" by misinformation about treaty clauses in the legislation covering the power companies that are going to be partially sold.

There was confusion earlier this week about the Government's intentions, which led to the Maori Party threatening to pull out of its support agreement.

NZN

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Comments

06 Feb 2012 04:51a.m.

Pete wrote:

It's better than handing out assets and poisoning the water, land without a fight. I can't believe how multinational oil corporations 'fracking' gets away with responsibility of the Ch-Ch earthquake!!

05 Feb 2012 10:01p.m.

maori wrote:

its not a threat of violence that is how a foreign person thinks, to the maori, meaning native of the country you are in, you are maori to your country we are too ours Hone Harawira and Peter Sharples are both needed, too voice the concerns of us as people we inteend too stand our ground, we have a right too our turangawaewae, we are not violent as a people we are a product of colonisation we think differently about our land and environment, we are concerned about our resources, we believe that the government can break its own laws and change them too suit there needs, all the laws where broken that were signed in the declaration of independence 5 years before the treaty of Waitangi we gave right too govern over lands leant too them too live on and work never gave land too own it was never ours too sell, we were caretakers,we still are, we were too govern over our own land and people,these rights were recorded in the history of our country and yet we are not given back what was stolen, this is a form of that the government changing laws in order too benefit those in power, we cannot trust the government because of a past that is shared, and though we are only standing for what is right we are only maori too new zealand so that dont count. we live in a country full of foreign people, our needs are not as important as thiers that is how it feels, how would you feel, why has there never been a maori pm shouldnt that be a given right i think a fair government would be one in which half the seats can only be maori the other can be for the european not forgetting anyone who comes too live here should be thankful they are here not have a right too say how it should be run because they have money or live here we can t go any where else in the world and do that can we, what more must be endured, kia kaha aku matua kia puawaitanga we must have balance composure,cunning and focus we must have faith in our beliefs strengthen the mana of all our iwi together whakamoemiti te ariki

05 Feb 2012 11:23a.m.

Phred wrote:

So I publicly tell the Government, 'Do this or there will be violence' and later there is violence. I will then be prosecuted for inciting that violence. It should also happen when a Maori dissident incites Maori people to violence. This is not rascist. This is the law in New Zealand. There are so many wonderful Maori in NZ. A few radicals should not be allowed to run amok and destroy the value of the entire people.

05 Feb 2012 11:21a.m.

Guest wrote:

It's time that Hone Harawira got the message... violence and aggravation is not the way forward.

05 Feb 2012 10:06a.m.

Rob wrote:

Just end it. End the 'holiday'. NZ doesn't need any more embarrassments. And certainly don't need Harawira.