Hone Harawira
Hone Harawira MP | |
---|---|
File:HoneHarawira2011.jpg Hone Harawira in 2011 | |
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau | |
In office 2005–present | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1955 Whangarei |
Nationality | ![]() |
Political party | Māori Party (2005 – 2011) Independent (2011 – ) Mana Party (2011 – ) |
Hone Pani Tamati Waka Nene Harawira[1] (born 6 January 1955)[2] is a New Zealand Māori activist and parliamentarian. He was elected to the Parliament of New Zealand for the Māori electorate of Te Tai Tokerau in the 2005 general election as the Māori Party candidate. He is currently an Independent MP after leaving the Māori Party on 23 February 2011. His resignation has caused the Te Tai Tokerau by-election, to be held on 25 June 2011.
Early years
Harawira was born to John Puriri Harawira[3] and Titewhai Harawira[4] in Whangarei in 1955. He was raised in West Auckland and attended St Stephen's School, a boarding school for Māori boys, and the University of Auckland. He credits people like Muhammad Ali, Syd Jackson, Nelson Mandela, Maori Marsden, his mother and his wife for teaching him "the need for strength, commitment, wisdom and vision".[5] His mother descends from the Ngāti Hau, Ngāti Wai and Ngāti Hine tribes, his father from Te Aupōuri, Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua, and he is part Pākehā.[6][7] He married Hilda Halkyard from the Ngāti Haua hapū (subtribe) of Te Rarawa.[5]
Activism
His mother is a prominent Māori activist and Harawira himself played a role in Treaty of Waitangi issues, Māori language revitalisation, land occupations, and Māori broadcasting. In 1979 Harawira was part of He Taua, which confronted drunk University of Auckland engineering students who performed a parody of the "Ka Mate" haka with obscenities painted on their bodies. The group including Harawira assaulted them with baseball bats and hoses, resulting in several broken bones.[8] He was a key participant in He Taua, the 1981 Springbok tour protests, and the 2004 foreshore and seabed hikoi, the last of which led to him entering Parliament.
Harawira's family continue to engage in activism, with his nephews Wikitana Popata and John Junior Popata protesting in 2009, 2010 and 2011 at Te Tii Marae during the Waitangi Day celebrations and Harawira has said he is proud of their actions.[9] In 2009 they were convicted of assaulting Prime Minister John Key and sentenced to community service.[10]
Member of Parliament
Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005–2008 | 48th | Te Tai Tokerau | none | Māori Party | |
2008–2011 | 49th | Te Tai Tokerau | 3 | Māori Party | |
2011 | Changed allegiance to: | Independent |
In Parliament Harawira has continued in his tradition as a rebel, breaking protocol to open Parliament in Māori; saying the former Australian Prime Minister "John Howard is a racist bastard" for his intervention into aboriginal affairs; being fined for leaving a planned parliamentary overseas tour to make headlines over aboriginal rights; and for continually challenging the government’s Māori MPs for "not defending Māori rights". A student at Waikato University complained about Harawira in April 2009 after an incident where Harawira swore in response to a question referring to Māori as a "minority group".[11]
Hone Harawira has a regular column in the Kaitaia-based newspaper The Northland Age, entitled Ae Marika. In the edition dated 29th October 2009, during the time he was on a Parliamentary trip in Europe, he wrote:[12] "...we've been scrapping and squabbling and brawling and bawling about this, that and the other thing for so long that all of the original Waitangi Tribunal claimants are now long dead." "...the European Union...27 distinct languages and hundreds of different dialects...political diversity...everyone doing their best to talk with one another, and work together!" "So hangin' with these folks has been a great learning experience." "...I for one learned heaps."
Following his return from Europe, in November 2009 Hawawira was asked to repay some travel costs after skipping a taxpayer-funded conference in Brussels to go sightseeing in Paris. "How many times in my lifetime am I going to get to Europe? So I thought, 'F*** it, I'm off. I'm off to Paris'," he said.[13] In a subsequent email exchange with Buddy Mikaere (a former director of the Waitangi Tribunal), who had criticised Harawira's actions, Harawira lashed out at white people, stating "Gee Buddy, do you believe that white man bull**** too do you? White motherf***ers have been raping our lands and ripping us off for centuries and all of a sudden you want me to play along with their puritanical bullshit....And, quite frankly, I don't give a shit what you or anyone else thinks about it. OK?". Harawira's email was seen as racist and heavily criticised by the media, other members of Parliament, and members of the public.[14][15]
Following a lengthy discussion process, the Māori Party decided that he would not face punishment.[16] On Radio Waatea he apologised for the wording of his email but not for the sentiment of it.[17] He also said in an apology "My words were true."[18] Harawira later said that Labour Party leader Phil Goff was a "bastard" and "should be lined up against a wall and shot" for passing the Foreshore and Seabed Act.[19]
On 31 July 2010, Harawira said in an interview with the New Zealand Herald that he "wouldn't feel comfortable" if one of his children came home with a Pākehā (non-Māori) partner. He was also asked, since some of his whānau have dated Pacific Islanders and he didn't have an issue with it, "does that make him prejudiced?" He said "Probably, but how many people don't have prejudices?"[20] He was criticised for his comments as being "racist and stupid" (by National Party MP Tau Henare), and as "playing the race card every time he wants to 'create a smoke screen for other issues'" (by senior Ngāpuhi elder David Rankin) and by many others.[21][22] He also said in the interview, when asked "why not be an independent MP?" that "I came here because the Maori Party provided me, and us, with the opportunity to change the world and I recognise the value of that."
On 19 January 2011 the Māori Party received a complaint from Te Ururoa Flavell which was supported by all the Party's other MP's, Rahui Katene, Pita Sharples, and Tariana Turia.[23] A leak of the internal complaint document showed that all of the other Māori Party MP's had "lost trust and confidence" in Mr Harawira, that he "acted unethically and without integrity" and that he "deliberately undermined" the party and the leaders. Harawira responded by describing his Party colleagues as "dickheads."[24]
On 7 February 2011 Harawira was suspended from the Māori Party caucus, with a statement by Turia and Sharples saying they had lost faith in him after five years of ill-discipline.[25] He responded saying he wishes to stay with the party and stand for it in the 2011 election.[26]
On 23 February 2011 Harawira left the Māori Party after the party's disciplinary committee recommended his expulsion.[27] On 30 April 2011 he announced the formation of the Mana Party,[28] stating that he would resign from Parliament and would contest the resulting by-election. Following criticism that a by-election would be "a ridiculous publicity stunt mainly about the tens of thousands of dollars he stands to gain if he returns to Parliament as a party leader," and that it would cost New Zealand taxpayers $500,000, on 3 May 2011 he delayed his planned resignation from Parliament, saying he wanted to take the decision back to the people of his Te Tai Tokerau electorate.[29] Although the leader of the Mana Party, he remains an independent MP until after a by-election or general election.[30]
On 5 May 2011, in an interview on Māori Television's Māori-language current affairs programme 'Native Affairs', Harawira paid tribute to the former leader of Al Qaeda Osama bin Laden's actions as those of "a man who fought for the rights, the land and the freedom of his people" and claimed people should not be damning him but rather mourn the loss of a freedom fighter.[31][32] Harawira later apologised, claiming that his "mihi to the Bin Laden's family was seen by some as support for Bin Laden's actions" which "was not intended".[33] Harawira received threats following his remarks about bin Laden, which were dealt with by the police.[34]
On 11 May 2011, Harawira formally announced his resignation from Parliament to the Speaker of the House. This resignation will take effect six days before the cut off time for Parliament to allow a by-election.[35] On the following day, the Prime Minister John Key announced that the by-election would be held on 25th June.[36]
References
- ^ "New Zealand Hansard - Members Sworn Volume:651;Page:2". Parliament of New Zealand.
- ^ "2005 Candidate Profile Fact Sheet - Hone Harawira". scoop.co.nz. 25 July 2005. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ^ Harawira, Hone (9 December 2010). "Harawira: Tobacco inquiry debate". Scoop. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- ^ "Harawira reflects on life and love". Western Leader. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- ^ a b "About". Hone.co.nz. Hone Harawira. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- ^ "'Goff should be shot' - Harawira's latest gaffe". 3news.co.nz. 9 October 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "Maori MPs accused of brown supremacy". The Northern Advocate. 11 November 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ Tahana, Yvonne (2 May 2009). "Haka brawl rivals unite to remember". The New Zealand Herald.
- ^ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10704321
- ^ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10704285
- ^ Brennan, Nicola (27 April 2009). "'Thug MP' Harawira swore at me: student". Waikato Times.
- ^ On hardcopy, not accessible on northlandage.co.nz
- ^ "'Public wonder' over Harawira's holiday". Stuff.co.nz. 5 November 2009.
- ^ "Harawira's white tirade 'deeply offensive'". Stuff.co.nz. 6 November 2009.
- ^ "Hone's Buddy not expecting a call". TVNZ news website. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
- ^ "Harawira welcomed back by Maori Party". TVNZ news website. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
- ^ "Harawira's apology - what he said". 3news.co.nz. 10 November 2009.
- ^ "Hone Harawira racist email". Te Karere Maori News TVNZ 6 Nov. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "I should have asked my wife to check my email, Harawira admits". The New Zealand Herald. 10 November 2009.
- ^ "Harawira smartens up his act". The New Zealand Herald. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "Henare calls Harawira comments racist". TVNZ news website. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "Harawira accused of Mugabe-style politics". TVNZ news website. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "PRESS STATEMENT FROM THE MAORI PARTY". maoriparty.org. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "Leaked complaint shows extent of Maori Party split". 3news.co.nz. 4 February 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "Faith in Harawira lost". The New Zealand Herald. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ "Harawira wants to stay with party". The New Zealand Herald. 8 February 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ "Harawira out of Maori Party". ONE News. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ "Hone Harawira launches new party". Stuff. 30 April 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ^ "Harawira delays resignation". The New Zealand Herald. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "Hone Harawira : Member for Te Tai Tokerau, Independent". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
- ^ "NZ MP hails Osama as freedom fighter". Geo Television Network. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ "Bin Laden a freedom fighter – Harawira". Te Karere Ipungi - Maori NewS Online. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "Osama Bin Laden comments". The Offical Website of MP Hone Harawira. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ Derek Cheng (14 May 2011). "Threats against Hone Harawira under investigation". Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Harawira resigns from Parliament". The New Zealand Herald. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
- ^ "Te Tai Tokerau byelection date announced". The New Zealand Herald. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
External links