wow since when did media become so biased, completely agree with comment #24, if the same result came from a white person i think they would be instantly removed from parliament. phill goff and john key have already said if Hone was a member of there parliament he would no longer be there. Although i do agree that maori have had a tough time since the european came here but i dont believe that openly entitles them to make such racist comments and enjoy the luxary of Paris whilst there at it. I believe that all the opinion comments reported in this manner is create division and lead quickly to a race war that seems iminent now. Just look at how powerful the BNP has become in England do we really want that here.

So what has the supposed "ripping off by European colonisers who were responsible for the loss of millions of acres of land over the past 160 years" got to do with that racist bludger Harawira taking the piss by going sightseeing with his Wife, when he was supposed to be representing New Zealand at a meeting with UN delegates? This is the problem with overt racists such as yourself Willie, you always seek to blame and criticise everyone else for your current predicaments. Maori like you and Hone do nothing positive for your people, instead you only seek to divide New Zealand while at the same time being only too happy taking money from your fellow New Zealanders (because that is what we all are Willie, like it or not, this includes Maori, Pakeha, Asians, pacific Islanders etc) to fund your lifestyles.

I challenge you and all Maori of the same mindset (which is NOT all Maori, as I know from my Wife's whanau who are Ngāpuhi and other friends who are part Maori) to live in the present and to move into the future with a brand new mindset of positivity, responsibily and unity with all New Zealanders.

P.S. The comment from FFS! #26 hit the nail right on the head - couldn't agree more!

Hmmm interesting comments by many. Appears that Hone has brought the "racism" out of many. Perhaps the difference is, is that he say's it openly and everyone else just thinks it, and then leaves underlining comments in order to make themselves feel theyre not racist. What's that glass house saying....?? I'm more afraid of Desting Church then I am any Hone Harawira's. He's just damaging himself, not a whole flock.

NZ should invite the interim Fiji Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, to sort out the racial problems. Seriuos.

Okay, so an MP said something a bit harsh about white fellas; pretty sure there would have been a few slurs on Maori over the years from some top MP's. We are missing the wood for the trees here; we can waffle about 'is he racist or not', but the fact is there is real racial tension in NZ, and it needs to be sorted out. While people will moan about handouts and the like, the fact is that a lot of money given to Maori will stay with the people at the top of the food chain, and little if any will trickle down; problems cannot be solved by throwing money at them! People want to be treated like humans and given respect.If you strip back all the bollocks, this amounts to the chief white folks being unhappy with a brown upstart. Dress it up how you like, but this it it. We, as a nation of immigrants from all over the world, need to sort our sh#t out. Don't leave it to the MP's, do it yourself. Educate yourself in NZ's different cultures, Maori, Polynesian, Chinese, etc, challenge yourselves to think about how others are treated! For fuc#s sake, NZ is a great place, and if we let it go to the dogs because of incidents like this, then we'll end up as wrecked by racial tension as so many other countries around the world. It may sound hippy-dippy, but something has to change. Peace out

Mr Harawira has unfortunately a major defect.He is a born showoff ,absolutely beholden to the limelight whenever he is able.The showoff tendency ,an inevitable part of childhood usually receeds as a child develops but it seems this particular bloodline are deigned to suffer from it permanently. There is no doubting that treaty issues persist ,and resolution is painfully slow ,likewise we have a man well versed in such matters,but neither gives him justification for an utterance commonly seen scrawled on the walls of the local public toilet.He challenged the recipient of his tome to go public ,so privacy is debatable at best,and given that persons mana as a member of maoridom involved in TOW negotiations,the use of such infammatory crudities suggest poor impulse controls.all one can hope for is that the gent learns that the centrestage is extremely unforgiving.

Sorry Willie, here is one for you to consider. Could a white politician refer to Maori as "black mother f.....s", nly to later apologize for only the language used and not the sentiment. And then be publically defended by a white media personality, citing the Boyd massacre and Te Kooti's little rampage as more than adequate exuce for such a remark, and therefore as such events were perpetrated by maori, then any perception of racism is really the fault of maori. I rather doubt it. Yes, historically, there were many wrongs committed against Maori, it was also not a one sided affair, but as for today the only thing oppressing Maori are themselves, no one else. And one more thing Willie, no matter what way you look at it or try to excuse it, it doesnt change the core fact: Hone Harawira is a Racist.

Many early European immigrants did, directly, or indirectly rip off Maori. Maori have faced racial prejudice. The issue here is the sort of language Hone Harawira used and the phrase "Do you believe that white man’s bull____, too, do you?" -- implying some conspiracy against Maori. He was responding to an e-mail that queried him about who was going to pay for his (not exactly) sick leave/ holiday in Paris. Harawira tried to justify his ripping off the taxpayer by saying that because some Pakeha in the past have ripped off Maori, that it is alright for him to rip the taxpayer off and shirk his responsibility as an MP to attend the meeting he was supposed to. Hone Harawera was not strictly 'racist', but he exhibited a level of cynical conduct that we should not accept from our MPs.

Xiao Chen Zhou #17 - Get your facts right. Racism's definition has been given in the comments already. Racism isn't just when a white person says something bad about a black person, it's when someone discriminates another based on race. What he said was racist, plain and simple.

I also like how he goes on about the 'white man's bull' when he's going to Paris. The same white oppressors he's going on about would most likely have originate from those parts.

I am getting very very tired of living in a country with such small views..I think I will join my daughter and most of her peers who will be leaving the country after they graduate university so that they wont have to deal with the incredible small-mindedness of NZ'ers. PS these kids are Maori and are sick of the constant and ridiculous tirades over their race, by all sides of the debate.