@Jabba - hey get back to your hut - we all know racism only works one way. If it was a pakeha using the same type of insults it would have been a clear case of the big R. For Hone - I shrunk the party it apparently is not possible to be.

Joris??? not hearing too much from you at the moment. Your silence is deafening. No wait, the racist remark is made by a maori so that's okay isn't it.

Not quite getting your comments there DB #14. You left NZ for Australia because NZ has LESS corruption and BETTER race relations???

Hone Harawira is the Michael Laws of the Maori party.

Dan #15 Think about it...

Hide and Harawira are both electorate MPs so would still be there if we got rid of MMP.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a supporter of either the racist maori seats or MMP

Dear Sir. I have had the privilege in living in Thailand for almost 10 years. I also had the privilege of reporting Parliament in New Zealand as a newspaper and television reporter for over a decade. In that time I came across two what I would call corrupt politicians who used their taxpayer funded privileges to further their own self interest.

I am not saying Hone Harawira has done that. But he has certinly raised some interesting ethical questions abut how an MP should behave. Politicians here in Thailand are uniformally corrupt in a scale not seen in New Zealand, with a few exceptions. Hone Harawira is not in the same league, but as a politial reporter of many years it is obvious he fits into that small circle of New Zealand politicans who have entered Parliament for perso\al gain rather than that of their constituents ar the country in general. To take advantage of " the system" as much as possible. I could name names, but I will not. Anyone who has been around the NZL politial scene for any time will know who I mean. They have all left and some of them have died, but by New Zealand standards they wer ecorrupt. Generally they are, thankfully, few and far between in New Zealand compared to virually every other country and this is to NZL's credit. But Hone's track record, and that of his family, suggest that entering Parliament is not necessarily for the overall benefit of their fellow countrymen. While I do not doubt the sincerity of most people who enter NZL politicws for their high motives and aspirations, there are some who succumbe to the lure of the easy taxpayer funded trip, Bellamys and other benefits that they would not normally enjoy in every day life. Granted, NZL politicians are generally hard working and honest, but you have to question the motives of an MP who makes no apology for tripping off to Paris with his wife on an oficial overseas junket, for that is what all of these MP trips are. What possible benefit to the New Zealand taxpayer did this trip serve? Was he investigating why the All Blacks lost to France in the last World Cup? Was he investigating the quality of French wine compared to New Zealand wine? Was he investigating the racial situation in the teeming slums of Paris compared to Kelburn or Karori in Wellington, or whatever comfortable accomodation Hone has in Wellington as a taxpayer funded MP? Was he and his wife investigating the state of the French marital situation? Or was he and his wife there just to have a good time, to visit the Mouulin Rouge or the Crazy Horse Saloon, as Sir Robert Muldoon once did on the taxpayer? What priced hotel did Hone stay in? Was it a boarding house? Did he stay privately? Or did he stay in the St George hotel or five star equivalent? Could he please furnish his receipts of his trip to Paris to show that this was not just a private junket? dide he pay for "private " trip for him and his wife, or just for his wife and the rest was put on the taxpayer bill? Who did he meet there? These are all alid questions for an elected MP in Nee Zealand. Please answer them honestly, Hone, and maybe you will redeem some credibility, althogh your behaviour over recent years, speially when it comes to taking tax payer funded junkets around th world, would suggest otherwise. Alastair Carthew, Phuket. Thailand.

Enough with the "reverse racism", it's racism punto.

I have the greatest respect for Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples. It would be a sad day for me to see their good work undermined by the unwise action of Hone Harawira. The first order of business for both of them is damage control.

There is nothing wrong with visiting Paris. All Hone Harawira needed to do was to wait until he has fulfilled the purpose of the taxpayer funded trip. What disappointed me the most is that Hone dragged himself down to Rodney Hide's level.

This is yet another reason why Mrs Turia should not think about retiring from politic at this moment. Maori Party needs to build a solid foundation on leadership among its rank before she could put her feet up and relax. And they couldn't go wrong by looking into their past kaumatuas.

Mrs Turia and Dr Sharples, your jobs are not done yet.

Go join the Mongrel Mob Hawawira. They deserve you, we do not.

Tool!