Dunne criticises 'embittered' Harawira

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira has been accused of being divisive and embittered in comments to Parliament about last week's police anti-terror raids.
Maori terrorised by raids, says Harawira

He called on Maori police officers yesterday to "blow the whistle" on their superiors for the tactics used in the raids.

The call by Mr Harawira, MP for Te Tai Tokerau, prompted an angry response, with UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne calling his remarks "embittered" and "divisive".

Mr Harawira told Parliament that Maori were angered by the treatment of residents in Ruatoki and Taneatua, in eastern Bay of Plenty.

Speaking during the first- reading debate of a bill to strengthen the rights of whistleblowers, he accused police of acting as an arm of the Government and violating the rights of the Tuhoe people.

"We call on those Maori police officers to use the rights outlined under this Protected Disclosures Bill to blow the whistle on their superiors for their misconduct," he said.

"For violating the health, safety and wellbeing of the people of Tuhoe, for fraudulently raising the alarm by screaming terrorism without having the facts, and for providing a direct threat to the public interest by allowing state forces to kick down doors, smash windows, abuse innocent citizens and terrorise children."

At the end of Mr Harawira's speech, Mr Dunne said it was "one of the most disgusting, embittered, divisive and downright irrelevant speeches I've heard in this House for a long time".

Mr Harawira said he was offended by Mr Dunne's description and asked for an apology. Mr Dunne refused:

"Like the rest of New Zealand, I take personal offence to many of the comments made . . . so I think we're about even," he said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Helen Clark said the Government did not have the power to tell the police what to do. Police Minister Annette King has made the same point since the raids.

Mr Harawira's comments follow criticism of Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples for exaggerating during a speech in Australia last week when he said police used "storm- trooper" tactics in the October 15 raids and claimed race relations had been set back 100 years.