Harawira's Paris jaunt prompts concern

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia is concerned her MP Hone Harawira's unscheduled side trip to Paris during a taxpayer funded work trip will damage the party's reputation.

Speaker Lockwood Smith said Mr Harawira may have to pay back some of the trip's overall costs after he skipped a meeting in Brussels so he and his wife Hilda could spend a day in Paris. He paid for the extra travel himself.

Mrs Turia had understood the reason Mr Harawira did not attend the meeting, part of the New Zealand delegation's scheduled business, was because he was sick.

"I'm very concerned, my understanding was he was ill over in Brussels but it would appear... that he went off to Paris for a trip, that it was quite a deliberate thing," she told Radio New Zealand.

"The worry for me is that Hone was the leader of that delegation and I guess that what we are going to be questioned about in future, in terms of any trips overseas, is that `can we give a guarantee that this won't happen again, it happened in Australia?' And with hand over heart I don't think we can give that guarantee."

In 2007 Mr Harawira was told to pay back some flights after he left mid-way through a four-day select committee trip to Melbourne, so he could visit Aboriginal groups in Alice Springs.

Labour deputy leader Annette King yesterday said Mr Harawira's actions showed why the public wondered about MPs' perks.

"I think that really does make people wonder about parliamentary travel and taxpayers' money."

Mrs Turia was concerned about that and how Mr Harawira's actions would reflect on the party.

"All of us have to be really conscious as to the perception that's created as to how we use public funds, the public doesn't actually fund us to go on holidays and to have a look around and that's the reality."

Mr Harawira has been unrepentant about his actions, saying he missed nothing by skipping the meeting as he had already met those attending the meeting and discussed issues with them.

He did not think he should have to pay back any money.

Dr Smith did not agree, saying that his approval for inter-parliamentary travel carried an expectation that delegations would adhere to the official programme.

"I would expect a recovery of some of the costs if a delegate on an official inter-parliamentary visit takes an unscheduled day's leave for private purposes."

Mr Harawira accepted the trip to Paris was "outside the boundaries, but I don't feel uncomfortable with it".

He was glad he had undertaken the side trip, saying it would have been "dumb" not to visit such a wonderful city.

The other two MPs in the delegation, National MP Katrina Shanks and Labour MP Rajen Prasad, attended the meeting, which discussed relations between the EU and New Zealand, family and youth policies and multiculturalism.

Ms King said Mr Harawira's second "walkabout" should give him food for thought.

"I would just hope that when people are chosen to go on a trip to represent New Zealand at taxpayer expense that they actually do what is required of them, and bring back the ideas and the contacts with them."

- NZPA