Hui hands Hone Harawira decision to caucus

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A decision on Maori Party MP Hone Harawira's fate has been put off until Tuesday but it looks increasingly likely he will return to the fold.

That will go against public sentiment with a new poll out today showing most New Zealanders think Mr Harawira made racist comments for which he should leave Parliament.

A two-day hui at Whangarei to discuss the controversial MP's future role ended this afternoon with a decision to refer the dispute to the Maori Party caucus meeting in Wellington on Tuesday.

The decision of caucus will be final, said party president Whatarangi Winiata, who emerged from today's meeting side-by-side with a smiling Mr Harawira.

Mr Harawira's future with the party has been in question, following his "white motherf....rs" comment in an email, a reaction to criticism of his unauthorised trip to Paris while on a parliamentary trip to Europe.

The MP refused to be interviewed today but he appeared confident when he read a short statement, which said Tuesday's resolution would be "fair, just, appropriate and final. We will report fully on the outcome later this week... I'm looking forward to the discussions with my caucus colleagues."

Previously Prof Winiata had suggested that Mr Harawira should become an independent MP. However, he said that had been rejected by Mr Harawira's constituents - "Tai Tokerau made it abundantly clear they don't want it."

Prof Winiata said there was no deadlock and the hui had agreed unanimously on the process to be followed during the week.

He said the parties most closely involved over the last four or five weeks would be at the meeting and "it doesn't have to go beyond Tuesday".

Today's TV One Colmar Brunton poll found 77 percent believed Mr Harawira's comments were racist while only 16 percent did not. The remainder did not know.

For Pakeha, 81 percent found the comments racist compared to 61 percent of Maori.

Most, 69 percent, thought Mr Harawira should not remain in Parliament while 23 percent thought he should stay.

Last week party co-leader Pita Sharples said Mr Harawira was likely to remain in the party but may face a period of suspension from caucus.

"Given what's happened of course an apology to New Zealand, (for his) various statements and behaviour would be the minimum," Dr Sharples said.

"If he's going to come back in the party eventually we'd have to be working together as a caucus. We need his expertise and so on."

This morning Labour leader Phil Goff said if Mr Harawira was in his caucus he would have sacked him.

"If a member of my caucus stood up and used that sort of offensive and insulting and I believe racist language against another group they wouldn't be in my caucus," he told TVNZ's Marae programme.

"What offends me most of all in that is this was about pure self interest, he skived off to take a holiday in Paris while the taxpayer was paying.

"If the taxpayer is paying for you to do your job you do it."

The poll of 1000 voters had a margin of error of 3.1 percent. It was conducted between November 21 and 25.

- NZPA