Legislation bringing in China FTA passed

Parliament has passed legislation which will bring in the Free Trade Agreement with China on October 1 and the Government says it represents a historic advance in New Zealand's trading relationships. The New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement Bill passed its third reading on a vote of 104 to 17, strongly supported by the National Party and opposed by the Greens, New Zealand First and the Maori Party. Trade Minister Phil Goff said being the first developed country to sign an FTA with China would bring major benefits for exporters. "Initial tariff cuts will take place on October 1, resulting in the immediate elimination of tariffs on over $200 million worth of current New Zealand exports to China," he said. "By 2017, tariffs on 96 percent of New Zealand's exports to China, which currently cost exporters $120 million a year, will be phased out." Mr Goff said that would give New Zealand companies a unique competitive advantage in the world's fastest growing economy. "Our exports to China, currently at more than $2 billion a year, are estimated to grow by between $230-350 million a year faster than they would have without an FTA." Written by Hone Harawira

Tuesday, 22 July 2008

I te hui a tau o te Roopu Haina ki Aotearoa i tera tau, i puta te korero a te ahorangi a Makere Mutu, kia mahi tahi te Maori me te Hainamana, kia haere whakamua, a raua wawata, haerenga tangata. At the annual conference of the New Zealand Chinese Association last year, Professor Margaret Mutu told the hui that Maori and Chinese should work together to advance their political agendas. Ko Mutu he uri no Ngati Kahu, no Te Rarawa, no Ngati Whatua hoki, a nana te kii, kua hohonu haere te whanaungatanga, i waenganui i te Maori me te iwi o Haina. Mutu, of Ngati Kahu, Te Rarawa and Ngati Whatua whakapapa told the conference of the significant relationship that had developed between tangata whenua and Chinese. Ki a ia, ka puta tenei whanaungatanga i te mahi kaikiri a tauiwi – ki a ia “Kei te pehia, kei te whakaparahakotia, taua tahi” It was, in her words, a relationship formed in reaction to Pakeha racism - "We are both oppressed and discriminated against." Tera te piri tahi e whakaaro nei au, i au e wananga ana i tenei pire, ara, te Pire Hokohoko, Kore Utu o Aotearoa me Haina. It is that relationship I think of in considering the New Zealand China Free Trade Agreement Bill. E hangaia ana he ara, kia watea ai te uru atu o nga taonga hokohoko, me nga putea whakangao ki Haina; a, a tona wa, kia tangohia nga here utu kei runga i nga taonga o Niu Tireni, me te whakawatea ano, i te haere o nga kai-pakihi ki Haina. The pathway is being set for increasing access New Zealand trade and investment in China; for the removal over time of tariffs on current exports to China, from expanding the movement of business people. Inaianei, kua tau mai te honore he Whenua Aronui a Aotearoa, me ona tikanga kore here, kia orite a tatou kaiwhakarato moni, ki era ake o te ao. Ko te korero, ka penei i te mea, koia nei te oranga mo Aotearoa. We are now being honoured with the treatment of a “Most Favoured Nation” non-discrimination provision to ensure that our investors remain no worse off than investors of any other countries. It’s all being painted as a major development, as fundamental to the future economic wellbeing of Aotearoa. Na te aha i riro i a tatou, te tuunga “Whenua Aronui”? So how did we earn this rapid escalation to be the ‘most favoured nation’? Na te aha i riro i a tatou tera tunga, hakoa mai rano to matou whakaiti i a ratou i roto i nga ture, me nga kaupapa, hei kati kia noho-ki-waho, era e ki ana e te tuhinga tawhito, ko te “taniwha kowhai”. How could we achieve this, based on a history of consistently passing laws against the Chinese, of creating policies to restrict and exclude what the history books describe as the ‘yellow peril’? He korero tawhito tenei kia kaua te Hainama e uru mai nei, ki Niu Tireni. Ka kitea enei korero i te tatau taake i te tau 1881, e orite ana ki te utu o te Hainamana mo nga tau e wha ki te ono. This is a history to keep the Chinese out of New Zealand; a history that derives its source from the 1881 poll tax which was the equivalent of between four to six years earning for a Chinese person at the time. Kotahi rau pauna kia haramai ki konei, kia utaina nga korero whakaparahako ki runga i a ratou, nga korero he paruparu, he tahumaero, he tahawahawa, a, he whakakinotanga. £100 to come here, to be subjected to attitudes associating Chinese people with terms like filth, dirt, disease, contamination and degradation. I whakaritea, ko te tekau ma rima anake nga Hainamana, kia haramai i runga tima i te wa kotahi. Limits were set on the numbers of Chinese able to travel to New Zealand –a limit of only 15 Chinese passengers per ship. I tohua ano he whakamatautau kia mohio mai ratou i nga kupu Ingarihi kotahi rau, engari i tupurangi te whiriwhiri o te kupu. Tae atu ki te tau 1920, i tohua ma te tiwhikete whakaaetanga anake, ka uru mai. Tae atu ki te tau 1925, i tohua te Kawanatanga kia kaua te wahine e uru mai, kia kore tona iwi e whakarahi atu. A reading test of one hundred English words chosen at random was imposed; and in 1920 entry was only allowed by permit. In 1925, the Government decided to exclude women from the quota in an effort to prevent reproduction. Tae atu ki te tau 1951, e kore taea te Hainamana kia tu hei iwi whenua, a, tae atu ki te tau 1965, ka taea tonu te pirihimana kia uru atu ki roto i nga whare a te Hainamana, i raro i te ture “Rahui i te Rongoa Whakamoe”, ahakoa horekau he pukapuka whakaae. Up until 1951, the Chinese were not allowed to be naturalised; and up until 1965, under the Opium Prohibition Act, Police were able to enter any Chinese home without a search warrant. Ka mutu, ko nga ture kai-kiri, kia kore ai nga toa hoko hua rakau, horoi kakahu, hoko kai hoki o te Hainamana, e tukituki i nga toa o te Pakeha. Finally, a series of laws were passed to stop Chinese fruit shops, laundries and groceries from competing against Europeans. Na, i runga i tenei tu momo hitori, kai-kiri, whakahawea i nga Hainamana, he aha te take e tino hiakai ana tenei kawanatanga, kia whakaritea i tetahi tiriti ki a Haina. So how is it, that in a land with such a shameful history of exclusion and institutional racism against the Chinese, the Government is suddenly bending over backwards to become party to a treaty with China. He aha te tikanga nei, kia hurikoaro te kotahi rau tau o nga whakaiti, tukinotia, kia hoa tahi tatou ki a Haina? What has been the dramatic turnaround to reverse over a century of racism into a determination to develop ties with the region? Maumahara mai ki nga kupu a Mutu - “Kei te pehia, kei te whakaparahakotia, taua tahi” Remember Margaret Mutu’s words – “We are both oppressed and discriminated against." Kotahi anake te kaupapa hei tautoko i tenei pire. Kia peke ki te tuara o tenei whenua tino kaha rawa, kia watea ai te iwi nui nei hei hoko taonga. Ko te wawata kia whai moni a Niu Tireni i te iwi rawa, o Haina. There is one motive for this free trade agreement. It is about jumping on the back of an economic super-power and gaining access to the largest consumer market in the world. It is about the forlorn hope that New Zealand will make money from the wealth of a burgeoning Chinese middle class. Engari, he whakaaetanga koura tënei, kaore ranei? But is this agreement all it’s worth in gold or not? Kahore te roopu whakawä i mohio, mënä ka kitea koe ki nga korero i tae mai ki te Komiti hei whakatau. The jury is out when you look through the submissions that came into the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee. 15 i tautoko, 12 ki runga i te taiapa, 27 e kore e whakaae. Fifteen supported it; twelve were neutral and twenty seven opposed the deal. Ahakoa te tini o nga Yuan i te ao, kore taea te whakarerekë, he nui ake era e kore whakaäe, ki era i whakaae. All the Yuan in the world doesn’t change the fact that the numbers of NO outnumbered the YES votes. Ka hoki mai ki tera rereketanga, o te tuunga Whenua Aronui i tetahi ringa, ki te mahi whakahawea tangata i tera atu. It comes back to the fundamental mismatch between being ‘most favoured nation’ on one hand, with a past that is less worthy. I whakaae ake te Komiti Whakawa, ko te tikanga a tangata i Haina a ”he nui, he rahi ona raruraru” The Select Committee acknowledged, yes the human rights record in China has “many and substantial imperfections”. I whakaae taua komiti, i mohio ratou ki nga awangaawanga kua korerohia, mo nga mahi takahi tangata i Haina. The Select Committee acknowledged, yes, they were very conscious about the legitimate concerns raised about human rights in China. Engari i te mutunga, ki nga paati nui, horekau he awangawanga. But when cash came to crunch, the ruling parties didn’t care. Tika ana te whakaräpopoto a UNITE. Ko te FTA nei, he kaupapa mo te painga o nga kai pakihi, ehara mo te painga o nga kai mahi, nga whanau, nga iwi kei tawahi, kei te kainga ränei. Ko nga whakaaro mo rätau, kei muri noa atu. Unite summed it up. The FTA policy is designed to serve interests of big business – with the interests of workers, of families, the people abroad or at home who have to suffer the consequences are very much a secondary concern. E whakapono ana a UNITE, ko te FTA nei, he mahi tukituki, kia whakaiti te utu o nga kaimahi o konei, i te whakataetae utu ki nga taonga i Haina. Unite believes that the FTA will create competition and drive our own internal wages and work conditions down, as firms struggle to compete with Chinese imports. Na te mahi a nga kai pakihi nui, i waho atu o te ture o tenei whenua, ka whakaiti te mana o te käwanatanga whakahaere a iwi, rangatiratanga hoki. The opportunity for big business to trade outside of government influence or control, in its effects, serves to both erode democracy and economic sovereignty. Ki ta Ahorangi Jane Kelsey ki te Komiti, ko te mate o te tohu Whenua Aronui, koia ko te hinga o te rangatiratanga o te käwanatanga, ia FTA, ia FTA. What Professor Jane Kelsey also brought to the attention of the committee is that the Most Favoured Nation obligations mean that each new FTA will have the domino effect of removing foreign investments further from control of parliament. Ahakoa e whakahokia mai ana te mana whakahaere o nga kaupapa a tängata ki te käwanatanga, i te mea e kore te kaupapa mäkete e whakamana ana i a Niu Tireni, engari ko nga FTA nei, ko rerekë atu ki taua whakapono. So at a time when government is re-regulating services and resuming state ownership because the market model does not serve the national interest, it is acting in quite the other direction in pursuing Free Trade Agreements such as this. Kore taea e matou o te Paati Maori, te tautoko i tenei Pire. The Maori Party cannot support this Bill. He nui a matou äwangawanga, mo nga mahi takahi tangata, a Haina. We have ongoing concerns about China’s human rights record. He äwangawanga hoki, mo nga taonga ka utaina e Haina, ki runga i a tatou. We have ongoing concerns about the potential for China to dump goods on our domestic markets. He awangawanga ta mätou, mo nga mahi kia ngaro. We have ongoing concerns about the potential loss of jobs in our manufacturing sector. He mahi tinihanga hoki tënei, kia tukua mai te pepa nei kia tirohia. Kua oti te whakarite me pehea ra te haere, kua tamokohia nga pepa. Kua oma ke te hoiho, he moumou taima te kati i te keeti. E mara whakamutu atu. And we believe that being allowed the opportunity to scrutinise the FTA at this stage of the proceedings, only after it has been signed, makes the whole select committee process a farce. Ko te iti o te utu, ko te kore e aro ki nga kaupapa whakaruru kaimahi, ko te kore e manaaki i te taiao, ko nga taumahatanga ka tau ki runga i o tatou kaimahi, ko enei katoa nga ähuatanga, e kore matou e tautokongia i tenei pire The cheap labour, the weak health, safety and environmental standards, the poor protection of workers, the adverse impacts that will be suffered by New Zealand workers are all reasons why we can not support this Bill. Kua rongo ripoata mätou, e rima miriona nga tamariki i raro i te tau tekau ma rima, e mahi ana mo nga haora roroa, mo te utu iti noa. E rima miriona nga take nei, kia kaua mätou e tautoko i tenei Pire. The reports of some five million Chinese children under the age of fifteen, lumbered with long hours for low pay, are five million more reasons why we are voting against this Bill. Ko nga iwi whenua e kore nei i kitea i nga Whakataetae o te Ao, te tini o rätou no Tibet kua mauheretia. E kore taea te aro ake, mo era momo mahi tukino. The dissidents being hidden out of the radar of the Olympic spotlight, the hundreds of Tibetans being imprisoned, the international stigma of China’s human rights issues can not simply be ignored. Me mihi atu kia nga kaipakihi Maori, nga roopu a iwi hoki, e whai ana i te oranga mo o ratou ake uri, kia whai whakaaro, kia whai putea, mo ratou. We fully respect the right of organisations, of iwi, of Maori businesses, to take up the opportunity to pursue their own best interests, and to return dividends to Maori shareholders. Kei a ratou tera, a, e möhio ana mätou, ka taea e rätou te whakanui i to rätou ake putea. E möhio anoki mätou, ko te tu o te kaipakihi, he mea nui ki te Maori, a, e tautoko ano mätou i taua whäinga. That is their prerogative and we are confident that they will be very competitive and achieve impressive returns. We believe that economic growth is essential for Maori businesses to succeed; and we will support them all the way. Engari, e titiro tonu ano matou ki nga taumahatanga, ka tau mai ki runga i nga papakäinga Maori, ratou te pani me te rawakore, ratou e kore e kitea i nga painga, e mäturuturu mai nei, i nga mahi kaipakihi. But we are also charged with looking out for the impacts on Maori communities, especially those who may be least resilient and least likely to benefit from the trickle down of economic growth. E tautoko ana mätou, kia totika te utu mo te taonga, engari, e kore tautoko i te korero kia kore utu nei. We support fair trade not free trade. E tautoko ana mätou i te whakangao e whänuitia ana töna painga, me te mea ano, e hiahia ana mätou kia kitea, ko nga waahi mahi i konei, i Haina hoki, he waahi pai mo nga kaimahi. We seek socially responsible investment. We want to see the provision of healthy and safe working conditions both here and in China. E kore e taea e matou te nohopuku, ina maukinohia nga kaimahi i tawahi, mo te painga o to tatou ao, a, kore hoki matou e noho pohehe ana, e tiaki ana te pire nei, i a tatou kaipakihi. And we can not sit by and be silent that workers overseas may be exploited to benefit our economy; or to pretend that New Zealand industry and services will be protected. E hiahia ana matou kia mohio, ka tu tonu te Maori hei iwi motuhake, i raro i te whakaruruhau o tona Tiriti o Waitangi. We must know that the rights of Maori will be actively protected, as provided for under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Me te mohio ano hoki, ka taea te pire nei ki te whakamarumaru, ki te whakanui ano ra i to matou whenua me ona iwi i mua noa atu i te painga mo nga kaipakihi nuinui o te ao. And we need to ensure our laws serve to protect and enhance our nation, not globalist agendas.

No Justice No Peace-Hone Harawira Talks @ Parihaka 2008

thanks to Tinorangatiratanga TV

Harawira accuses taser cop of racism

A top cop has been accused of saying that Maori and Pacific Island people get tasered more then others because they have a propensity to commit violent crime.

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira told Parliament that the operational support manager of the Taser gun trial, Superintendent John Rivers, had made the comments at a meeting with the Maori Party.

Mr Harawira told MPs Mr Rivers had said Maori and Pacific Island people were more than half of the subjects of Taser use simply because: "Maori and Pacific people have a greater propensity to commit violent crimes."

He asked Police Minister Annette King whether the comment was indicative of racism in the police.

Ms King said she believed that Mr Rivers' bosses would probably be very disappointed if anyone believed that was the view of the police.

"However, that is not to say that there are not individuals in the police, as there are in this Parliament, who hold different views."

Mr Harawira also asked whether there was any research on the effects of Tasers on mentally-ill people.

Ms King said there was not much research on the issue but the current trial of the electric shock stun gun was designed to discover whether it is a useful, non-lethal alternative for police.

"The use of the Taser is not solely for the protection of New Zealand police. In fact, in the cases where it has been used it has been for the protection of other individuals or the individuals themselves," Ms King said

Maori perceptions of the Police

Study reveals police racism

ONE News Saturday, September 25, 1999
A Maori advisor to the police says a study which highlights racist
attitudes in the force will give it a clear mandate to do something
about it. Victoria University's Criminology Department interviewed
more than 700 officers in 1997, and found that at least two thirds of
them had heard their colleagues using racist language. The study also
found about 25% believe the negative attitudes of their peers are the
same towards Pacific Island and Asian people. Professor Gabrielle
Maxwell, who carried out the study of officers, says in a separate
study of the views of Maori, many felt they were targeted by police
officers because of their race"

http://www.police.govt.nz/resources/1998/maori-perceptions-of-police/maori-perce\ptions-of-police.pdf

Fifth officer resigns over racism film

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3203287.stm

Report raises police racism fears

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6945201.stm

http://uriohau.blogspot.com/2007/07/why-fuck-police.html

http://uriohau.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-fuck-police.html

Going walkabout with Alice

By Hone Harawira
Maori Party Member of Parliament, Tai Tokerau
( also available on www.tokerau.co.nz )

Last Wednesday, 8 August 2007, I flew in to Alice Springs to be met by a big-smiling Maori guy, Gerry Lyons, who owned an SUV with the killer number plate HIKOI. He would be my guide for the next couple of days. I had a chat to an Aboriginal singer heading down south to make some money in the big smoke, then pop pop pop! Cameras flashing, cameras rolling and microphones jammed in my face. What are you doing here? Do you stand by your comments about John Howard? Who do you hope to see?

And from then on it was 100 miles-an-hour.

First stop the CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL MEDIA ASSOCIATION to meet with some of the media types who would be following me on my visit. CAAMA is the central hub from where they run Aboriginal TV, CAAMA Radio and Imparja TV, all beaming up to the Optus 2 satellite and out to communities all over Australia. I did a pre-recorded radio interview and met the local mayor too.

Then it was round the corner for a meeting with the local tribe, the LHERE ARETEPE. The big chief came in from the bush just to meet me and we talked about economic development, poverty, alcoholism and a whole bunch of other stuff. After our korero was over, he gave me 2 beautifully hand-painted boomerangs – the big killing ones that don't come back, not the flash little symmetrical ones you see in the shops. Awesome guy and I was humbled by his gift.

Then out west for a 150 kms to see one of the main elders in the little community of HERMANNBURG. A gentle soul like a lot of our own kaumätua, but with a backbone of steel. Apparently when the government called a community meeting, he told his people they were only to speak their own language so the government agents got a taste of what it was like not to understand what was going on. Ouch!

He said neither Howard nor Brough, their Indigenous Affairs Minister, had consulted with any of the community leaders before Howard announced his intervention plans and that he only managed to keep up with things by watching the news on TV, or hearing back from the Central Aboriginal Land Council.

We finished the day with a big munch with some of the locals and then slow-cruised it back to town in the dark, in case we hit kangaroos jumping out on the road.

-----oooOooo-----

Next morning I was welcomed to the TANGENTYERE COUNCIL by the founding president, Geoff Shaw OAM. He'd been to Malaya and done two tours of Vietnam, but was considering handing back his medals because of his anger at what his government was doing to his people. He's a fine old gentleman, but clearly, his missus was the boss.

As soon as the formalities were over, her and her daughter Barbara dragged me round their Council base, showing me their bank, post office (where they held mail for everyone living in the town camps around Alice Springs), food voucher system, mobile child support programme, housing project, elders support services and their medical health office. Bloody awesome stuff really. EXACTLY the kind of dedicated community programmes that the people needed, but you think John "Wayne" Howard bothers to talk to them or look around the place? Not even. Doesn't suit his purpose.

Then we went out for a tour of the TOWN CAMPS. Now Alice Springs is smack dab in the middle of Australia and has been a gathering place for thousands of years. Since the white folks got there though, there's two gathering places. There's the township, where all the good white folks and a smattering of indigenous folk live and there's 21 town camps scattered all round Alice Springs. Originally used as stopovers for Aboriginals coming into town from the Outback when the only places to stay were 'humpis' (bark huts), they now host concrete block homes, with electricity, water and not a lot else.

And dare I say it, in a country known as the golden land, they look like something out of Soweto, South Africa. In a land that trumpets it's success in every other endeavour, the town camps are proof that the 'golden ones' have chosen not to include the indigenous people in the nations drive for wealth and success.

It was tough seeing the conditions some of them were living in and yet they were trying desperately hard to live with dignity and hope. I stopped for lunch with one family, where kangaroo tail was the main dish and the mum showed me through her home. It was nothing flash but it was clean and she had great hopes for her kids [that's them and their cousins in the photo]. I met a couple of old ladies who had been living there for more than 40 years and were proud of the changes that had happened.

And yet for all the good feelings I had for them, still I cried. For them, their children, their grandchildren and for the generations yet to come, because Howard's plan is not one of development and growth. It's not a plan to help people lift themselves out of despair. It's a plan to take over thousands of square miles of Aboriginal land, to strangle what little funding and work they have now, to control every aspect of their lives and to turn them into docile little robots. And if you think that's going to fix child abuse and alcoholism, then you're the one who needs help.

Then it was back into a meeting of the COMBINED ABORIGINAL ORGANISATIONS, including reps from about 12 different groups – iwi groups, community groups, medical associations, media groups, social service groups – the lot. And the discussions? Fiery, heated, vigorous, robust, all the emotions and energy I can recall from my activist days. They were absolutely and passionately against Howard's plans and were planning a long campaign of opposition, steps to save their own community programmes from being slashed and challenging one another to improve their own success rates.

I was impressed by the years of effort they had been putting in with minimal support from government and the commitment they had for their people's future. And again, to no-ones surprise, Howard hadn't bothered to talk to any of them either, which raises another question … how come Howard calls it a national emergency but doesn't bother talking to any of the ones affected by his announcement? No prizes for guessing that consultation was never part of his plan.

We managed to get a quick bite to eat, then it was round up the troops and back into town to hook up with the NIGHT PATROL. The Patrol is a division of the Tangentyere Council, funded by government for the vehicles and community funding for some of their wages. They don't get much. They do it more for love than money. They're out every night lookin' out for Aboriginal people either lost or drunk around town and pick them up and take them home to their camps. They also run messages for their health and housing services and tour the camps to make sure there's not too much trouble. They keep proper notes to show their funders and they're often out till 3, 4 in the morning. And they're aboriginal like everyone they pick up and they genuinely care for their own.

Our couple of hours with them was relatively light actually. We picked up one woman (sober) in town and ran her out to her camp. We stopped and offered to pick up another guy (sober) but he was just waiting for a cab. And then we called round to pass on a message for a young girl who had an appointment at the hospital the next day. Everyone at the house was drunk and even the Night Patrol could make no sense of what they were saying, so we left the message and jumped back in our truck. It was a quiet night actually and nothing like the picture Howard had been painting, except for one incident …

Our TVNZ camera crew got a bit carried away. I'd told them to stay in their truck, but lights, cameras, action - they were out there filming away in the dark, spooking everyone with their krieg lights and just managed to get back into their truck when crack! a rock goes through their back window. Big wheelie and they were outta there!

But the alcoholism was mind-blowing - widespread and hugely, hugely depressing. I could see how expanding the Tangentyere's efforts would make a difference. I could see how real work programmes, respect and education would improve their self-esteem and lower the alcoholism. But I wondered why Howard didn't think to shut down all the liquor outlets in Alice Springs, all owned of course by the nice white folks, but then I guess that was never going to happen. And for the life of me, I just can't see how taking Aboriginal land for 99 years will make any difference except further alienate a people already alienated in their own land.

-----oooOooo-----

Friday was just a blur of thank yous, press calls, a rush to the airport and 12 hours later, I was back in Aotearoa at 1.30pm, tired but pleased to be home.

-----oooOooo-----

OK, so here's some of the questions you really want to ask:

Was it worth it? Yes, definitely. By going there, I was able to generate international television exposure for the plight of the Aboriginal people.

What about what you were supposed to be there for? The Justice and Electoral Committee visit was well organised and very intensive. Our committee clerk did an excellent job in putting together a programme looking into electoral matters, victims' rights, electoral finance, legal services and human rights, from both state and federal levels. I spent two full days with the committee before heading north.

Did you tell anyone you were going? Yes. I notified both my Party and the Committee before leaving to go north.

What about the criticism that you broke away from the official visit and should be punished for that? Ridiculous and petty really. I'm not the first MP that left an official trip and I won't be the last. The difference is I paid for all my own costs while I was away, the work that I did was consistent with my role as an MP and my activities were well documented.

Were you disappointed by the criticism from your parliamentary colleagues? Yes, because they were mainly Maori MPs and they ought to know better. Still, life goes on and I want to work with them on our own child abuse issues.

Will you pay any fines if that is what parliament orders? No fuss. It's not the money that matters, it's the principle, BUT, seeing as how it was NZ First that made the complaint, I suggest a deal. What say I pay back the two days I was up in Alice … 5 minutes after NZ First pays back the money they still haven't paid back for their overspending from the last election? … That isn't righteous bluster, huffing and puffing I can hear, is it …?

Shouldn't you have stayed home in the week Nia Glassie was buried? Maori have a saying – na koutou e tangi, na tätou katoa. When you cry, we all cry. It's not necessary that I attend a tangi just because some nasty and malicious soul wants to score points from my absence. There are 365 days in a year and I work for my people on every one of them – including the two days I spent in Alice Springs.

What did you learn from your visit?

I met more Aboriginal leaders from in and around Alice Springs and I visited more of the so-called problem areas, in the 2 days I was there, than John Howard's done in the last 2 years. What makes him an expert?
What about the 'Little Children are Sacred' report that Howard quoted. Wasn't that written by experts? Yes it was. It had 97 recommendations. Howard implemented none of them.
There are genuine problems in the Aboriginal community regarding child abuse and alcoholism. Same same for Maori. Resourcing and supporting those communities to beat it themselves, is far better than stealing their land and cutting their jobs.
If you want to cut alcoholism, start by looking at the sellers of alcohol.
Aboriginal people need a national political presence to help fight their battles.

Do you stand by your criticisms of John Howard? Ae Märika. Yes!

And finally, what does kangaroo tail taste like? It's what you'd call an acquired taste…

Aotearoa Tautoko

5:00AM Friday August 10, 2007
By Angela Gregory

Hone Harawira is defending his decision to leave a Parliamentary visit
to Melbourne and "go walkabout" in the Australian Outback.

The Maori Party MP is under fire for leaving the justice and electoral
select committee two days into its week-long trip to Victoria to study
election finance law and victims' rights.

On Wednesday, he flew to northern Australia, where he described the
Federal Government's intervention in Aboriginal communities as racist.

Mr Harawira told the Herald from Alice Springs yesterday he had gone
to the Northern Territory to discuss indigenous issues with Aboriginal
groups.

He met tribal authorities and was last night accompanying patrols to
Aboriginal camps.

"I want to see the other side of the rabbit-proof fence," he said.

He has criticised the Australian Government's emergency legislation to
intervene in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities to try to stop
sexual abuse of children.

"I wanted to discuss the racist piece of legislation that no one out
here has been consulted on," he said.

Mr Harawira told the ABC on Wednesday he wanted to highlight what he
described as a racist military invasion by the Australian Government.
He also accused the Labor opposition of political cowardice.

His comments came a month after he labelled Australian Prime Minister
John Howard a "racist bastard" because of the radical policies.

He said on Australian radio yesterday that Mr Howard had introduced
into the Northern Territory a level of racism previously unseen in the
South Pacific.

Mr Harawira said he had been invited to the Northern Territory "at the
last minute" by an Aboriginal council.

He had paid for the flights to Alice Springs, which were bought before
he left New Zealand, but said he did not make up his mind to go until
Wednesday.

Mr Harawira told the select committee members on Tuesday night.

"They said 'well, have a good think about it Hone'."

Mr Harawira said he based his decision on what he believed to be right
and "not the politics of anyone in Wellington".

He thought it particularly appropriate because yesterday was the
International Day of the World's Indigenous People.

Mr Harawira said he was not worried about how his trip was seen in New
Zealand, and he had no regrets.

He said in television interviews last night he did not care if the
Speaker Margaret Wilson "docks my pay".

Ms Wilson told Parliament yesterday the Clerk of the House's office
would look into Mr Harawira's trip and once its report was completed
"suitable action" would be taken.

New Zealand First MP Ron Marks had asked how Mr Harawira was able to
"go AWOL" while on select committee business.

He said Mr Harawira had unleashed a "tirade of abuse" on Australian
authorities while there were child abuse issues in New Zealand that
needed to be addressed.

There were financial implications as his trip to Melbourne was paid
for by Parliament, and it raised questions of how select committee
members should operate, Mr Marks said.

The select committee chairwoman, Labour MP Lynne Pillay, said from
Melbourne she asked Mr Harawira to stay with the group but he had felt
strongly that he wanted to go.

Ms Pillay was disappointed to learn the return airfare to Alice
Springs was bought before Mr Harawira left New Zealand.

But she said Mr Harawira had been "really constructive" and a good
member of the committee in Melbourne.

The select committee was already down in numbers because three
National MPs boycotted the trip, saying it was a junket.

Ms Pillay had had to explain to the Australians why those MPs were not
present, which was "a little unfortunate".

She then had to tell them that Mr Harawira had "gone up north", which
was "not a biggie".

Prime Minister Helen Clark declined to comment on Mr Harawira's
actions despite his first outburst against Mr Howard prompting her to
last month warn New Zealand politicians against commenting on
Australia's domestic affairs.

Labour MPs Dover Samuels and Shane Jones yesterday criticised Mr
Harawira for making a scene in Australia when Maori had social
problems in New Zealand.

Mr Samuels accused Mr Harawira of hypocrisy.

"He wants to come home instead of going over there badmouthing what
Australia is doing," he said. "He should be worrying about his own
back yard and how Maori are treating their mokopuna."

Maori Party co-leaders Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples declined to
comment.

I won't apologise to Howard' - Hone Harawira

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4122207a10.html
View video ...

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira isn't retracting the "racist bastard" comment he aimed at Australian Prime Minister John Howard, despite a reprimand from his caucus colleagues.


"That's how I felt about it. Quite frankly that's still how I feel about it," he said at a press conference today after a caucus meeting called to discuss the issue.

Mr Harawira made the comment yesterday during a Maori Television discussion about the radical measures the Australian government has announced to deal with abuse and alcoholism in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory.

"John Howard is a racist bastard imposing racist policies on a people who are not in a position to fight back," Mr Harawira said on Maori TV's Native Affairs programme last night.

He compared Mr Howard's move in the Northern Territory, with its mineral wealth, to United States President George Bush's invasion of Iraq, allegedly to control oil. A similar move in New Zealand would be met with violence from the Maori community.

"If they tried this up north, we'd be out with guns. It wouldn't happen."

He told Australian press agency AAP he stood by his comments: "If I was an Aboriginal man in the Northern Territory I would feel like absolute shit right now.

"I would have the leader of my country saying I am an alcoholic, I am into pornography, I am into sexual abuse. All I would want to do is go out and smash someone."

He was commenting on Mr Howard's plans for fighting abuse and poverty in remote Aboriginal communities, including bans on alcohol and pornography, tight controls on welfare payments, and extra police and troops.

Those measures were announced in response to a report by the Northern Territory board of inquiry into the protection of Aboriginal children from sexual abuse.

"All Howard has done is generate more anger and bitterness in the Aboriginal community, a lot of which is going to be internalised," Mr Harawira, the MP for Te Tai Tokerau, said.

The plan was ill thought out and aimed at helping Mr Howard to win an election later this year. His Liberal-National coalition was well behind the Labor Party in recent polls.

"The report that he is basing his recommendations on is already 10 years old. Why didn't he do something about it back then?" Mr Harawira said.

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Helen Clark said Mr Harawira's comments were "most regrettable".

"John Howard has been a good friend to New Zealand and it concerns her that any MP from any party would lash out in this way."

She would not say whether Mr Harawira's attack would damage trans-Tasman relations.

Mr Howard declined to comment.

Earlier he angrily rejected a claim from Australian Capital Territory chief minister John Stanhope that the policy was racist and heavy-handed.

Mr Harawira also discussed sending a Maori delegation to support protests in Australia next week and called on iwi leaders to speak out on attacks by the Australian Government on Aborigines.

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples appeared to support Mr Harawira's sentiments, saying that in context they reflected the level of concern the situation had generated in Australia.

"From our initial analysis, we would not have thought military intervention to be at all appropriate in dealing with the sensitive nature of the situation outlined in the report."

The Maori Party welcomed, however, a commitment by the Howard government to genuine consultation with Aboriginal people and the over-riding emphasis on child protection, community justice and community involvement.

Dr Sharples tried to water down the impact of Mr Harawira's criticisms, saying the party caucus would discuss the issue before making any further response.

"It is critical that careful analysis is undertaken of all of the information to hand about the focus of the report before any further comment is made."

A party spokeswoman said Mr Harawira was not available for further comment.

With NZPA

Gubaaament minimising, diminishing indigenous rights

Wednesday, 4 July 2007, 4:46 pm
Press Release: The Maori Party
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples:

'Government minimising and diminishing indigenous rights'

Hone Harawira, Maori Party spokesman for Foreign Affairs

Wednesday 4 July 2007

"I'm gutted but not surprised to hear that the Government is ready to
vote on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at the
United Nations, without bothering to talk to indigenous people about
it first," said Hone Harawira, Maori Party spokesman for Foreign Affairs.

"And I'm not surprised by the deafening silence coming from Labour's
Maori Caucus either," said Harawira. "I mean, once they rolled over on
the Foreshore and Seabed, they were never going to stand up for Maori
rights again."

"Apparently government had thirteen meetings with Maori over a period
of six years, but none with hapu, and none with iwi either," said
Harawira. "For heaven's sake, they didn't even bother to ask the Maori
Party, and we hold four of the seven Maori seats."

"It took more than twenty years of travel, negotiation, hassle,
hustle, and horrendous cost from indigenous people all over the world
to get to a polite but acceptable declaration on minimum human rights
standards for indigenous people."

"And then last year, the indigenous world accepted yet another
'compromise' which was put to the United Nations Human Rights Council,
and adopted and supported widely."

"And what did our government do, this government that talks about
Maori potential?" asked Harawira. "They not only opposed it, they
demanded changes to even further minimise and diminish indigenous
rights," said Harawira.

"Maori deserve to know what's going on with indigenous rights,"
demanded Harawira. "The Africans are putting forward open amendments,
Canada has gone public with what it's doing, Mexico is pushing for the
adoption of last year's text, and New Zealand is out the back trying
to cut everything to pieces".

"We are very, very angry about all this. Maori, not just the Maori
Party, but every Maori has a right to know what this government is
doing about indigenous rights," said Harawira, "and Maori also have a
right to full participation in the discussion on international
statements on indigenous rights."

"Either this government starts coming up with some answers and some
action," said Harawira ominously, "or the Maori Party may send a
delegation to the United Nations to expose this government's
continuing hypocrisy on human rights for indigenous people."