MP in strife again

Hone Harawira. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Controversial MP Hone Harawira has encouraged protesters to take "whatever action necessary" to make their voices heard - earning another stinging rebuke from party bosses.

The outspoken Maori Party MP told members of the Kaipara Harbour community in Dargaville they should drop chains and anchors into the harbour to protest against a planned sea-turbine power project.

And he suggested illegal action was sometimes necessary to get the message across, citing the case of a man who fired shots from a rifle at a fishing ship.

"My view is that they [the community] have got to send very clear signals about their opposition to the proposed turbine," Harawira said.

"If people are not listened to then they should take the action they want to. If they do, it's their business not mine.

"What I think is between me and me. When people take action it's between them and them. Yes I'm an MP now, and there will be suggestions that I should not be talking about this but I'm comfortable with my stand."

He said he could not directly advocate illegal action and refused to reiterate his comments about the man firing shots at a ship.

"But I'll tell you another story. There had been a long history of racism by engineering students at Auckland University in the 1970s and no one had been able to stop it.

"I went up to the uni with He Taua [a Maori activist group] and within five minutes we had stopped it."

He refused to delve into the legality of his actions at the time, saying "The history books will tell you what happened".

On May 1, 1979, 20 members of the protest group stormed the university to stop that year's controversial "haka party" performance by engineering students.

The performance had been a tradition for years and saw drunk students perform Ka Mate.

He Taua attacked a group of 20 to 30 students, resulting in hospital admissions, stitches and broken bones.

Harawira said the entire Kaipara community, both Maori and Pakeha, were vehemently opposed to the planned sea-turbine project.

"It will destroy the biggest snapper breeding ground in the country.

"I know everybody is talking about green energy but it shouldn't happen at the destruction of our natural environment.

"The issue is a local one, it's up to them to call for action, and if they do that I will support them."

A spokeswoman for Maori Party co-leaders Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples said the comments did not represent the views of the party.

"The Maori Party is a law-abiding party and Mr Harawira's comments, which apparently have incited protest in quite an extreme way, are not the views of the party," the spokeswoman said.

"The party tries to avoid encouraging activities that will cause unrest and these are Mr Harawira's personal statements and sentiments."

She said the party was in a meeting late yesterday and the issue of whether Harawira would be reprimanded had not been discussed.

Crest Energy has applied for consent to construct the power-generation project in the harbour for 35 years.

If given consent, up to 200 submerged marine tidal turbines with a generating capacity of around 200 megawatts will be placed near the entrance of the harbour.

The company estimated power would be generated for up to 250,000 homes.

Harawira is renowned for his outspoken views and for getting himself and his party into trouble.

The Tai Tokerau MP created a firestorm last year when he took his wife on a trip to Paris while in Europe on official parliamentary business.

The fiery former activist then had to apologise for saying "white m****r f******rs" had been raping the land for centuries in an email to a member of the public. But he refused to say sorry for saying Labour leader Phil Goff should be shot.