Harawira's remarks distressing, behaviour unacceptable - Turia

Hone Harawira yesterday said he would pay back some expenses. Photo / Northern Advocate

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia has finally broken her silence over Hone Harawira's trip to Paris and the expletive filled email that followed.

Mrs Turia says she accepts people are really upset by what Mr Harawira wrote and the Maori Party has been flooded with abusive and angry emails in return.

She says the past week has been very tough and she describes what Mr Harawira wrote as very distressing.

Mrs Turia believes his behaviour has been unacceptable and has done considerable damage to the Maori Party.

It remains unclear what the Maori Party intends to do at its hui on Mr Harawira tomorrow.

It is understood neither of the Maori Party co-leaders, Mrs Turia and Pita Sharples, will attend the meeting in Kaitaia to discuss the MP's recent behaviour.

Parliament's Speaker Lockwood Smith has asked Harawira whether or not he skipped a Government meeting in Brussels to visit Paris with his wife.

The letter is understood to ask for a payment for the Paris trip, if it took place.

Mr Harawira has written about the trip and answered questions from the media.

The letter from Dr Smith also contains a figure for the trip but a spokesman from Dr Smith's office would not say what that was.

Yesterday, the Tai Tokerau MP issued an apology that focused on the language he had used in an email defending his sight-seeing trip to Paris.

In the email, Mr Harawira said his decision to visit the city was justified because "white motherf***rs" had been "raping" New Zealand for years and he was not beholden to white puritanical "bulls***".

Mr Harawira apologised on Radio Waatea for the language he had used but not his trip itself, although said he should have waited until the business was over to go.

"It probably could have been handled better. It was a spur of the moment thing.

"I could have planned to do it probably at the end of the tour and it's been suggested that that's what I should have done," Mr Harawira said.

"I got the opportunity to take the woman of my life to the city that she's always wanted to go to and that we were close enough to go to, so we went."

Mr Harawira said he was happy to repay a portion of the costs if that was required.

He also used the interview to lash out at Labour leader Phil Goff for saying he should be expelled from his party.

He said Mr Goff was a "bastard" and "he and his mates should be lined up against the wall and shot" for passing the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

Mr Goff dismissed Mr Harawira's comments as "silly" but said it was time the Maori Party and Mr Key showed they were taking the matter seriously.

"He has still not apologised for ripping off the taxpayer - in fact he's bragging about it - and nor has he apologised for making obscene and racist remarks. I don't think somebody that behaves in that way and shows no contrition for it has any place in Parliament at all."

- Claire Trevett, NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB and NZHERALD staff