Turia 'won't waste time' on Brash

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia is severing her relationship with Don Brash saying there's no point in talking to someone so "divorced from the realities of this country".

It comes after the National leader questioned whether Maori remained a distinct indigenous group because few if any "full-blooded" Maori remained.

Two National MPs, Tau Henare and Georgina te Heuheu, also distanced themselves yesterday from Dr Brash's remarks.

Dr Brash said he was "obviously disappointed" by Mrs Turia's comments and did not know what it was she found offensive.

"I frankly don't care who wants to call themselves indigenous. I've got no problem at all if she wants to call herself indigenous, if Tau does, or anyone else."

The split between Dr Brash and the Maori Party has implications for a future coalition arrangement involving the two parties.

Recent polls show the Maori Party could yet hold the balance of power at the next election and could be critical to helping National or Labour form the next government.

Mrs Turia said Dr Brash had asked her and her co-leader Pita Sharples to dinner and they had accepted.

"We couldn't see anything wrong with meeting and continuing dialogue with him, but you get to a point really where you feel as if you're wasting your time."

She now planned to write him a note saying she would no longer attend.

"Here is somebody who talks politely to us privately and then basically has a public persona as well ... that is absolutely unacceptable and I'm not going to waste my time talking to him."

Asked if this would be her permanent position, she said: "I'm not saying it's forever, but at this stage I can't see any point in talking to him unless there's a change of attitude from him.

"At one point I thought he was naive, but now I think he says these things deliberately and that unfortunately he means it and we don't need to put up with it. Our people have gone through enough over the years without him coming up with this whole thing of blood quantum which denies really the essence of who people are."

Dr Sharples said he got on well with Dr Brash on a personal level and would continue to meet him - including over the party's foreshore bill.

"But I still think of him as a very naive, born on another planet political leader. He hasn't a clue about what it means to be tangata whenua."

Mrs te Heuheu said the arguments Dr Brash was using appeared counter to "international rhythms" where blood quantum wasn't considered relevant in determining a person's ethnicity.

"Is there to be a different norm for Maori?"

Mr Henare said he called himself indigenous as that's what his whakapapa dictated.

But he suggested the Maori Party had to get over its "so-called hurt".

He warned Mrs Turia that the party needed National's help with its foreshore bill, but she said National's decision on the bill should be based on principle, not personal issues.

Mrs Turia said she did not believe most National MPs shared Dr Brash's views and said her stance did not rule out working with any party after the next election.