Ratana members backing Harawira

Hone Harawira has gained the backing of the northern arm of the Ratana movement in his campaign to be re-elected as the MP for Te Tai Tokerau.
The support from Ratana, which has traditionally backed Labour, has surprised political commentator Bryce Edwards, who said it could prove the "clincher" for Mr Harawira's campaign in the June 25 by-election.
However, Mr Harawira's main opponent, Labour's Kelvin Davis, is not worried, saying the support was coming from a handful of disaffected members led by someone who had previously been expelled from the Labour Party.
The northern arm of the movement - which represents many Ratana Church members, not the church itself, from South Auckland north - is today having a "Hikoi 4 Hone" travelling in convoy from South Auckland to Kaitaia before returning tomorrow.
Assistant regional minister for Auckland and senior minister for the northern arm Kereama Pene said the movement was able to choose whom it supported and most of its 30,000 members were firmly behind Mr Harawira.
"Many of them won't be able to vote in the by-election so we thought we'd travel through Te Tai Tokerau to spread the word about the most relevant political force for Maori in this country, Mana, and that Maori voters in the North should get out and support Hone come June 25," Mr Pene said.
"We have been with Labour long enough and haven't achieved much. And the Maori Party, we don't like the way they were trying to stifle Hone and telling him to 'shut up' when he was representing his people. We don't think they should have excommunicated Hone. And it wasn't done the tikanga Maori way at all."
He said with Northland Maori having some of the worst health, unemployment, and other negative statistics in the country, it was time to vote for somebody who would address those issues.
Dr Edwards, a lecturer at Otago University's School of Politics, said it was surprising and significant that the Ratana movement had come out so firmly behind Mr Harawira. "It's not just saying they support him - they are having a hikoi to show that support. It's extremely unusual for the Ratana movement to come out with such a partisan stance in this by-election," Dr Edwards said.
"Ratana has been moving away from Labour and now they see themselves as being a bit more independent and not aligned to any one political party, but it's surprising to see this move."
He said with polls so close - a poll carried out for Maori Television had Mr Harawira with 41 per cent support and Mr Davis with 40 per cent - it was timely the support came just nine days out from the vote.
"It could be the push that will give Hone the edge and could well be the clincher that gets him elected," Dr Edwards said.
Mr Davis said Mr Pene had previously been expelled from the Labour Party and the move was payback. "This isn't from the Ratana movement. It's from one or two disaffected people. I believe I have a lot of support from Ratana throughout Te Tai Tokerau," he said. "I think this hikoi shows signs of desperation. They got the shock of their lives when the poll showed how close it is and thought a hikoi might garner some more support. I doubt if there will be any more support for it than you get in any local dairy on a Thursday afternoon."