Te Tai Tokerau by-election set

The Te Tai Tokerau by-election will be held on June 25, five months ahead of the November 26 general election, Prime Minister John Key said yesterday.
The by-election date was set after Hone Harawira gave notice on Wednesday that he will resign from Parliament.
My Key said he had been advised it was appropriate to set a date for the by-election now because Mr Harawira's resignation takes effect from next Friday..
Speaker Lockwood Smith said that once Mr Harawira's resignation took effect he would no longer be on the MPs' payroll.
Mr Harawira has said he wants to seek a mandate in the Maori electorate as leader of the new Mana Party, which he was expected to register yesterday.
A writ, which sets out key election dates, will be issued on May 25. Candidate nominations will close on May 31 and the date the writ must be returned showing the successful candidate is set down for July 14.
The Maori Party and Labour have confirmed they would be standing candidates against Mr Harawira, but National has indicated it will not.
Labour candidate Kelvin Davis is expected to begin campaigning immediately.
Pita Tipene, Mere Mangu and Naida Glavish have been named as possible Maori Party candidates to replace Mr Harawira, who resigned from the party in February. Meetings are to be held for Maori Party members in Tai Tokerau to select a candidate to contest the by-election.
Mr Tipene said yesterday the selection would need to be done soon so the person chosen had time to campaign.
The contest has already turned ugly, with Mr Harawira and the Maori Party trading accusations.
Mr Harawira says the Maori Party's decision to stand against him breached an agreement he entered into with the party after he quit over the party's relationship with the Government. But the Maori Party says Mr Harawira breached the agreement first by saying he would quit Parliament to force the by-election.
People at a Maori Party hui at Te Tii Marae in Waitangi on Sunday endured a sustained, abusive rant from Titewhai Harawira, Mr Harawira's mother, according to Maori Party leaders.
United Future leader Peter Dunne has called on Prime Minister John Key to assure New Zealanders he would not allow Mrs Harawira to be his escort at next year's Waitangi Day celebrations.
"I think a lot of New Zealanders were appalled to see her in that role at this year's Waitangi Day commemorations given her aggressive and abusive history."