Activist on road to Parliament

By RUTH BERRY, political reporter

Hone Harawira imagines he still scares a few people but has no regrets about his past, saying there are times in history when strong protests are needed.

But a lot of the old people in the Far North are telling him he's mellowed. "It's kind of embarrassing ... it's true."

He no longer feels "the instant desire" to focus his energy on attacking things he believes are negative for Maori, preferring to sink it into the positive instead.

The foreshore hikoi from Cape Reinga to Wellington, marshalled by Harawira, was about "knocking down what the Government is putting up".

But it was also about looking for an alternative to Labour, building something in its place. "That something has been, blindingly obviously, the party."

He is referring, of course, to the Maori Party, which already has two candidates gearing up for the 2005 election - the party's first MP Tariana Turia and her fellow co-leader Pita Sharples who is most likely to seek approval to contest Tamaki Makaurau.

Forecasting potential divisions over candidate selection the co-leaders have shrewdly made it clear each Maori electorate party branch will be left to determine its own.

Formal expressions of interest in the jobs so far appear to have emerged only in Te Tai Tokerau - one of the most politically active Maori electorates.

Of the two still vying for the job, most local commentators believe Harawira has the edge.

Community activist Mere Mangu is the only other to so far declare for the race.

Mangu was nominated the party's electorate organiser, but Harawira stepped into the breach when she had to complete exams.

He's already made the most of the opportunity to become the northern face of the party, running a three-day tour and co-ordinating office openings in Kaitaia and Hokianga.

While critics attack his activist antics and question his family credentials, there is general acceptance he is a formidable organiser, mobiliser and speaker with well-established community networks.

Less talkative than his mother Titewhai, he is described by his supporters as the future Maori leader of the North.

Harawira, at the forefront of such protest groups as the Waitangi Action Group of the early 1980s and then Te Kawariki, has been a pivotal figure at Waitangi Day commemorations in the North for years.

He controversially told Government ministers at Waitangi this year he was "glad they got the bash".

Harawira admits there are some within the Maori Party who remain "wary" about his appropriateness as a candidate.

Although few say it to his face. What they do tell him is that: "Come rain come shine, my position is always the same. That while my methods might not be particularly palatable, they respect that."

There's no attempt to distance himself from his mother.

They "rarely" disagree on issues, but "sometimes on style. I'm not as strong as she is".

He doesn't regret his decision not to quell, when asked, the protest at Waitangi this year, or his previous activism.

"Certain actions at certain times in our history demand certain tactics. We'd probably still be playing whites-only rugby teams if the protests of the 70s and 80s didn't happen."

While he's always been a politician of sorts, he still has doubts about whether the parliamentary road is the best road to take.

But he says: "There is a new and vibrant energy flowing throughout Maoridom. My life's work has been about independence for Maori. I see the Maori Party as being positive in that direction."

As the chief executive of Te Reo Irirangi o te Hiku o te Ika, a network of three northern radio stations, he aims to use broadcasting to make everybody in the community more comfortable with the Maori language and culture. He believes the party can do the same.