Warning to Turia: keep 'holocaust' opinions to yourself

By AUDREY YOUNG

Radical minister Tariana Turia is to be given a stern warning by the Prime Minister to keep her opinions about "the Maori holocaust" and colonisation to herself.

Failure to follow the advice will jeopardise Mrs Turia's future as a minister.

Mrs Turia will also have future speeches vetted by one of the Prime Minister's staffers, probably Heather Simpson, Helen Clark's closest political adviser.

The moves follow concern about the impact of Mrs Turia's latest speech, suggesting that Maori violence was a phenomenon of a condition she called "post colonial traumatic stress disorder."

She said the disorder was a result of "the holocaust" suffered by many Maori tribes during the land wars.

Helen Clark is said to be worried that Mrs Turia's extreme language is alienating big portions of middle New Zealand when the Government is looking for support from Maori and Pakeha for its closing-the-gaps policies.

Helen Clark is holidaying in the South Island, but a spokesman said the Prime Minister was worried about the impact of Mrs Turia's speech on Tuesday.

"This sort of thing which causes all sorts of alarm bells to ring out in middle New Zealand is not helpful.

"She doesn't have the luxury of expressing personal views on these matters."

As a minister of the Crown she was expected to express "the Government line."

Acknowledging the political damage to the Government, Labour deputy leader Michael Cullen last night said the linking of "colonisation" of Maori and family violence did not reflect Government policy.

"Nor is it a Government view that the effects on Maori as a result of colonial contact amounted to a holocaust."

The Government did not accept any excuse for the high levels of child abuse, Maori or non-Maori.

Mrs Turia is attending a family tangi and would not comment yesterday. She is due to meet the Prime Minister on Monday.

She got no sympathy yesterday from former Maori Affairs Minister Dover Samuels. He called her speech "political and cultural correctness gone porangi [mad]."

"It doesn't matter how much you rain dance about colonisation, it is not going to contribute one iota to the issue of child abuse."

"There is only one antidote to abuse and violence to children and that is to love your children, aroha."

If he had said what Mrs Turia had said when he was minister "I would have been booted out."