Mana considering contesting every Maori seat

Hone Harawira will consider whether his Mana Party will contest every Maori seat in the general election after he goes head-to-head with his former party in the Te Tai Tokerau by-election.

The Maori Party yesterday confirmed it would stand a candidate against Mr Harawira in the by-election after delegates met at hui in Waitangi and Auckland.

Mr Harawira today said he was disappointed with the Maori Party's decision, saying it breached an agreement not to stand a candidate against him.

The independent MP entered into the agreement after he quit the Maori Party in February over its relationship with the Government.

But the Maori Party says Mr Harawira breached the agreement first by calling the by-election.

Mr Harawira said today he had so far resisted "massive pressure" for his newly formed Mana Party put up candidates against the Maori Party.

"I have resisted the temptation because I believe it is important to stand behind a promise you make," he said.

But he added that the agreement with the Maori Party was now "effectively redundant" because of the Maori Party's decision.

"Whether Mana will now offer a strong candidate in every Maori electorate at the general election will be a matter we will determine after the by-election," he said.

Mr Harawira said he was looking forward to highlighting the differences his party and the Maori Party in the by-election.

"The voters of Te Tai Tokerau have two clear choices; an unnamed candidate whose party is happy to join (ACT leader) Don Brash, or a candidate who has already stood up to Brash and has always shown a commitment to Maori rights," he said.

"I look forward to seeing what choice the voters of Te Tai Tokerau make."

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples today said his party's decision to contest the by-election did not violate the agreement with Mr Harawira.

"You've got to see it beside the decision that he's made to have a by-election, because that violates the agreement straight away, it makes it null and void," Mr Sharples said.

He was confident his party could beat Mr Harawira in a by-election.

"We'll win. The people that came to see us represent iwi leadership...so there is a good following on the ground," he said.

Mr Sharples was not concerned about Mr Harawira's newly formed Mana Party splitting the vote in the electorate.

"We are a Maori party. They are not a Maori party, they seem to represent the unions and various other groups.

"We are very straight up, we've always said this -- we're not right, we're not left, we're Maori. And we'll stay with that."

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia said Mr Harawira was most likely to split the Green and Labour votes, "because what he is purporting to do is to represent the interests of the left".

The Labour Party council will decide whether to contest the by-election tonight.