Maori Party to begin selection process

The Maori Party has begun its process to select a candidate to run against Mana Party leader Hone Harawira in the Te Tai Tokerau electorate, the party president said last night.

Delegates made the decision to start the selection process ahead of a by-election Mr Harawira is threatening at a hui held in Auckland last night after an earlier hui in Waitangi.

The mood of the meeting was "positive" and the Maori Party was told to "get rid of him [Mr Harawira]", party president Pem Bird told NZPA.

"We are not going to make a token gesture, we'd be going to win it," he said.

Mr Harawira quit the party in February over its relationship with the Government and is now the independent MP for Te Tai Tokerau.

Mr Bird refused to name any possible candidates for the Northland electorate but said the selection process would begin immediately.

The decision to start the selection process signals a likely end to a shaky agreement between the two sides that neither would stand candidates against the other.

There was also an agreement that neither would criticise the other, and the Maori Party says Mr Harawira has breached that by repeatedly insulting its leaders.

Mr Bird said Mr Harawira had broken the agreement and it was up to the Mana Party whether they wanted to compete the other Maori electorates.

"That's for the Mana Party to determine.. but we are prepared for any eventuality," he said..

Mr Bird earlier said the hui in Waitangi, called by the Maori Party's supporters in Te Tai Tokerau, decided to quickly rebuild its branch infrastructure which fell apart after Mr Harawira left.

"They want to re-establish the infrastructure, under their control," he said.

"They want to do that quickly, and they want to have a choice in terms of standing a candidate.

"It's really important to them, they believe they will be denied a choice if they are denied having a candidate."

During the hui in Waitangi Maori Party delegates were forced to endure a sustained, abusive rant from Titewhai Harawira, mother of Mana Party leader Hone Harawira.

Mr Bird said Mrs Harawira tried to disrupt the hui.

"She chose to interject, talk over the top of or sing over the top of anybody who was speaking," he said.

Mr Bird said Mrs Harawira called delegates "snakes, and a whole lot of other things".

Mr Harawira had said he was going to resign from Parliament and force a by-election but now says he needs to talk to his supporters before making a final decision.

A by-election would cost $500,000 to run and would be held close to the general election.

National and Labour have described it as a waste of money and a political stunt, and National has said it would not contest it.