Sharples defends party against Harawira comments

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples today rubbished suggestions from MP Hone Harawira that the party has compromised its principles in its coalition with National.

MP Te Ururoa Flavell this week laid a complaint against Mr Harawira over comments he made in a newspaper column at the weekend.

The complaint was supported by co-leaders Dr Sharples and Tariana Turia, as well as MP Rahui Katene.

In the Sunday Star-Times column, Mr Harawira said the Maori Party had become too wrapped up in its coalition with National and that many people were saying it was coming off the rails.

"The downside of being in government with National is having to put up with all the anti-worker, anti-beneficiary and anti-environment (and therefore anti-Maori) legislation that comes as a natural consequence of having a right-wing government," he wrote.

"... because leaders do most of the talking for a party (and control what the rest of their MPs say as well), our public statements over the last couple of years have been rather muted, to say the least."

Dr Sharples said Mr Harawira's suggestion that the party develop strategic relationships with Labour and the Greens was unreasonable.

"The Maori Party has to stand on its own two feet," he told Radio New Zealand.

"We're in a National Government that's why we have some sort of a relationship with them, a very strong relationship in terms of what we're able to achieve in a coalition kind of government, but that could apply to any other government.

"We're not National and we oppose all this hard-hitting, heavy on crime issues and look more for solutions rather than looking at punitive results."

Dr Sharples said the party was open to working with many other parties.

"It's a question of who wants to go with us, not a question of who we'll go with, and it's always been like that," he said.

"If nobody wants to dance with us then fine, we stay on our own. But if someone wants to be part of government with us then these our issues, these are our aspirations, and we can't change from that, otherwise we're not a Maori party."

Prime Minister John Key said Mr Harawira should not be taken too seriously.

"In the two and a bit years we have worked with the Maori Party, we have enjoyed a very solid relationship with them," Mr Key said.

"We haven't agreed on every issue but we've made progress and by definition the nature of government is all about compromise, no one gets 100 percent of what they want.

"...would it've been better for the Maori Party to have been a voice in opposition but unable to achieve a lot, or to have made some of the gains that they've made in the time that they've spent in Government with National? I'd strongly suggest that the latter position has seen much greater gains achieved for Maori."

Maori Party president Pem Bird said a hui to discuss the complaint was expected to take place tomorrow.

Both Mr Harawira and Mr Flavell had been asked to attend.