With friends like Hone, who needs enemies?

With less than three months until the election, Hone Harawira has delivered another blow to the Māori Party’s flagship policy of Te Ture Whenua Māori reform and the already unstable MANA-Maori Party alliance, says Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Meka Whaitiri.

“On The Nation this weekend Hone Harawira once again slammed Te Ururoa Flavell’s Ture Whenua Māori reforms, saying he still doesn't support the bill, and neither do his party’s members.

“Astoundingly, he also confirmed he won't ask his supporters to vote for Māori Party MPs, despite standing aside for them under the ‘two parties deal’.

“What’s worse for Te Ururoa Flavell, are Harawira’s comments that this is not actually a Māori Party bill, it was written by Chris Finlayson and the Maori Party never got to see it until version five.

“Te Ururoa Flavell has been telling Māori landowners for years that this has been a Māori-led reform process, despite the massive opposition to this bill from landowners themselves.

“He already has questions to answer over why he has alleged in the media that I’ve lied about his bill, but refuses to debate with me on the substance of it.

“He has questions to answer over why he’s known since April that the creation of the Māori Land Service under the Bill has been heavily criticised by Treasury.

“Under Te Ururoa Flavell’s watch, these reforms have become a complete shambles. He simply must put these reforms on hold.

“Māori deserve so much better than the gutless leadership offered by Flavell, and the disaster in the making that is the MANA-Māori deal,” says Meka Whaitiri.

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