Labour deputy Leader Michael Cullen has laid a breach of privilege charge against Maori Affairs Minister Tau Henare for misleading Parliament.

"Today Mr Henare tabled a letter in the House designed to prevent charges that he had misused his position as a minister to seek help for a kapahaka group of which one of his children is a member.

"I want to congratulate the group on its excellence and wish it well for funding.

"But Mr Henare should have disclosed a personal interest in this matter. Nor should he have used official ministerial letterhead paper which is a clear breach of normal conventions and protocols in these sorts of matters.

"Clearly Mr Henare deliberately misled the House by tabling a version of the letter which did not include the ministerial letterhead," Dr Cullen said.

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