.

*21 March 2011*

*For Immediate Release*

*Maori leader calls Foreshore Hikoi “embarrassment” *

Ngapuhi leader and commentator David Rankin has labelled the Foreshore Hikoi
due to arrive at Parliament on Tuesday as an embarrassment, and has urged
its leaders to call the protest off.

“These marchers will have no impact on the passage of the Marine and Coastal
Area Bill in Parliament”, he says, “and if they think otherwise, they are
delusional”.

“But sores still”, says Mr Rankin, “this protest is taking place when our
nation is in a period of great difficulty. Instead of wandering around the
country to satisfy their own egos, these protestors should be in
Christchurch, investing that energy in helping their fellow New Zealanders”.

Mr Rankin, who chairs the Hone Heke Foundation, also points to the low
turnout for the hikoi. “They have not even been able to get a hundred
people together for the march. To most sensible people, this would be a
good reason to cal the whole thing off, but these protestors are not normal,
and they are bringing shame to Maori.

Hone Harawira has come in for particular criticism by Mr Rankin. “Hone
agitated this hikoi into action, and as soon as it started to look like a
failure, he backed away from it. At last he has shown his true colours as a
political opportunist with appalling judgment”.

“The Marine and Coastal Area Bill will become law by the end of this week”,
says Mr Rankin, “ and gradually, the marchers on this hikoi and their
sometime leader, Mr Harawira, will be forgotten by the electorate”.

ends

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