Hone Harawira | |
|---|---|
 Hone Harawira in 2011 | |
| Leader of theMana Movement | |
| In office 30 April 2011 – 3 May 2021 | |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forTe Tai Tokerau | |
| In office 2005–2014 | |
| Preceded by | Dover Samuels |
| Succeeded by | Kelvin Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-01-06)6 January 1955 (age 70) Whangārei, New Zealand |
| Political party | Mana Movement (2011–2021) |
| Other political affiliations | Independent (2011) Māori Party (until 2011) |
Hone Pani Tamati Waka Nene Harawira[1] is a New ZealandMāori activist and former parliamentarian. He was elected toparliament as themember for theMāori electorate ofTe Tai Tokerau in2005 as theMāori Party candidate.
In 2011, following a rift with party colleagues, Harawira resigned from the Māori Party. He subsequently announced the formation of theMana Party, and then resigned from parliament to trigger theTe Tai Tokerau by-election, which he won as leader of the new party. Mana, now the Mana Movement, campaigned alongside theInternet Party in the2014 general election, but failed to return Harawira or the party to parliament. He also stood unsuccessfully in2017.
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Harawira led community efforts to roadblock parts of theFar North District in 2020 and 2021.
Harawira was born to John Puriri Harawira[2] andTitewhai Harawira[3] inWhangārei on 6 January 1955.[4] He was raised inWest Auckland and attended St Stephen's School, a boarding school for Māori boys, and theUniversity of Auckland. He credits people likeMuhammad Ali,Syd Jackson,Nelson Mandela,Māori Marsden, his mother and his wife for teaching him "the need for strength, commitment, wisdom and vision".[5] His motherdescends from the Ngāti Hau,Ngāti Wai andNgāti Hine tribes, his father fromTe Aupōuri,Ngāpuhi andNgāti Whātua, and he is partPākehā.[6][7] He married Hilda Halkyard from the Ngāti Hauahapū (subtribe) ofTe Rarawa.[5]
His mother was a prominent Māori activist. Harawira played a role inTreaty of Waitangi issues,Māori language revitalisation, land occupations, and Māori broadcasting. In 1979 Harawira was part ofHe Taua, which confronted drunk University of Auckland engineering students who performed a parody of the "Ka Mate" haka with obscenities painted on their bodies. He Taua responded to the cultural insult, which resulted in the engineering students sustaining several broken bones.[8] In 2009 when he and his wife revisited the School of Engineering Harawira said "When people refuse to do what's right, at the end of the day you step in, do what you've got to do." He was a key participant in He Taua, the1981 Springbok tour protests, and the2004 foreshore and seabedhīkoi, the last of which led to him entering parliament.
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–08 | 48th | Te Tai Tokerau | none | Māori Party | |
| 2008–11 | 49th | Te Tai Tokerau | 3 | Māori Party | |
| 2011 | Changed allegiance to: | Independent | |||
| 2011 | 49th | Te Tai Tokerau | Mana Party | ||
| 2011–14 | 50th | Te Tai Tokerau | 1 | Mana | |
Harawira stood in the2005 general election as theMāori Party candidate for the seat ofTe Tai Tokerau, and was elected toparliament. As a member of parliament, he has continued to support communityactivism, while also advancing legislative change. Harawira has remained outspoken, breaking protocol to open parliament in Māori; saying the formerAustralian Prime Minister "John Howard is a racist bastard" for his intervention into aboriginal affairs; being fined for leaving a planned parliamentary overseas tour to make headlines over aboriginal rights; and for continually challenging the government's Māori MPs for "not defending Māori rights". A student atWaikato University complained about Harawira in April 2009 after an incident where Harawira swore in response to a question referring to Māori as a "minority group". He claimed that the political science student, Steve Baron, was a racist who "lumped Māori in with other minorities like homosexuals and Asians.....He tried it on and he got his comeuppance."[9]
Harawira writes a regular column in theKaitaia-based newspaperThe Northland Age, entitledAe Marika. In the edition dated 29 October 2009, during the time he was on a parliamentary trip in Europe, he wrote:[10]"...we've been scrapping and squabbling and brawling and bawling about this, that and the other thing for so long that all of the original Waitangi Tribunal claimants are now long dead.""...the European Union...27 distinct languages and hundreds of different dialects...political diversity...everyone doing their best to talk with one another, and work together!""So hangin' with these folks has been a great learning experience.""...I for one learned heaps."
Following his return from Europe, in November 2009, Harawira was asked to repay some travel costs after skipping a taxpayer-funded conference in Brussels to go sightseeing in Paris. "How many times in my lifetime am I going to get to Europe? So I thought, 'F*** it, I'm off. I'm off to Paris'," he said.[11] In a subsequent email exchange with Buddy Mikaere (a former director of theWaitangi Tribunal), who had criticised Harawira's actions, Harawira responded, stating "Gee Buddy, do you believe that white man bullshit too do you? White motherf***ers have been raping our lands and ripping us off for centuries and all of a sudden you want me to play along with their puritanical bullshit.... And, quite frankly, I don't give a shit what you or anyone else thinks about it. OK?".[12][13] Harawira's email was seen as racist and heavily criticised by the media, other members of parliament, and members of the public.[12][14]
After a lengthy discussion process, the Māori Party decided that he would not face punishment.[15] On Radio Waatea he apologised for the wording of his email but not for the sentiment of it.[16] He also said in an apology "My words were true."[17] Harawira later said that Labour Party leaderPhil Goff was a "bastard" and "should be lined up against a wall and shot" for passing theForeshore and Seabed Act.[18]
On 31 July 2010 Harawira toldThe New Zealand Herald he "wouldn't feel comfortable" if one of his children came home with aPākehā partner, but he asked whether "all Pākehās would be happy with their daughters coming home with a Māori boy? The answer is they wouldn't." He was asked, since some of hiswhānau have datedPacific Islanders and he didn't have an issue with it, "does that make him prejudiced?" He said "Probably, but how many people don't have prejudices?"[19]
Ngāpuhi activist[20] David Rankin said Harawira was "playing the race card every time he wants to 'create a smoke screen for other issues'".[21][22] Rankin is Harawira's cousin and claims seniority over the Harawira family in the Matarahurahu hapū.[23] He noted that Harawira's grandfather was a Pākehā, saying "Harawira has a blind spot. His family even changed their name from Hatfield to Harawira because they are in denial about their racial identity."[24][25]
In contrast, Māori Party co-leaderPita Sharples said Harawira's comments probably reflected the views of many people and were not racist.[24] Also in hisNew Zealand Herald interview, Harawira said, when asked "why not be an independent MP?" that "I came here because the Maori Party provided me, and us, with the opportunity to change the world and I recognise the value of that."
On 16 January 2011 in an interview published in theSunday Star-Times, Harawira was highly critical of the Māori Party's relationship with the National Party, in particular over theForeshore and Seabed issue, saying "If we support this bill, we’re effectively saying that our coalition with National is more important than our commitment to Māori – surely not?"[26]
On 19 January 2011 the Māori Party received a complaint from one of its MPs,Te Ururoa Flavell, which was supported by all the party's other MPs,Rahui Katene,Pita Sharples, andTariana Turia.[27] A leak of the internal complaint document showed that all of the other Māori Party MPs had "lost trust and confidence" in Mr Harawira, that he "acted unethically and without integrity" and that he "deliberately undermined" the party and the leaders. A few days afterwards, Harawira called the procedure being followed to investigate the complaint a "joke" and "farcical", denying him natural justice. "I also think that it's very, very pākehā the way it's being run" he said.[28] In a later response, Harawira described his party colleagues as "dickheads".[29]
On 7 February 2011 Harawira was suspended from the Māori Party caucus, with a statement by Turia and Sharples saying they had lost faith in him after five years of ill-discipline.[30] He responded saying he wishes to stay with the party and stand for it in the 2011 election.[31]
On 23 February 2011 Harawira left the Māori Party after the party's disciplinary committee recommended his expulsion.[32] His resignation coming following the Māori Party's support for the National Party, in particular over the Foreshore and Seabed issue, on 8 March 2011 Harawira missed the vote in parliament for the crucial second reading of the legislation which replaced the Foreshore and Seabed Act.[33]
On 30 April 2011 he announced the formation of theMana Party,[34] stating that he would resign from parliament and would contest theresulting by-election. Harawira responded to criticisms that a by-election would be "a ridiculous publicity stunt mainly about the tens of thousands of dollars he stands to gain if he returns to Parliament as a party leader,"[35] and that it would cost New Zealand taxpayers $500,000, by arguing for the need to receive a fresh mandate from the people of Te Tai Tokerau, saying that "It's hardly an expense in terms of democracy."[36] On 3 May 2011 he delayed his planned resignation from parliament, saying he wanted to take the decision back to the people of his Te Tai Tokerau electorate.[37] Although he was the leader of the Mana Party, he would remain an independent MP until elected as such.[38]
On 2 May 2011 in an interview onTVNZ's Māori-language programme 'Te Karere', Harawira said that the former leader ofAl QaedaOsama bin Laden's actions were those of "a man who fought for the rights, the land and the freedom of his people" and that people should not be damning him but mourn him.[39][40][41] Harawira later explained that Māori do not speak ill of the dead "even if such a person has done bad things", and apologised for how he had expressed himself, saying hismihi to the Bin Laden family was not intended "as support for Bin Laden's actions."[42] Harawira received threats following his remarks about bin Laden, which were dealt with by the police.[43]
Harawira's resignation from parliament as an independent MP on 11 May 2011, effective 21 May, caused aby-election in his Te Tai Tokerau constituency.[44] Harawira ran as the Mana Party's candidate and received 6065 votes, winning the seat with a majority of 1117.[45] Harawira returned to parliament on 14 July 2011 during the Start of Day ceremony but was removed from the chamber by Speaker of the HouseLockwood Smith for not pledging the oath of allegiance for newly elected members of parliament required by New Zealand law.[46] He returned on 2 August, affirmed the oath in Māori and as leader of the Mana Party took a seat on the front bench.[47]
Harawira was returned to parliament as the member for Te Tai Tokerau at thegeneral election held on 26 November 2011.[48]
On 8 November 2012, hisprivate member's bill to provide free breakfast and lunches for all children in decile 1 and 2 schools in New Zealand was drawn from the ballot. The Education (Breakfast and Lunch Programmes in Schools) Amendment Bill,[49] better known as the "Feed the Kids Bill", has been supported by a broad-based Community Coalition for Food in Schools.[50] ATV One opinion poll found 70 percent support for the Bill's proposal.[51]
Alongside his activity in parliament, Harawira has also kept his community work andactivism. He helped to organise a free breakfast for 2,000 school children in South Auckland.[52]
He helped to lead protests against theprivatisation of state-owned electricity companies and joinedlocked out meatworkers on their unionpicket line.[53][54] On 12 October 2012, Harawira was arrested while peacefully protesting against the demolition ofstate houses in the Auckland suburb ofGlen Innes.[55]
In 2012, Harawira topped a poll by theMāori Television current affairs programme, Native Affairs, which asked which politicians are fighting for Māori rights.[56]
In September 2012 in a post on Facebook, Harawira referred to Māori MPs in the ruling National Party as prime minister John Key's "littlehouse niggers" in response to Key refusing to allow National party members to attend a hui on water rights. His full statement was "Time John Key realised a few home truths like (1) he can tell his little house niggers what to do, but (2) the rest of us don't give a shit for him or his opinions!"[57] The comment prompted party co-leader Pita Sharples to change his mind and attend the hui. In an interview withRawdon Christie, Harawira defended his statement saying that New Zealand "needed to mature" and that he would not be the first or the last person in the country to use the n-word.[58] Harawira had previously used the n-word in an address to the chamber on 6 November 2007, saying that the United States military had previously operated under the motto "The only good Indian is a dead Indian" and the current American-ledwar on terror was under the new motto "The only good sand nigger is a dead sand nigger".[59]
In the run-up to the2014 general election, the Mana Movement joined forces with theInternet Party, in a coalition to contest the party vote. Although Internet Mana won 0.18% more of the party vote than the Mana Party in 2011, Harawira was narrowly defeated in his electorate seat by Labour'sKelvin Davis, so with a party vote of 1.42% Internet Mana failed to win any seats.
In the week before the poll, the leaders of the National Party and New Zealand First urged their supporters to vote strategically and support the Labour Party's candidate.[60] The Internet Mana party was pinning its hopes of winning representation in parliament on Harawira retaining his electoral seat. Under New Zealand'sMixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system, parties who do not cross a 5% list vote threshold are still entitled to list seats if they win an electorate.
Harawira contested the Te Tai Tokerau seat for the Mana Movement in the2017 general election. In February 2017 the Māori Party had announced it would not stand a candidate against Harawira in a bid to regain the seat from Labour's Kelvin Davis.[61] At the election, Harawira failed to unseat Davis who gained 12,673 votes to Harawira's 7,866. The Mana Movement gained only 1,455 of the electorate's party votes against Labour's 14,446.[62] Mana gained only 0.1% of the party vote nationally (3,642 votes) and failed to gain a seat in parliament.[63]
In June 2017, Harawira called for a Policy of theDeath penalty for any Chinese who import methamphetamine to New Zealand.[64][65][66]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Harawira led efforts with localiwi (tribes) to set up roadblocks preventing tourists from travelling into theFar North District. Tourists in the region were encouraged to leave. Roadblocks were set up at State Highway 1 atWhakapara and State Highway 12 atWaipoua, and a testing centre was set up at Waiomio Hill south ofKawakawa. Harawira criticised the government for not stopping tourists from entering the country prior to the border closure on 19 March 2020.[67][68] On 12 April 2020 Harawira drove 340 km to Auckland, disregarding state imposed travel restrictions.[69]
In late January 2021, Harawira and local Northland iwi established a checkpoint at Waiomio Hill but police shut it down because there was no official requirement for it, and because of road safety concerns. Harawira criticised the lack of COVID-19 testing facilities north ofWhangārei over the long weekend and advocated cancellation of theWaitangi Day public festivities scheduled for 8 February atWaitangi.[70][71]
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau 2005–2014 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
