Former Mana Party leader Hone Harawira has not ruled out standing as Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori’s candidate in Te Tai Tokerau, but says it’ll be at his wife’s blessing.<\/p>\n
Harawira, who held the Te Tai Tokerau seat from 2005 to 2014, told 1News he had been working to restart party branches, saying there was only one left in the entire electorate.<\/p>\n
“My job was to go around and restart all of the branches, get people committed to working for the candidate, to working for the party,” he said.<\/p>\n
He would not confirm or deny whether he planned to seek the candidacy, saying the decision rested with the people and with his wh\u0101nau. <\/p>\n
Harawira said he and his wife had been weighing the commitment against responsibilities at home, including caring for mokopuna. <\/p>\n
Asked directly if he would put his name forward, Harawira told 1News the decision would come down to whether he could balance wh\u0101nau with the demands of the role.<\/p>\n
“If my wife says I can, well, then I’ll put my name forward. If she says I can’t, then I’m staying home with the mokos,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Whoever’s the voice for Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori, I do whatever I can to support them.<\/p>\n
Te Tai Tokerau Party will contest the election on “kaupapa grounded in tino rangatiratanga, local decision-making and mana mokopuna”. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n
“If you’re going to do this, you dedicate 100% from the time you put your hand up until the election.”<\/p>\n
The 71-year-old, a prominent activist who has campaigned on Treaty issues and land rights for decades, originally entered Parliament as a Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori MP before splitting to form the Mana Party in 2011. He stood unsuccessfully for Mana in 2014 and 2017.<\/p>\n
The seat in Te Tai Tokerau has become a crowded contest ahead of November’s election.<\/p>\n