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Hone Harawira - Source: Breakfast -
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Embattled Maori Party MP Hone Harawira has hit out at the Prime Minister for warning his family not to profit from the Tino Rangatiratanga flag.
John Key made the comments after it was revealed Harawira was involved in plans to set up a trust to collect copyright royalties from the symbol.
"Just because somebody says something that I may or may not have done, there's no reason for you to jump into that debate and take shots at me," Harawira said at Waitangi on Friday.
He admits his wife sells the flag but says they do not make money from it.
"When she buys flags she buys them in bunches of 10 or 11, makes a 10% profit off 10 of them so that the 11th one, she can give away," he says.
Earlier on Friday, on TV ONE's Breakfast, Harawira distanced himself from the plans to set up the trust.
"As far as I know my wife has no plans to copyright (the flag). As far as I know Linda Munn has no plans to copyright it."
But Munn, one of the flag's designers, says there have been plans for a long time.
"This has been in discussion for quite a few years, it's just that it's sped up a little bit."
Labour MP Kelvin Davis says the controversy tarnishes the decision to select the Tino Rangatiratanga flag as the Maori flag.
"I think the Prime Minister does have a point, that MPs should be seen to be squeaky clean and I think that this whole episode has been tainted," Davis says.
Neither of the Maori Party leaders would talk to ONE News about the flag. They have only issued a brief statement saying they welcome Harawira's withdrawal from the trust process.
