Harawira seeks QC's advice 

Source: NZPAHone Harawira

Hone Harawira has taken on Queen's Counsel Peter Williams to advise him on his battle to stay with the Maori Party.

Williams says he's written a "detailed letter" to the party outlining the Te Tai Tokerau MP's position.

He would not comment further but the New Zealand Herald says it understand that Harawira sought legal advice after concerns about whether the party is following its own constitution in its efforts to discipline him.

The Maori Party MP's strongly worded comments in an email responding to criticism of an unauthorised trip to Paris while on a parliamentary visit to Europe, has caused serious problems for himself and his party.

The party's leaders asked him a week ago to leave and become an independent MP, although they say their main concern is that he doesn't recognise party authority and behaves like an independent anyway.

Harawira has said he is determined to stay and he has a week left to decide his position.

On Friday, the Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres said Harawira's "white motherf..kers" comment in the email had provoked 753 enquiries , with the vast majority complaining they had been insulted.

"Beyond that, there is alarm and sadness in their perception of its likely effect on race relations," he says.

"People have spoken of the divisiveness of such comments, they have spoken of their anger and outrage at both the views contained in the comment and what they hear as its racist and sexist content."

De Bres says many of the people who had approached his office expressed anger and frustration about what they saw as his and Prime Minister John Key's reluctance or lack of mandate to do anything about the comment.

"A number have spoken of what they see as a double standard in how they envisage the comment would have been responded to had it been made by someone who is not Maori," he says.

A few callers have defended Harawira's right to speak as he did and referred to the historic events underpinning his comment.

De Bres says he is advocating "an effective response" from the Maori Party and is prepared to offer advice on how that could be achieved.

Harawira is spending his time in the Te Tai Tokerau electorate he represents, talking to his local committee and his supporters.

Otaki meeting

On Saturday, a high level Maori Party meeting was held in Otaki, where the party's ruling council met to discuss the ongoing controversy over Harawira's recent trip to Paris and his expletive-laden email.

Harawira was not present for the meeting, but his mother Titewhai Harawira did attend but threatened to "whack" a ONE News cameraman for filming her.

Party members are not releasing any details of what was discussed at the meeting.