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There has been outrage at parliament about the way the arrests of Maori activists have been handled.
The Maori Party has jumped to the defence of Tuhoe activist Tame Iti, saying there seems to be political and racial motivations behind the arrests.
"It's not the first time that Maori have been targeted as terrorists. We know some years ago when Maori people went to Cuba they were accused of terrorism then, nobody's blown up since then," says Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia.
Iti was among 17 people arrested in connection with Monday's raids on so called terror training camps. The raids followed a year-long surveillance investigation by police in which they say they uncovered military-style training camps deep in the remote Urewera bush in the Bay of Plenty.
But even government ministers are reluctant to label him a terrorist.
"I've known Tame Iti for a long long time as a friend and whatever else and I think he's an aging rocker," says Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia.
Iti had been running training courses to help young people connect with their culture, but it seems the courses included weaponry training.
"The fact is that in order to teach them about being Tuhoe in the Tuhoe nation one needs to know about how to use weaponry," says Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell.
Some MPs are now questioning the motivation behind the police action which comes at a time when parliament is looking to toughen up anti-terrorism laws.
Police say there were no political considerations - a view which Police Minister Annette King supports.
"I don't believe the police are playing politics, I think that is a pretty unfair suggestion. I suspect that if anything had happened you would be standing here saying to me 'why didn't the useless cops do something about it?'" she says.
The concerns have even spread across the Tasman with some genuinely upset at the arrests and others taking the mickey.
However, Turia says the impact on society in New Zealand could be devastating.
"We certainly don't want other New Zealanders to be looking at us and seeing Maori people as potential terrorists in their own land, that's the concern for us".
