Labour wants Maori Party MP Hone Harawira to be suspended from politics for sending an inflammatory email defending the impromptu sightseeing trip he and his wife took to Paris.
A meeting was held at the weekend to discuss the email Mr Harawira sent to Buddy Mikaere, who questioned the side trip. The MP for Te Tai Tokerau had skipped a meeting of representatives of the European parliament in Brussels to visit France's capital.
Mr Harawira has told Maori Party president Whatarangi Winiata he wants to remain with the party and he is unlikely to be ejected. He will face Maori Party leadership and representatives of his electorate later this week.
Prof Winiata says the meeting at the weekend reviewed the Europe trip and the email which Mr Harawira agreed was badly written. However Mr Winiata suspects most Maori would share the motivation behind the email.
Labour leader Phil Goff says if one of his MPs made the sort of comments, they would be suspended from the party. He says New Zealand is a country where there is one standard for all and Mr Harawira's breach of that standard has appalled all New Zealanders including Maori. Mr Goff says he cannot recall another situation where an MP has made deeply offensive statements towards another ethnic group in the community.
Race Relations Commissioner Joris De-Bres has said while the language Mr Harawira used in his email was racist, the MP has not broken the law because he is protected by a freedom of speech clause.
