THE PRESS, Christchurch Monday, May 2, 2011 NEWS A5

■ POLITICS ■ SKATE DAY More money ‘motivation’

for Harawira Rad Vernon Small funding] was the only reason,’’ Anderton said. Independent MP Under current rules Harawira stands to get a $13,700 pay rise and would see his salary rise from jam more than $50,000 in taxpayer fund- $134,800 to $148,500 if he came back ing if he is re-elected to Parliament as a leader, although he would lose while leader of his new Mana Party. about $20,000 in salary during the by- dudes The Te Tai Tokerau MP intends election campaign. But a party to resign today and force a by- leader also receives an annual election, probably in June, to renew allocation of $100,000 (excluding Fifteen-year-old his mandate under the Mana banner. GST) plus $64,320 per member of the Jackson McGowan was He made the announcement after caucus who is not a minister. among the formally launching his party on Another $22,000 is allocated to skateboarders enjoying Saturday in front of about 300 former each MP to cover research and the the good weather in Maori Party supporters and Left- party’s whips office. Christchurch at the wing activists. Under the rules Harawira would weekend. About 50 They included the party’s interim qualify for about six months worth skateboarders took to chairman, Matt McCarten, of the of the leader’s allocation, giving him the Linwood Skatepark United union, and former Green a boost of at least $50,000. for Saturday’s skate MPs Sue Bradford and Nandor The money can be used to provide jam. Experienced Tanczos. support services and resources for skateboarders were He said he was accountable to the the party, including communicating competing for up to people of his electorate and they with constituents and providing $600 of prizes and should be able to have their say on information, but must have a beginners were also his new party. parliamentary purpose. encouraged to try the Mana would be against monopoly McCarten agreed there would be sport, with free gear capitalism, pro-worker and against extra funding, but he said that was hire and instructions privatisation of State assets. It would not the motivation for calling a by- on site. push for a ‘‘Hone Heke’’ tax on election. financial transactions to replace ‘‘Hone has always gone back to GST. his electorate. He takes that very A by-election will cost about seriously.’’ ■ PRISON INFORMATION $500,000 to run, but Progressive If he won a mandate it would also leader , who is his legitimise him accepting invitations party’s sole MP, said there was a to speak outside his electorate as significant advantage in being a leader of a party – something that leader over being an independent. had come under scrutiny with his Six guards fired for That included extra speaking high travel bill. rights in Parliament and a big boost A leader had extra costs in parliamentary funding, although such as the need for a press Harawira appears to have missed secretary. sexual relationships the cut-off for free broadcasting Labour is yet to decide if it will advertising at the election. stand a candidate in the by-election. Keith Lynch inmates. Department of Corrections With the by-election coming so Leader Phil Goff labelled it a money- general manager for human close to the general election, wasting stunt. Six New Zealand prison officers have resources Vince Arbuckle said such Anderton said it was a ‘‘fiasco’’. If The Maori Party is also consider- been sacked over the past five years relationships between prison guards Harawira had waited a few weeks to ing its position, after co-leader Pita for having sexual relationships with and prisoners were not frequent. quit then Parliament could have Sharples said Harawira had broken prisoners. ‘‘It’s a very rare event. The en- blocked a by-election once the a deal that it would not stand against After an Official Information Act vironment is not one where these general election was less than six him in Te Tai Tokerau and his party request from The Press, the Depart- kind of relationships can flourish months away. would not run candidates in the ment of Corrections revealed four ordinarily.’’ ‘‘I would think it [the extra other Maori seats. prison officers were sacked in the Arbuckle said he did not neces- central region, which includes sarily think prisoners were trying to Waikeria, New Plymouth, Tonga- take advantage of guards. riro/Rangipo, Hawke’s Bay, ‘‘What I expect this is about is two Wanganui, and Manawau prisons, human brings forming a relation- Brash says racism tag and two from the southern region, ship in an unusual place.’’ which includes Rimutaka, Arohata, While the relationships were , Christchurch Men’s and rare, Arbuckle said they were Christchurch Women’s prison, Roll- utterly inappropriate. ‘worst kind of insult’ eston, Otago and Invercargill. ‘‘It’s at the serious end of the Two prison officers were also scale. It compromises someone’s Vernon Small whether ousted leader Rodney Hide issued with final written warnings ability to operate independently. We will retain his portfolios. over the past five years for having a have a code of conduct which all staff New ACT leader Don Brash has A complicating factor is the fate of sexual relationship with prisoners, receive when they first join and it rejected claims he is racist, levelled deputy leader John Boscawen, a one in the central region and one in does talk about inappropriate by new Mana Party leader Hone minister outside Cabinet and a Hide the southern region. relationships with offenders.’’ Harawira, and has in turn attacked loyalist. Another prison officer was issued The term ‘‘inappropriate relation- Harawira for seeking preference for Boscawen has said he wants to with a written warning in the cen- ship’’ is defined by the Department Maori based on race. retain the job and that he would be tral region. of Corrections as including ‘‘friend- ‘‘I find that grossly offensive. I loyal to Brash. No prison officers from the north- ships, financial, business or sexual think being called racist is almost But it is understood former ern region needed to be disciplined relationships with a prisoner or the worst kind of insult,’’ Brash said. deputy Heather Roy has put her for having sexual relationships with former prisoner’’. ‘‘To me a racist is someone who hand up for the job, although she did wants to discriminate against par- not return calls yesterday. ticular people. Well, my concern is Brash said ACT’s priorities would that the Maori Party actually wants be economic growth, the emissions ■ WORLD JUNIOR KAYAKING to create a privileged group of New trading scheme, reducing the Budget Zealanders. I want all New Zealand- deficit and constitutional issues ers to have the same rights exactly arising from the Treaty. under the law,’’ he said in an echo of He said one area where change Christchurch paddlers his famous Orewa speech in 2004. was needed was the Resource ‘‘He (Hone) wants to give a Management Act requirement that preference to Maori.’’ local government consult ‘‘with their Brash, who was formally installed local community – fair enough – and beat tide of adversity as ACT leader on Saturday, said it with Maori’’. would be very hard for him to work ‘‘The implication of that wording Tina Law with Harawira. is that Maori are not part of the ‘‘His views are so fundamentally community. If I were a Maori I Four Christchurch teenagers have different from mine.’’ would be highly offended by that,’’ qualified for the junior world Brash is expected to discuss he said. kayaking championships in ministerial appointments for ACT Brash said he wanted to give Germany despite the city’s rivers members with Prime Minister John National some ‘‘spine’’ and keep being off-limits since the February Key today and tomorrow, including Labour out of office. earthquake. Zac Quickenden, 16, Alex Fort, 17, Danielle Currie, 16, and Jenny Fidow, 17, qualified for next month’s ■ DISTRICT COURT championships in Brandenburg after a national trial in in March. Coach Leigh Barker said training Jail after pistol cocked had been difficult since February. The crew’s base at Kerrs Reach on the Avon River had been damaged in the quake and the city’s rivers were against victim’s head closed for recreational use because raw sewage was being pumped into Reno Tane Bishop reinforced his Bishop committed the burglaries them. demand for money by cocking a while on bail and after being given a The team has been travelling to Selected: Zac Quickenden, left, and Alex pistol against the head of his robbery first-strike warning when he pleaded Kaiapoi to train eight times a week Fort train for the junior world kayaking victim. guilty to the armed robbery. and one team member, Fort, went to championships. Photo: JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON The victim believed he would be The judge said Bishop had spoken Auckland for several weeks to shot, and he did get smacked in the to the robbery victim while in Time ensure his training was not inter- from around New Zealand to face with the pistol. Zone in Colombo St about 11am on rupted. compete against kayakers aged When the police found Bishop – a July 9. When the victim put his Time The kayakers have also had to under 18 from 80 other countries. heroin-addicted 20-year-old at the Zone card into his wallet, Bishop saw cope with changes to their school They would compete in up to three time – they found the weapon was a it contained $145 in cash. timetables because earthquake dam- events, which could include the 200 pistol that fired pellets. Away from the shop, Bishop age had forced their schools to share metres, 500m or 1000m. Bishop has now begun a four-year pulled out the pistol, held it to his with others. Another worry for the team was jail term after admitting the armed victim’s head and said he would Fort has changed schools because raising the $8500 needed to get to robbery charge, five burglaries, fail- shoot him if he did not hand over the new hours at Shirley Boys’ High Germany. ing to answer his bail, and breaches this wallet. After being hit in the face School, which was site-sharing at Barker said raising the money of sentences of community work and with the pistol, the victim handed it Papanui High School, made it too was a concern for all members of the supervision. over. difficult to train. He was now New Zealand team, but especially Defence counsel Pat Butler said Jewellery and electronic items enrolled at Cashmere High School. the Christchurch competitors. Bishop had written letters of apology were targeted in the burglaries from Barker had also not been able to Before the quake they would have to the robbery victim and the five November 10 to December 2. Some devote as much time to the team organised fundraising events at burglary victims, and also to Judge property had been recovered but a because he was commuting to various venues around Christ- Gary MacAskill, who sentenced him large amount was not. Kaikoura each weekend after his church, but now many of those were in a Christchurch District Court The judge jailed Bishop for four family moved there when their home closed, he said. session at Rangiora. years and ordered him to pay repar- was damaged in the quake. ‘‘We’re just hoping like hell that Butler said the offending was ations totalling $15,248, with pay- Quickenden, Fort, Currie and something will come through for ‘‘drug-driven’’. ments starting after his release. NZPA Fidow would be joining seven others them.’’