Maori party can work with Brash's ACT - Sharples

The Maori Party can work with Don Brash, co-leader Pita Sharples says.

Yesterday, renegade MP Hone Harawira announced up his own left-leaning party -- Mana -- while ACT confirmed former National Party head Don Brash as its new leader.

Mr Harawira immediately repeated his accusations that Dr Brash was a racist but Dr Sharples said the Maori Party would deal with him as a fellow Government support partner.

Dr Brash was behind a racially divisive election campaign in 2005. He believes Maori seats should be scrapped and that any preferential treatment for Maori should be dropped.

Dr Sharples said the Maori Party had fought with the Rodney Hide-led ACT Party on issues and would continue to disagree.

"The point is our people have to learn you've gotta be in the government. The secret for Maori development is to increase the number of Maori in the government," he told TV One's Question and Answer programme.

"...We're prepared, always, to work with which ever party will work with us."

Mr Harawira vehemently disagreed with what he saw as the extent of compromises needed to work with National and said the Maori Party had "jumped into bed" with the Government before it was ready and compromised from day one.

When he left the Maori Party, Mr Harawira agreed to stand as an independent and not fight his former colleagues in Maori seats.

However, he now intends to hold a by-election to seek a new mandate -- at a cost of about $500,000. That will give him a high profile before the November general election and make it easier for him to argue that as he was in Parliament on his merit could stand in Maori seats after all, though he says he only intends to go for the party vote.

Labour leader Phil Goff labelled it a money-wasting stunt, while Dr Sharples said Mr Harawira's resignation killed the truce.

"If he's going to call for a by-election then, really, he's violated that agreement."

Mr Harawira argued that the Maori Party had been lining up candidates to stand in his electorate but Dr Sharples dismissed that as "rubbish".

Prime Minister John Key and Mr Goff have ruled out working with Mr Harawira. However the new Mana leader thinks that could change if his party does well in the November election.

"Everybody waits until after the election is over, sees what the numbers are, and then they make the phone calls," he told Question and Answer.

Leading left-wing lights John Minto and former Green MP Sue Bradford were at the Mana launch but only activist Annette Sykes has signed up to be a candidate, and looks a likely co-leader.

Mr Harawira today painted a picture of a more left-style rather than replacement Maori Party for his new vehicle.

He talked about the type of Pakeha who would be involved.

"There are the very, very strong activist group right throughout the country, and two, there's the ordinary New Zealander who just don't buy Phil Goff as the champion of the poor any longer, as the defender of the faith and as the person who's gonna fight for their right to live a decent life in the land of milk and honey."

But he also expected strong support from Maori disillusioned with the Maori Party.

He did not believe he was splintering the Maori vote, saying he was not after the vote of anyone who thought it okay to work with Dr Brash.

Mr Harawira stood by his previous comparison of Dr Brash to Hitler and said his politics were of denigration of Maori.

Dr Brash told the programme he felt that was offensive.

"I mean, in what sense am I like Hitler? If he's talking about race I certainly believe that all New Zealanders are equal."