Hone Harawira to pay back half of his fare to Australia

From NZPA via stuff.co.nz:

" Maori Party MP Hone Harawira has been ordered to pay back half of the cost of his taxpayer-funded airfare to Australia after he went walkabout while on an official parliamentary visit.

Speaker Margaret Wilson told MPs that Mr Harawira's "private visit" to the Northern Territory to see aboriginal communities had come halfway into a select committee visit to Melbourne.

MPs had an obligation to complete their work for which they received public funding, she said.

"As Mr Harawira participated in less than half of the committee's business I consider it appropriate that he refund half of the airfare that has been paid out of public funds," Ms Wilson said.

It has been estimated that the MPs' airfares cost $3000 for a business class return flight."

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And in a different story:

" Hone Harawira has struck back at the "petty and ridiculous" critics of his Australian walkabout, suggesting a whiff of hypocrisy in their sniping."

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