Just mention of the name Harawira and you get a pungent whiff of radicalism, activism and verbal and physical aggression.

It never goes away.

I mean the matriarch Titewhai who continues to shape and drive this family did time …and of course there's her insufferable antics at the Waitangi Day celebrations every year.

Hone himself was involved in a violent confrontation with students at Auckland University. I recall baseball bats were used.

For fair-minded and free thinking New Zealanders there are a lot of reasons to loathe the Harawiras.

However, and it's a big however, I felt for Hone on Saturday night. And that feeling is still there a week later.

Beneath the bravado and Pakeha bashing and behind the sullen intimidating oppressed visage I suspect there is a decent man with decent values.

I suspect it's not about what he stands for, it's about how he sells it.

Remember Hone Harawira was all about putting food in kids' stomachs. That's a pretty noble thing.

And while Dotcom was stirring up the pro Nazi elements at Otago University (were those students your kids?) Hone was campaigning for the hungry kids.

And when Dotcom and his coterie became disorientated by cannabis smoke, Hone bravely stood up and reminded them about small hungry bellies.

Bloody good on him.

And when the country roundly rejected Dotcom and his pieces of silver, Harawira acted with a certain dignity and loyalty.

And we saw a chink. He wished he had done things differently. Okay he did accuse the political parties of ganging up on him.

But I think I saw a man saddened that he had lost a mandate to finish his good work.
I for one wish him well. And this from a white, Presbyterian, redneck Bay of Plenty Conservative.

R.Shaw, Otumoetai.