Jones fires back at Brian Tamaki's 'spud' insult

Northland's NZ First MP Shane Jones has warned Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki to watch his mouth, after he reportedly referred to northern Maori MP's as 'spuds'. Mr Jones says the self-styled bishop likened the MPs to riwai, or potatoes - implying they were brown on the outside, but white in the middle - in a church service at Waitangi's Te Tii marae. He told our reporter Lois Willaims that Brian Tamaki has no standing in the north and should watch what he says about people who do. Shane Jones says Brian Tamaki also insulted whanau at Waitangi by implying they were slaves who needed liberating. He says some people like the gang associates Mr Tamaki brought with him might be spiritually enslaved, but he says no hapu in the north would ever accept that description. Shane Jones says the Destiny contingent was out of place at Waitangi and out of synch with the wairua of the day. Brian Tamaki has declined to speak to RNZ saying this is petty grandstanding and it is not part of his calling to respond.