Hone Harawira

Wellington, Dec 2 NZPA - Maori Party renegade Hone Harawira has returned to the fold after the party caucus decided to give him another chance.

Mr Harawira will be confined to his Te Tai Tokerau electorate in the Far North until the end of the year, then rejoin the caucus in 2010.

He made a fullsome apology this morning, and the party said he accepted he had made mistakes which had caused damage.

He had apologised to the party for damage done.

Harawira got into trouble with his party because of an unauthorised trip to Paris while on a parliamentary visit to Paris and his racially abusive email in defence of it where he referred to white people as motherf...ers.

Party leaders asked him to consider leaving and becoming an independent, but he said he was determined to stay in the ranks.

After a series of hui in his Te Tai Tokerau electorate, the problem was handed back to the party's caucus which met in Wellington last night.

The Maori Party has five MPs -- co-leaders Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia, Te Ururoa Flavell, Rahui Katene and Mr Harawira.

The caucus meeting was not attended by Mrs Turia, who is recovering from gastric bypass surgery.

Dr Sharples has previously said Mr Harawira should "at least" apologise for his actions and indicated the MP was likely to serve a suspension from caucus.