On 30 April 2011 he announced the formation of the Mana Party, stating that he would resign from Parliament and would contest the resulting by-election. Harawira responded to criticisms that a by-election would be "a ridiculous publicity stunt mainly about the tens of thousands of dollars he stands to gain if he returns to Parliament as a party leader," and that it would cost New Zealand taxpayers $500,000, by arguing for the need to receive a fresh mandate from the people of Te Tai Tokerau, saying that "It's hardly an expense in terms of democracy." On 3 May 2011 he delayed his planned resignation from Parliament, saying he wanted to take the decision back to the people of his Te Tai Tokerau electorate. Although he was the leader of the Mana Party, he would remain an independent MP until elected as such.