Breaking Views: Mole News

Memorandum of Understanding between RNZ and Māori Network

An historic partnership agreement was signed today between RNZ and Te Whakaruruhau O Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori, the network of Māori radio stations.

The Memorandum of Understanding will see both organisations working together for the benefit of the different audiences they serve.

The 21 Māori radio stations which make up Te Whakaruruhau will get access to RNZ's trusted and high quality programming and journalism, as well as working with the RNZ news team to cover Māori stories in a more collaborative way. The result will be better for all audiences.

In addition, the iwi stations will be tapping into RNZ’s expertise at transforming itself from a radio broadcaster into a multimedia content creator.....
See full article HERE

Morgan eyes Auckland position
he names of Mana Whenua representatives on Auckland’s Independent Maori Statutory board will be out today, but it’s not enough for a Waikato Tainui treaty negotiator.

Tukoroirangi Morgan says the iwi is still pursuing its claims in Auckland, independent of the settlements reached by affiliated iwi and hapu which are part of the Tamaki collective of tribes.

He told Radio Waatea host Willie Jackson representation in the governance of the super city is one of the claims.

"As one of the mana whenua iwi in this rohe we should have a seat at the top table. Stuff this being 10 steps removed from the action. We should be part of the action," Mr Morgan says.

He also believes there should be more seats on the Independent Maori Maori Board for matawaka or Maori from iwi outside Tamaki Makaurau.
See full article HERE
A further article on the above here > Independent Maori Statutory Board Appointments
And here > Changearound at Maori Statutory Board

Charter school for Maori boys
Only two new charter schools, one in Napier and one in Hamilton, have been approved to open in 2017, adding to the eight already operating.

Education Under-Secretary and Act leader David Seymour said only two were chosen from 26 applicants, both of which would have a special Maori character.
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

31 August 2016

Flavell eyes Māori initiatives in Whangarei

Māori initiatives are the focus of the Minister of Māori Development as he travels through Northland this week. Today Te Ururoa Flavell and his contingent visited a number of projects of interest in Whangarei.
Who better than Whangarei Mayor Sheryl Mai to lead the Minister of Māori Development around local projects aimed at creating future benefit and livelihood for the region?

“I'm here to look at projects that Te Puni Kōkiri are involved in up here relating to Whānau Ora, Moving the Māori Nation, housing and a range of initiatives,” says Flavell, “And in time, we would expect to see a strategy for this development in Whangarei whereby the government could provide support....
See full article HERE

New marae health check initiative
An initiative has been launched to help Maori think about health checks differently.

The first free health-check clinic took place yesterday at the Taurua marae in Rotoiti.

"This is the very beginning. We are trying to get Maori in particular to think about health differently. We are hoping that as we go from marae to marae our reputation will spread." ...
See full article HERE

Creative Tauranga changes its name
Creative Tauranga has changed its name to Creative Bay of Plenty, Te Moana a Toi.

“The name is more inclusive of our whole catchment and Te Moana a Toi recognises both the Maori name for the coastal Bay of Plenty region as the oceans that were navigated and settled by the ancestral figure Toi,” says trustee Awhina Thatcher. ...
See full article HERE
http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/134363-creative-tauranga-changes-its-name.html

Iwi eye fisheries settlement profit
Iwi have voted take some of the money set aside to run Te Ohu Kaimoana in future ... but then set up a new conflict on how the money will be divided.

The trust had proposed the $74 million it has built up in savings and accumulated profits over the past 20 years form an endowment.

But the hui then voted 28 iwi to 23 that the distribution be not on the basis of coastline or population but with each iwi getting an equal share - great for the likes of Ngai Tamanuhiri but not so for Ngapuhi or Ngai Tahu.
See full article HERE

Napier, Hamilton get new charter schools
The Government has announced the latest additions to its charter schools line-up, with two new secondary schools opening their doors in Hamilton and Napier next year.

Both schools are targeting Māori students and students from low socio-economic backgrounds....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

30 August 2016

From the NZCPR Breaking Views archives By David Round
The Conservation Estate Belongs to Us All – not just Maori
Maori environmental practices, then, were not the result of any inherent superiority, but were forced upon Maori by their circumstances. I do not say this to blacken the reputation of Maori. Europeans have not been any better. It is unedifying and ultimately pointless, these arguments as to whose ancestors were worse. Maori and European pioneers were all men and women of their own time, all strangers in a strange land, inevitably making mistakes as they slowly learnt of the nature and limitations of its resources.

Now, of course, knowing as much as we do, there is far less excuse for us to persist in bad practices. Yet we do. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.

It is important to realise that environmental soundness is not the prerogative of any particular race or culture. If we misdiagnose environmental destruction as caused by Europeans and their culture and attitudes, then we are likely to prescribe a remedy ~ taking conservation out of Europeans and putting it into Maori hands ~ which simply will not succeed......
Read David’s full article HERE
April 4, 2010

29 August 2016

Ngāpuhi prepared to go to the United Nations

Ngāpuhi are prepared to take their treaty claims to the United Nations if they're not properly addressed here at home. This from the hapū of Hokianga following the final week of Waitangi Tribunal hearings of Ngapuhi claims in Northland.

Professor Pat Hohepa says it’s a process they've followed due to the Crowns' failure to address issues relating to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the 1835 Declaration of Independence.

"The Crown must come face up to discuss where and when our sovereignty will be returned to Ngāpuhi because we've never ceded it but the Crown stole it. They must acknowledge this and return it."

Professor Pat Hohepa says, "We can once again govern ourselves like in Samoa and Tonga and Fiji. There's no problem for us if the councils in Northland are devolved and governance returned to a Ngāpuhi Government." ....
See full article HERE
https://www.maoritelevision.com/news/regional/ngapuhi-prepared-go-united-nations

Iwi Engagement Ranger
As a Ranger, Iwi Engagement you will be part of a highly motivated team, focused on building relationships with iwi and hapu in the Western Bay of Plenty

You will be responsible for

* Fostering positive relationships between iwi, hapu and the Department

* Supporting implementation of Treaty Settlement outcomes

* Supporting other team members in building new partnership opportunities with tangata whenua

* Promoting and supporting iwi and hapu aspirations ...
See full article HERE
https://careers.doc.govt.nz/jobtools/jncustomsearch.viewFullSingle?in_organid=18174&in_jnCounter=222660508

27 August 2016

Maori trust calls for a fishing ban out of respect for the missing man's family.
A ban on fishing along a section of Taranaki's coastline has been called for by a Maori trust as a sign of respect for a missing man's family.

On Thursday Robbie Taylor, of the Ngatiawa ki Taranaki Trust, said a rahui had been put in place from the Herekawe Stream to the Mokau River preventing people from fishing and collecting shellfish from the area.

"Out of respect for the young man's family," Taylor said.

The rahui could remain in place for up to four months but Taylor said he would wait to see what feedback the trust received before making a decision.....
See full article HERE

Pou stands for Maori discontent
Ngatiwai whanau gathered as a pou was erected at Mimiwhangata to protest proposed marine legislation.

The kaupapa, led by the hapu of Ngatiwai, saw a pou, named Manaia after the founding ancestor of Te Iwi o Ngatiwai, erected on Saturday to make it clear whanau are reclaiming their "homeland".

"This is a clear signal to Government that as a treaty partner Maori are not happy with the process that they have gone through in the past," said Ngatiwai Trust Board chairman Haydn Edmonds.

He said Ngatiwai is also dissatisfied with the proposed marine legislation for the Hauraki Gulf and plans for an ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands.

"These types of legislation will extinguish and expropriate Maori customary and commercial fishing rights, and sever our relationship with Tangaroa [the ocean]."....
See full article HERE

Attempt to entrench Maori seats from Brash threat
"They are vulnerable and they can be abolished by a simple parliamentary majority. People might say 'that will never happen' but we have heard the likes of Don Brash come out, we've heard New Zealand First come out and say their policy is to abolish Maori seats, That is why I am putting this bill forward," Mr Tirikatene says......
See full article HERE

26 August 2016

Maori seats entrenched by Tirikatene Bill National and the Māori Party need to support my member’s Bill which is designed to entrench the Māori electorate seats in Parliament, Labour’s Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene says.

“Under the Electoral Act the provisions establishing the general electorates are entrenched – meaning only a 75% majority can overturn them – but the provisions establishing the Māori electorates are not - meaning it only takes a simple majority to abolish them.

“My Bill is about fixing the constitution. There’s no reason to treat general electorate seats better than we treat Māori electorate seats.....
See full article HERE

Marlborough iwi Ngati Apa ki te Ra To launches education starter packs
An iwi has launched a new project to make sure children starting primary school have the right stationery on their first day.

Top of the South iwi Ngati Apa ki te Ra To has funded free education starter packs for their 5-year-olds, and gave away the first three on Wednesday

The education starter packs included a back pack, a book folder, school books, pens and pencils, but varied depending on the stationery list issued by the pupil's school.

Iwi trustee and education committee member Margaret Bond said the packs were a great way to show the children their iwi supported them in their education.

Iwi communication and engagement manager Kirk MacGibbon said he hoped the branded back packs would give the children a way to recognise each other at school.

"They'll see the bags, and they'll know they're both from Ngati Apa, and they'll connect."....
See full article HERE

Maori Miss Out on Jobs with ‘Brown Table’ Iwi-Owned Company
Ngāi Tahu and Tainui-owned company Go Bus is recruiting driver and trainee drivers from overseas, instead of training and hiring Maori looking for work, says New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“These two iwi received, decades ago, Treaty of Waitangi settlements of $170 million each. In their demands for settlement both iwi used the numbers and names of individual iwi members, so why are Maori the last ones considered when bus driving jobs are available.

“This resembles so much of the Maori fishing quota. The fish is being caught and processed by overseas owned boats and crews with minimal work and wealth for Maori.

“Whatever happened to young Maori being a special taonga?”....
See full article HERE

Corrections a 'repeat offender' on Maori rehabilitation
The Department of Corrections is being called a repeat offender when it comes to the way it deals with Maori prisoner rehabilitation.

A Waitangi Tribunal hearing's just concluded, focused on the Department of Corrections' ability to lower reoffending in Maori, at the same rate as non-Maori.
See full article HERE

Auckland Maori board unfair
There’s support from an influential tribal leader for change in the make up of the Auckland Maori Statutory Board.

Mr Morgan would also like to see a Waikato Tainui seat on the Independent Maori Statutory Board, rather than just having a few of its Auckland-based hapu sitting around the table.....
See full article HERE

Waikato University maintains relationship with Kiingitanga
Now in its eighth year, Kīngitanga Day is an annual event that recognises the University of Waikato’s unique identity, distinctive culture and special relationships with Waikato-Tainui and especially the Kīngitanga. ....
See full article HERE

25 August 2016

IMSB considers taking Unitary Plan to court

A warning from Auckland’s Independent Maori Statutory Board that the Unitary Plan for the super city includes unfinished business.

Chair David Taipari says now the Auckland Council has signed off on the 6000 page document, the board is considering what legal options it has to get a schedule of Sites of Value to Maori put back in the plan.

The council accepted a recommendation of the Independent Hearings Panel that the schedule be dropped because there wasn’t enough evidence available about the sites.

But Mr Taipari says councillors should have listened to their officials, who told them that while the hearings process was going on council staff worked with mana whenua to confirm the location and significance of more than 2000 sites.

He says the importance of these sites to the history and identity of mana whenua and all Aucklanders cannot be ignored.
See full article HERE

Māori Party and Kiingitanga to work together
Māori Party Co-leaders Te Ururoa Flavell and Marama Fox met with Kiingitanga representatives in Wellington yesterday to discuss working together on key issues for the betterment of Māori.

Mr Flavell says the Māori Party and the Kiingitanga share the same key goals for Māori which include battling homelessness, alleviating poverty, creating jobs, and increasing Māori electoral participation

Māori Party Co-leaders Te Ururoa Flavell and Marama Fox met with Kiingitanga representatives in Wellington yesterday to discuss working together on key issues for the betterment of Māori.

Mr Flavell says the Māori Party and the Kiingitanga share the same key goals for Māori which include battling homelessness, alleviating poverty, creating jobs, and increasing Māori electoral participation....
See full article HERE

Site of former Auckland school of horrors sold for $12 million to iwi group
Land Information New Zealand group manager of crown property John Hook said Whenua Haumi Roroa o Tamaki Makaurau Limited Partnership purchased the property under the right of first refusal provisions of the Nga Mana Whenua o Tamaki Makaurau Collective Redress Act 2014.
See full article HERE

No public holiday for New Zealand Land Wars
The Government has made it very clear: The Land Wars commemoration day will not be a public holiday.

A commemorative day was announced last week after pressure from local communities and a school-led petition asked for a day of recognition....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

23 August 2016

Nothing to fear from Maori sovereignty share
The Māori Party believes there's nothing to fear from Māori being given a formal share in New Zealand sovereignty

Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox argues that it's both a good idea, and possible.

"There is nothing to fear from Māori having a greater say across the decision-making," Fox said. "What it does is add value to our nation, it doesn't diminish it."

"The reality is that Māori in councils, on regional councils, through the RMA process, have worked side-by-side for the betterment of communities."....
See full article HERE

Māori King gives nod to Mana/Māori parties
The Māori King has signed off his 10th commemoration with a whimsical political speech that gave a royal affirmation to the Māori and Mana parties but delivered a blow to the Labour Party.

"It really hurt me when the leader of the Labour Party said he couldn't work with the Māori Party, you know I'm not voting for them any more, " said Kiingi Tuheita.

He offered his thoughts on the perfect political union, and made no secret of his support for Mana Party leader Hone Harawira.....
See full article HERE
A furher article on the above here > Maori King should stay neutral: Peters

22 August 2016

Maori King wants Maori share in sovereignty
The Maori king has called for a Maori share in New Zealand's sovereignty by 2025.

King Tuheitia used a landmark speech commemorating his 10th anniversary on the throne today to propose a formal role for Maori in the country's leadership.

He did not spell out what he meant by "sovereignty", but seemed to imply a role for Maori tribes or iwi.

"I see a country that we as Maori will have a shared role in its sovereignty and this I see happening by 2025," he said.

"I see a voting constituency of Maori across the country that will exceed 65 per cent of the general population who identify as Maori.

"My vision realises the return of all of the battle sites from the Maori Land Wars by 2020, to all affected Iwi. This has begun and I received the title to Rangiriri here last Friday.

"This vision continues with the development of national memorials for the commemoration of the Maori Land Wars on all battle sites, by 2025."

He said shared sovereignty was part of a "political manifesto" for the Kiingitangi movement which he asked his 12-member council Tekau-ma-rua to draw up three years ago....
See full article HERE

Govt should back Bill to stop compulsory land confiscations
The Government can end compulsory land confiscations of whenua Māori by voting for a Green Party Members’ Bill that will come before the House next week, the Green Party said today.....
See full article HERE

21 August 2016

Government announces Land Wars Day at Turangawaewae The return of the Rangiriri battlesite to Maori has been marked by news a national day commemorating the New Zealand Land Wars is just months away.

Work has been under way between iwi representatives and ministers of the Crown to see the more than 150-year-old battles between British forces and Maori formally acknowledged.

Four million dollars was set aside in the 2016 budget for commemorations and Deputy Prime Minister Bill English, speaking at Turangawaewae Marae on Friday at the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Maori King Tuheitia's reign, said it was time to formally recognise the country's bloody past.

"A day of commemoration for these New Zealand Wars will come. It is long overdue," Barry said. "We are engaged in this process and we will find a day that will suit every one."

"It is important to us as a nation, at least as important as our World War I commemorations, if not, more so."

Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell said the Government wants to pinpoint a date that works before the end of 2017.

Rahui Papa, chairman of the Waikato-Tainui executive Te Arataura, said future talks will see a date solidified.

A Land Wars day will help build harmony across the country, he said.....
See full article HERE
Further article on the above here > Govt backs national day to mark NZ Wars

Unitary Plan adoption - call to reinstate Sites of Value
The Independent Māori Statutory Board acknowledges the Auckland Council for adopting the Auckland Unitary Plan today saying it’s an important step in ensuring Auckland's housing development keeps pace with the needs of Māori living in Tāmaki Makaurau. However, the Board does not support the decision by Auckland Council to remove the schedule of Sites of Value from the Unitary Plan.

"Now that the Plan is formally adopted by Auckland Council the Board will consider what legal proceedings are available to have the schedule reinstated,” Independent Māori Statutory Board Chair, David Taipari, says.

“The importance of these sites to our history and identity cannot be ignored,” says David Taipari....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

20 August 2016

Rangiriri hand back should set precedent
There’s hope today’s return of Rangiriri Pa and Te Wheoro Redoubt to Waikato Tainui and the Kingitanga is the start of more repatriations.

Title to the sites where Waikato Tainui first stood up to the invasion of their lands in1863 were returned to the iwi and the Kingitanga at Turangawaewae Marae today by Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry.

The ceremonies started well before dawn, when taua were welcomed on to Rangiriri Pa to bathe in the Waikato River and to light seven fires on the site.

Tamaki Makaurau MP Peeni Henare, who has been attending this week’s Koroneihana Tua Ngahuru o Kingi Tuheitia, says tribes should be able to work alongside the crown to manage their sites of significance.

" And I think it will serve as an example for other places around the motu, not just Pukehinahina or Orakau but less familiar battle sites in Te Tarata, Waerenga a Hika and for the ones in the north like Ruapekapeka, Puketutu and places like that," says Peeni Henare.
See full article HERE

Use Maori name, Commissioner urges
Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft says he will not use the English name of the newly announced Ministry for Vulnerable Children and hopes the name will "wither on the vine".

Becroft says he will only use the Maori name of the new ministry, Oranga Tamariki, which means the health and wellbeing of children.

He says the Maori name is "aspirational" and positive, whereas the English name is negative, emphasising children's vulnerability rather than their wellbeing.

Becroft has argued against the English name since he became Children's Commissioner last month, but the name was confirmed today by Social Development Minister Anne Tolley who will also become the first Minister for Vulnerable Children.

"I won't call it anything other than Oranga Tamariki, and that is a challenge for all in the field," Becroft said......
See full article HERE

Iwi & Taranaki Council
Iwi are consulted closely in resource consenting and planning processes,

The Council strongly encourages resource consent applicants to ensure Iwi and/or Hapū are consulted where necessary, and that actual or potential effects on them are clearly spelled out.

For the 2015-2016 year, applicants for resource consents made 117 separate consultations with Iwi/Hapū.

If appropriate, the Council also considers involving Iwi or Hapū in the design and operation of consent compliance monitoring programmes. Iwi and Hapū have also had input in investigations and prosecutions.

Similarly, the Council strives to give Iwi and Hapu opportunities for full and genuine involvement in its own planning processes,

Under Treaty of Waitangi settlements currently being legislated for by Parliament, three Iwi representatives would be appointed to each of the Council’s two main standing committees,

The appointees would be expected to act in the interests of the Committee they are part of, while bringing an Iwi perspective to the table.

The Council and its officers meet regularly with Iwi and Hapū on a range of issues of mutual interest,
See full article HERE

Maori parents not getting cot death advice
Maori parents may be missing out on advice about cot death because of health practitioners' unconscious biases, University of Auckland researchers say.

"Research with Maori and Pakeha GPs shows some Pakeha GPs find it harder to communicate with Maori patients and Maori are less comfortable, trusting and forthcoming in their interactions with Pakeha GPs," Carla Houkamau's report found.....
See full article HERE

Iwi-led low-cost health centre for South Dunedin
It is being called Te Kāika, te reo Māori for "the village".

The centre's co-founder, the chair of the Ōtākou rūnanga, Donna Matahaere-Atariki, said the project was a big deal for Dunedin and for Ngāi Tahu.

"We're pretty much the shareholder, but it's actually open to everyone.

"So this is about 'how does Ngāi Tahu put its footprint back on our landscape here', and how Ngāi Tahu responds to the needs of their broader community," Ms Matahaere-Atariki said.

The project was started with a $500,000 grant from the government's Whānau Ora's programme.

Another partner is Otago University, which is investing in the project.....
See full article HERE

Spy bill risk for Maori
A long time watchdog of government activities is warning Maori who speak out that they are likely to be targeted for surveillance under a new bill covering the New Zealand spy agencies.

"The law change being proposed now by (John) Key and supported by Labour, it should be noted, would actually allow spying on " Maori radicals" and who defines what those words mean. There's a long history of hysteria about so called Maori radicals. Im thinking now going back to the 80's when there was all this talk about Maori radicals having these connections with Libya," he says.....
See full article HERE

Bad information swayed waahi tapu vote
Auckland deputy mayor Penny Hulse says council is going to have to look again at how to protect waahi tapu.

The Unitary Plan passed this week dropped an overlay listing more than 2000 sites of value to Maori, after a government-appointed review panel said there was not enough evidence about the sites.

Ms Hulse believes the panel was wrong, and says council officials will need to work with mana whenua to get a protection mechanism into the plan.

She says councillors may have been swayed by outside lobby groups.

"You know to be honest i don't think they had their facts straight. They were saying you'd have to talk to 20 different iwi to put a spade in the ground on your land and there was a lot of racist twaddle talk about all of this and I think it made some people a lot more nervous about this than they should be. So we've got a little bit of healing to do really, she says.

Penny Hulse says the sites of values should be seen as everyone’s history, not something only of value to Maori.
See full article HERE

19 August 2016

Urban Maori rankle at under-representation
The National Urban Maori Authority says Maori from iwi outside of Tamaki Makaurau are under-represented on Auckland’s Independent Maori Statutory Board.

The nine-member board includes just two places for so called mataawaka, compared with seven for mana whenua iwi and hapu.

NUMA chief executive Lance Norman says with more than 80 percent of Auckland’s Maori population being mataawaka, a 50-50 split would be closer to fair.

Mr Norman compared the process where only mana whenua choose the mataawaka representatives as being worthy of Apartheid-era South Africa.

He says the board wasn’t even a good advocate for mana whenua, stepping aside from the debate on the Auckland Unitary Plan and in the process losing protection for wahi tapu.....
See full article HERE

NZ republic inevitable says Governor-General

Speaking to Māori Television’s Native Affairs, Sir Jerry said while it may not occur in the foreseeable future, it would happen.

But Sir Jerry admitted it would challenge the present Treaty relationship between Māori and the Crown.

“I believe for Māori it will be a little more difficult.”...
See full article HERE

Maori still twice jobless rate
The unemployment rate has dropped to 5.1 per cent after a change to the way the figure is calculated.

Maori unemployment fell to 11 per cent, down from 12.2 per cent a year ago.....
See full article HERE

University of Otago teacher wins Prime Minister’s prize
For the fifth year running, the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for tertiary teaching excellence has gone to a University of Otago academic.

Otago Faculty of Law Professor Jacinta Ruru was presented with the accolade by Rt Hon John Key at a function at Parliament last night. She receives $10,000 through the Supreme Award as well as a further $20,000 as one of 12 tertiary teachers to be recognised through this year’s Sustained Excellence Awards.

Professor Ruru’s award acknowledges her sustained excellence in tertiary teaching to create a place for Māori to stand and be heard within New Zealand’s legal system.....
See full article HERE

New 'Ministry for Vulnerable Children' boss to lead culture change, Tolley says
Soon-to-be Minister for Vulnerable Children Anne Tolley admits the chief executive of the Government's new ministry will have a difficult task, but says the former aged-care boss has what it takes - because she has kidsMu.

Grainne Moss has been appointed chief executive to start next month at the new agency 'Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki'. It will begin operating by April 2017.

The new name has been criticised as "stigmatising and labelling" by the Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft.

In response to the announcement on Thursday, Becroft said he was "electing" to only use the Maori name "Oranga Tamariki" which meant the wellbeing of our children. He urged all New Zealanders do the same, as it was a much more hopeful and visionary.....
See full article HERE

Students gaining NCEA while playing rugby the aim of New Plymouth academy
A new academy is aiming to use rugby as a way for under-achieving maori and pasifika students to gain important qualifications.

The program is the culmination of a year's work between Feats, privately-owned learning centres based in Taranaki, and the Taranaki Rugby Football Union (TRFU).

It will teach students rugby skills while helping them understand maori tikanga and gain National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) qualifications.

Cheree Menzies, the CEO of the learning centres, which are based in Hawera, Stratford and New Plymouth, said they were using rugby to get the students on the course, which would allow them to gain NCEA level 1 and 2.....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

18 August 2016

From the NZCPR archives By David Round
The Enemy of Nationhood
Tribalism is the enemy of nationhood. The flying of a Maori sovereignty flag on our national day may be looked upon as a meaningless gesture by those for whom nothing is sacred, and who see our own flag only as a meaningless bit of cloth. They ‘know the price of everything and the value of nothing’. But Maori sovereignty enthusiasts do not see it as an empty gesture, and neither should anyone else. It is an insult to those who serve and love our nation’s flag, for no other flag can be as good, and Maori sovereignty and division is the enemy of the one new Zealand nation of our very own flag.

There may be arguments as to what ‘exactly’ Maori sovereignty means. One radical will claim it is one thing, another another. But this at least is perfectly clear ~ that it means that those who fly it do not want to be part of the same nation the rest of us are in. They will continue to want the funding of course. But for the rest, they consider those outside the tribe to be ~ what were Hone Harawira’s words again? ~ just people to be used, exploited and at the same time hated. We have to be grateful to Hone ~ which is more than he is to us, of course, for the manifold blessings of European civilisation ~ in that at least he reminds us of what we are up against. He is the true voice of the Maori party. No other voice is possible.

Dr Brash was absolutely right when he made his wonderful Orewa speech, and Phil Goff was absolutely right when he recently similarly warned of the dangers of racial division. It is a depressing indication of the madness now an unquestioned part of our national life that those calling for racial equality and respect for the rights of all, including the foreshore and seabed as our common heritage, are automatically condemned as racist. New Zealand is indeed a deeply racist country. But the racism lies in a race-based political party, racially-selected Parliamentary seats and members, a special racial electoral roll, race based sports teams, schools and units within schools, television stations, government departments, trusts and financial assistance galore, legal recognition of racial privilege, treaty indoctrination on every conceivable occasion.

Universities now have special Maori graduations. No public ceremony in our secular country is complete without Maori elders and karakia. Every new appointee in the public service is welcomed with a powhiri…..None of this is diminishing. It is growing. We are not working towards becoming one nation. We are walking in completely the opposite direction.....
Read David Round’s full article HERE
December 12, 2009

17 August 2016

Sustainable harvest solution to kereru conflict
The kereru is a native New Zealand species protected under legislation, but despite this protection it has continued to decline in abundance since European colonisation. As an iconic native species, it is treasured by many Maori and Pakeha as something that must be preserved at all costs.

However as a taonga (cultural treasure), tangata whenua are guaranteed full possession of kereru under the Treaty of Waitangi. Full possession implies ongoing rights of harvest, and so many assert that the Treaty imparts a right to harvest the bird in spite of legislation to the contrary.

Sustainable harvesting could provide the solution to the conflict that we have recently seen highlighted by the prosecution of Ngapuhi leader Sonny Tau for killing five birds and by last year's revelation that kereru had been served to three ministers of the Crown and 40 iwi leaders at a marae in 2013.....
See full article HERE

Andrew Judd nominated for 2017 New Zealander of the Year
New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd's strong stance on race relations has seen him nominated for the 2017 New Zealander of the Year award.

Judd, who championed Maori wards and spoke out about racism in Taranaki, was nominated by two separate people for the award.

Glyn Taylor, awards office manager, said the two nominations praised Judd's efforts to build bridges between Maori and pakeha and noted his peace hikoi to Parihaka.
See full article HERE

Plan overlay better than court action
The Minister for Maori Development is warning the Auckland Council may have created ongoing problems for itself by dropping an overlay of sites of value to Maori from the Unitary Plan.

The overlay had been subject to a concerted attack by opponents who dubbed it the taniwha tax, even though a tiny minority of developments had required customary impact assessments because they impinged on sites.

Te Ururoa Flavell says the requirement to protect Maori heritage doesn’t go away but the council has abandoned a mechanism to make it relatively straightforward.

"If you have our people involved at the beginning you get away from the whole notion of litigation. Nobody wants to go to litigation. It just costs money. There is a winner and a loser. If you are able to engage with our people, I think our people are pretty fair and are willing to work through issues when they know it is in the public good or the good of the country, but they don't like individual people profiting off the back of losses that may be incurred by Maori," he says.

Mr Flavell says changes to the Resource Management Act could create a window for better consultation with Maori.....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

16 August 2016

Why flax coffins are a dead good idea
A plant material used by Maori to traditionally prepare their dead for burial is also being touted as a greener, more eco-friendly option for the funeral industry.

Artist Rawinia Puna has launched a hand-finished casket made from Harakeke flax paper, which sells for less than half the average cost of a coffin.

The caskets are made from organic cardboard, lined inside and on the outside with the flax paper. Organic ink is used for the printing on the lid, and the inside padding and pillow is filled with dry stripped flax......
See full article HERE

Talent sought for Maori Statutory Board
With local elections fast coming up, it’s time again to pick Auckland’s Independent Maori Statutory Board.

A selection panel drawn from Auckland’s mana whenua iwi will appoint the members - including two representatives of mata waka, the majority of Maori who live in the super city but come from iwi outside Tamaki Makaurau.

Last time the High Court threw out one of the panel’s selections because it hadn’t given proper consideration to the applications, so mana whenua will have some clear guidelines to work on this year.

Panel chair Tame Te Rangi from Ngati Whatua says Tamaki Makaurau is now the largest centre of Maori population in the world, and it’s important there is strong advocacy for all Maori, not just mana whenua.

"There are only two positions for the statutory board but how is it that we can ensure there is connection, there is context around how decisions are made that includes the direction the aspirations, the future thinking of generaitons to come, irrespective of where they are located," he says.....
See full article HERE

Healthcare must reflect gene differences between ethnicities
Over the past 25 years, Chambers has identified genetic markers that trace the origin of Austronesian people - Polynesian, Maori, Melanesian, Micronesian and people from parts of Southeast Asia - tens of thousands of years back to Taiwan.....
See full article HERE

Rangiriri high on Koroneihana agenda
Past and future will meet at Ngaruawahia this week when the Government will spell out how the New Zealand Wars of 150 years ago will be marked.

Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell still talking with iwi around the country about how the $1 million a year that has been budgeted for commemorations over the next four years will be spent.

But he says Deputy Prime Minister Bill English and Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry will be at the Koroneihana Hui to discuss places where Waikato Tainui ancestors fought to defend their homeland.

"In terms of Rangiriri and Orakau it is about a desire by iwi to get those pieces of land back so there may be an announcement bout that in the next couple of days at Turangawaewae," Mr Flavell says....
See full article HERE

15 August 2016

Three pursue top position

Wairoa is faced with yet another interesting local election, with the mayor and his six councillors all seeking re-election, amid a vote on whether the council should have a Maori electoral ward.

Although Wairoa has resisted the temptation to separate urban and rural candidates and voters, it has however grappled with an issue of Maori representation, leading to a decision in May to hold a poll at election time on whether the council should have a Maori electoral ward.

But there was further division over whether the poll should be held in conjunction with the election or as a separate vote at another time....
See full article HERE

$6.9m for Northland kura school
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Taumarere, a Māori language immersion school catering for primary and secondary pupils in Northland, is being redeveloped at the cost of $6.9 million.

The gymnasium will be designed to enable it to be extended, and the teaching spaces will allow for roll growth from the current roll of 112 to a capacity of 130 students.

A remote learning suite will allow students to connect with teachers based off-site and in other parts of New Zealand via video-conferencing, the ministers said.....
See full article HERE

Colonisation linked to child abuse
A researcher into Maori whanau says the Government’s plans for a new vulnerable children’s service are another form of colonialism.

Rihi Te Nana, the national Maori development manager at Relationships Aotearoa, says the reform of child, youth and family services hasn’t given enough weight to the desire of iwi to take back their children.....
See full article HERE

Treaty principles more important than oath
Labour’s Tamaki Makaurau MP Peeni Henare says parliament’s failure to pass the Oaths and Declarations Bill may have been a disappointment for its sponsor but it shouldn’t stop MPs from upholding treaty principles....
See full article HERE

Revolutionary curriculum partnership between iwi and schools under way
A revolutionary partnership between an iwi and a cluster of schools aims to inject richness into mainstream teaching by providing more relevant Maori content.

By combining tikanga (understanding, knowledge and culture) content from iwi, and teachers' expertise in delivery, the team aim to create new curriculum material to provide a locally relevant, more full and inclusive learning experience, said Vanessa Pitt, who is principal of Milson School, the school leading the project.

In February, eight Manawatu primary schools signed a memorandum of understanding with Rangitane o Manawatu to work together on the project.

Since then the project was granted $184,755 of funding from the national Teacher-Led-Innovation Fund, and last month work started toward content development....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

14 August 2016

From the NZCPR Breaking Views archives
What’s really going on in our schools?
If history has anything to teach us, it’s that we should never take anything for granted. We need to be vigilant in protecting what’s good about our society.

New Zealand has so much to be proud of. We have led the world by ensuring equality of all citizens before the law, introducing universal male and female sufferage, and we’ve largely had great and integrated race relations. So when the Ministry of Education starts demanding that schools give people of one ethnic descent superior rights to all others, the hackles ought to be rising.

We were forewarned when the Maori Party’s Pita Sharples (Associate Minister of Education in the National-lead Government) began talking about “cultural education”. Little did we realise he intended systematic brainwashing of our young people in schools.

The Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Update entitled “Treaty of Waitangi Principle” encapsulates this process. This edict was sent out last year after an Education Review Office report (2011) claimed that many schools were finding this “Principle” difficult to implement. Now their difficulty may be because this “Principle” is indefinable, let alone impractical, goes against the grain and all New Zealanders’ customary rights in our multi-cultural democracy – but that hurdle hasn’t stopped our radical bureaucracy.

Our schools are being told:.....
Continue reading Fiona Mackenzie’s article HERE

13 August 2016

Iwi chairs support new framework for reducing youth offending A Law Foundation-backed project is helping the National Iwi Chairs Forum develop a new basis for interacting with the state to achieve better outcomes for young Māori offenders.

The “engagement framework” will be developed by iwi, with assistance from Judge Carolyn Henwood and Jennifer George of the Henwood Trust.

Judge Henwood says the support by iwi chairs to develop the framework shows their strong desire to reduce the high numbers of young Māori in the justice system.

“I believe that only Māori can change the landscape by acting to stop the flow of their children into state care, whether it is care and protection or prisons. This is about iwi chairs taking on their own strategy,” she says....
See full article HERE

Te Atiawa hires scientist Bruno Brosnan to talk resource management with Marlborough council
Marine scientist Bruno Brosnan spent 12 years working at the Marlborough District Council before taking up an unexpected offer from iwi earlier this year.

Te Atiawa o te Tau Ihu hired Brosnan in March following growing concerns for Marlborough Sounds fisheries and an increased responsibility to work with the council.

Their kaitiakitanga for the Queen Charlotte Sound was ratified in Te Atiawa's Treaty settlement, which made clear the councils' and Government's responsibilities to work with the iwi.

Paine said hiring Brosnan had strengthened the iwi's arguments at council. With Brosnan, Te Atiawa "can not only argue from a cultural but also technical standpoint," Paine said....
See full article HERE

Orakei hapu backs end to taniwha tax
Ngati Whatua Orakei is welcoming the Auckland Council’s decision to take cultural impact assessments out of the Unitary Plan.

The assessments, which would have applied to developments near more than 2000 sites scattered across the super city, had been dubbed the taniwha tax by opponents.

The Independent Hearings Panel rejected them as a protection mechanism, and despite a last minute defence by council officials, the full council this week endorsed the panel’s recommendation.

Ngati Whatua spokesperson Ngarimu Blair says there needs to be more research to define the location of sites and their value to Iwi today.

The hapu was also concerned up to 15 tribes could demand an assessment be commissioned, causing costs and delays to projects and also breaching tikanga.

Mr Blair says some iwi have already over-reached their boundaries, such as when Ngati Whatua Orakei had to consult seven other iwi when building papakainga houses on its own land in Orakei.

He says the botched process gave groups who are against supporting Maori heritage the opportunity to push their negative agenda.

Ngati Whatua wants to work with Auckland Council to develop a better process.
See full article HERE
Further link on the above here > Little respect in Auckland waahi tapu vote

Maori Party 'must reconsider its relationship with National'
The Maori Party must reconsider its relationship with National after they failed to support Marama Fox’s Treaty of Waitangi Oath bill, Labour’s Maori Development Spokesperson Kelvin Davis says.

"Marama Fox failed to get National support for her member’s Bill which was defeated on its first reading by 71 votes to 50.

"The MÄori Party is always banging on about the benefits of being at the table with National but clearly it isn’t working and it’s detrimental to Maori....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

12 August 2016

Akl Council votes against Māori site protection Councillors have voted to go with the proposed Auckland Unitary Plan and remove protection for sites of value to Māori.

The panel recommended removing provisions for places mana whenua valued, but council staff argued protection of more than 2000 such places should be reinstated.

Today, councillors voted to ignore that six votes to 12 and go with the panel's recommendation.

The founder of lobby group Democracy Action, Lee Short, said the council had previously protected insignificant sites including an old rubbish dump, and sites would now need to be properly verified.

"We welcome preserving our heritage, but you just can't go along saying 'this one here, this one there' without providing proof of why it is a site of value.

"And I think the hearings panel and the council have made a wise decision today. Go away and show us the proof and then we'll incorporate it into a site of significance or value."....
See full article HERE

A further article on the above here > Aucklands future is being decided but maori aren’t at the table

And here > Council confirm removal of mana whenua overlay

Here > Democratic decision making welcomed

And here > Ngat Paoa accuse council disregarding evidence

Maori King to receive top city honour
The Maori King Tuuheitia will receive Hamilton's Freedom Holder of the City at a ceremony on Monday.
The city's highest civic honour is limited to 12 living people at any one time....
See full article HERE

Tūhoe dialect focus of research
Some Tuhoe are reclaiming their dialect by dropping the 'g' in the word 'ng' when writing and speaking māori. Te Uru Taumatua Chairman Tamati Kruger says if your language is your identity, it is dialect which identifies who you are and where you come from......
See full article HERE

Repatriation: the Māori perspective
Ms Aranui is completing her Doctorate in Māori Studies on what repatriation—the act of returning something to its homeland or origin—means to Māori communities and iwi. This includes how repatriated remains from international museums should be treated when returned to New Zealand.

“I started out by saying: ‘From a Māori perspective, our ancestors were stolen.’ There were a few shocked faces in the audience. I wanted them to understand the way Māori view the history of collecting in New Zealand.

“I also spoke about how important the dead are to the living in Māori culture, .....
See full article HERE

'I stand here with a heavy heart' - Maori Party co-leader's oath bill defeated
The Maori Party has lost its bid to allow people taking oaths to state that they will perform their duties in accordance with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Party co-leader Marama Fox drafted the member's bill, which was defeated on its first reading by 71 votes to 50 in Parliament last night.

Ms Fox said her bill recognised the treaty as New Zealand's founding document, and people taking oaths should have the opportunity to state their support for it....
See full article HERE

Ngapuhi leader to pay $24,500 for illegally hunting kereru
Ngapuhi leader Sonny Tau has been sentenced to community detention, fined $12,000 and ordered to pay $12,500 reparation for charges relating to illegally hunting protected birds.

Tau was sentenced by Judge Mark Callaghan in the Invercargill District Court on Thursday for killing or hunting a protected species, unlawfully possessing protected wildlife and conspiring to pervert the course of justice....
See full article HERE

11 August 2016

Auckland councillors reject bid to accept Unitary Plan as it is

Earlier the 23-member Auckland Development Committee, which includes two appointed Independent Maori Statutory Board members, voted unanimously to move all Unitary Plan debate to the Governing Body.

That means statutory board members, who are not elected by the public, will no longer be involved in the process leading to the final decisions on the plan.....
See full article HERE

Collaborative group to improve nature protection
A new collaborative group involving environmental and landowner organisations has come together to improve national policy on protecting nature on private land, Environment Minister Nick Smith announced today at the Environmental Defence Society’s ‘Wild Places’ conference in Auckland.

The core group leading the development of a National Policy Statement (NPS) on Biodiversity includes representatives from Forest & Bird, Federated Farmers, the Environmental Defence Society and the Forest Owners’ Association. Iwi will be included as Treaty partners.....
See full article HERE

Maori businesses trademarked out of chinese market - NZ First
Maori words and names are being trademarked in China hampering New Zealand businesses from trading freely, says New Zealand First.

"Miraka, a Maori dairy processing company, has had to alter its name in order to trade in China because ‘Miraka’ has already been trademarked," says Maori Affairs Spokesperson Pita Paraone.

"References to a range of Maori words and phrases including Aotearoa, Tamaki, whenua, hapÅ«, iwi and moana are also trademarked in China.

"The government recently passed Te Ture mo Te Reo Maori recognising the Maori language as a taonga of iwi and Maori but the government is not protecting this taonga within New Zealand’s free trade deals.

"It brings into question the relevance of the government including references to the Treaty of Waitangi in trade deals if the Maori language is not going to be respected by our trading partners," says Mr Paraone. ....
See full article HERE

10 August 2016

Taranaki iwi expected to apply for customary rights over their coastal areas
A move to have their customary rights officially recognised could soon see Taranaki iwi groups with the power of veto over certain coastal and marine developments.

South Taranaki iwi Ngaruahine is already in the process of applying to have their customary coastal and marine interests recognised by the Crown.

If approved, it will give iwi a greater say in terms of the activity which takes place along its coastline or in marine areas located within their rohe.

If successful, Ngaruahine's protected customary rights and customary marine title between the Waihi Stream and the Taungatara Stream and along its coastline will be legally recognised by the Crown.

A recognised customary marine title gives tangata whenua a veto right in terms of certain resource consent applications or conservation activities which are applied for within their tribal boundaries.....
See full article HERE

Auckland Council planners argue Māori sites should be protected
One of the most contentious areas signalled in a 618-page report by council planners is to revive protection for sites of value to Māori, which an independent hearings panel had rejected.

They say protection afforded 2213 places of value to Māori should be reinstated in the plan, arguing the panel was wrong to say insufficient evidence was provided.

That move has already angered a lobby group, formed to oppose giving Māori the right to be consulted on development works close to the sites.

Democracy Action founder Lee Short said he could not see any council evidence to support the listings.

"What we'd like the council to do is publish everything they have, and the support of people they have like the Architectural Association, that says 'Yes, these sites are of value'," he said.....
See full article HERE

Eastern District welcomes new Maori Responsiveness Manager and seven new staff
Building relationships and working together with the community will be a focus for new Eastern District Maori Responsiveness Manager Inspector Damin Ormsby along with seven new staff to the district.

“In this position I will be focused on building partnerships with local iwi and the community so that together we can reduce the number of Maori who become victims of crime or are committing crime.

“Building on the strong and responsive relationship we currently enjoy with iwi....
See full article HERE

Parents open to te reo Māori in schools, but most kids not being taught
Parents are open to Māori language being a core subject in primary schools, a survey suggests, though at present most students are not being taught the language.

Māori Language Commission chief executive Ngahiwi Apanui said an Auckland University survey showed 40 percent of parents supported Māori being taught in primary schools, 46 percent were neutral while the remaining 14 percent were opposed.

"Every child in Aoteoroa New Zealand has the right to learn te reo Māori. Not just Māori children, every child. I think the conditions are becoming right now for all schools to start asking for Māori as a subject in their classrooms." ....
See full article HERE

Māori veteran calls for more toilet stops on medical transport
Māori War Veteran Selwyn Clarke wants the hospital transport system to change their policies around going to the toilet.

Clark is being supported by Oneroa Pihema who also wants elderly patients to be treated better when it comes to being transported from Northland hospitals to Auckland.

Pihema says, “I want to change the current mainstream transport system and make it easier for Māori.”....
See full article HERE

9 August 2016

Maori pupils set to miss govt targets
Official targets for Maori primary pupils are likely to be missed by as much as 20 per cent in some cases.

The Ministry of Education has published its four-year plan, including five indicators that it says provide a "litmus test" of its progress in lifting student achievement.

At the primary school level, the official target is to have 85 per cent of Maori students at or above the national standard in reading, writing and mathematics next year.

The most recent Maori results available from 2014 show that will be missed by a considerable margin.

In reading, 69 per cent are at or above the standard. That drops to 65 per cent in maths, and 61 in writing.....
See full article HERE

Effect of Māori in prisons similar to WWII losses
A former prison worker says the generation of Māori men lost to prisons is similar to the losses Māori experienced during WW2.

Paora Stanley, who now works for Rūnanga o Ngāi Te Rangi as its Operations manager, says the largest age group in NZ prisons is between 20 – 40 years, the age of many Māori who went to war.

“It destroyed and it took away the epitome of Māori leadership, Māori male leadership in particular at that time,” he said.

But he believes the ‘enemy’ is a law and order system that is making Māori men and women the most arrested, convicted and imprisoned race in NZ.

In June 2016, nearly 5,000 Māori made up the total NZ prison population of 9,495 inmates...
See full article HERE

Māori MP receives traditional chin moko
Mahuta was part of a contingent of Tainui women who received their traditional moko kauae at Waahi Pā in Huntly at the weekend.

Nanaia Mahuta will be the only MP in the present House of Representatives to carry the distinguished moko kauae...
See full article HERE

7 August 2016

History made at council meeting
A milestone meeting of Masterton District Council broke new ground yesterday when two iwi representatives took their place at the council table.

Mihirangi Hollings and Ra Smith were welcomed to a full meeting of the council three months after councillors voted in favour of appointing representatives of both Rangitane o Wairarapa and Kahungunu ki Wairarapa.

Both will have full speaking and voting rights when attending Policy and Finance and Audit and Risk committee meetings, but will be restricted to speaking rights only at full council meetings.

Mayor Lyn Patterson said the occasion was a “very proud day for me”.
She said she was also proud of her councillors who had voted back in May to “take a step forward into the future”. ....
See full article HERE

Tonga forestry deal with North Island iwi causes growing concern
Concern is mounting over a multi-million dollar forest deal in Tonga between the Kingdom's Government and a central North Island iwi.

Tonga's state-owned forestry business has been debt ridden for years until Tahu Whaoa signed a deal to bail it out last month.

It has already covered the Government's debts of over $NZ2.6 million and has agreed to pay a further $NZ3.5 million in return for the control and management of the forest company for 50 years.

But Mr Pikia, who is instrumental in the deal, is himself under the spotlight.

Three years ago, a High Court judge found he had taken his grandmother's land in actions that could be described as a fraudulent breach of trust.

Now he faces pressure from unhappy iwi leaders pushing for an investigation into financial management of a Te Arawa Trust he chairs.

Tongan Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva, currently in New Zealand, says he is disappointed more due diligence wasn't done by his Government before the deal was signed.

He will be discussing the matter with his cabinet when he returns home....
See full article HERE

Motueka High School officially opens new $1.2 million cultural centre
Motueka High School's new $1.2 million cultural centre will be a home for "many voices" over generations and enhance the learning of all the school's students, the school says.

The centre was formally opened on Friday starting with a pre-dawn blessing before a powerful mid-morning powhiri which began with the official visitors welcomed by a spine-tingling Maori greeting.

Designed in the style of a wharenui, with a peaked roof and wide front veranda, the centre will be a gathering place for the school's youth, a place of welcome for visitors, a focus for developing kaupapa Maori within the school and a link to the school's iwi partners.....
See full article HERE

Māori athletes competing at the Rio Olympics 2016
Over 200 athletes and officials have been selected to represent Aotearoa at this year’s Olympic Games, of those athletes, 50 of which are Māori descent.

The flag bearers nominated to lead our New Zealand team in the opening ceremony this morning are co-captains Peter Burling and Blair Tuke from the sailing team. Both have been adorned with traditional korowai for the ceremony....
See full article HERE

Iwi sign vow of respect for 'nation's kids'
Maori tribal leaders will today sign a "covenant" with the nation's children, promising to treasure and respect them and make childhood a time of "joy and light".

The signing, at a 68-member Iwi Chairs Forum at Hopuhopu near Ngaruawahia, will launch a campaign to adopt the covenant as a constitutional document.

Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft said that, though the document was only words, he hoped it would inspire all New Zealanders to take the issue seriously.

Ngati Whatua leader Naida Glavish said she hoped the iwi endorsement would spark a nationwide commitment to protecting children.

"It's a whole country thing, it's a social thing, it's something we all have to take into account. It's not an issue that belongs to any one culture.".....
See full article HERE

Maori challenge to Kermadec sanctuary treads water while Parliament paddles
A Maori challenge in court to the law to set up the Kermadec ocean sanctuary cannot proceed in the meantime, a judge has ruled.

The sanctuary's potential impact on the future use of the quota, and reduction of the value of the treaty settlement, lie behind the trust's challenge to the sanctuary.

The trust has asked the court to make declarations that the sanctuary was being set up without consultation, consent, or fair compensation.

The proposed law to set up the sanctuary is already before parliament.

The Attorney-General, Chris Finlayson, asked the High Court in Wellington to temporarily stop the trust's challenge to plans for the sanctuary because a court decision would interfere with the privileges of parliament and overstep the separation of powers between the courts and parliament.

In his decision the judge said the courts could not stop the introduction of a bill to parliament.

But the issue in the trust's case was whether the courts could make declarations that commented on proposed laws and their affect on people, while the the laws were still before parliament.

Lawyers for Finlayson said the proper time to challenge the new law was after it had been passed. The Attorney-General wanted a "temporary lull" for parliament to complete its processes.

No further steps were to be taken until the legislative process was complete, he said....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

5 August 2016

Te Ohu ads step up fight on sanctuary
The Maori Fisheries Commission is upping the ante in its fight against the Government's marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands.

Te Ohu Kaimoana today kicks off a public campaign, taking out full-page advertisements in the Herald and the Waikato Times which attack the Government for "confiscating the rights of Maori" to fish in the region.

The ad features the Jim Bolger-led National Government signing the "Sealord Deal" in 1992.

"It demonstrates a real gulf between the leadership demonstrated by the Bolger-led Government and the current one," Tuuta said.

The Government says Te Ohu is not entitled to compensation because it has not used its fishing quota in the region. It also said it consulted with relevant iwi about the sanctuary.....
See full article HERE

Māori Kermadec rights may be cut
The Fisheries Commission says the government's move to establish a massive ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is more contentious than the Foreshore and Seabed legislation. The Fisheries Commission and iwi leaders met in Hopuhopu today to further discuss legal action against the government's move.

If the proposed ocean sanctuary around the Kermadecs goes ahead, the Fisheries Commission says the Government would be stripping existing rights Māori already have.

Te Ohu Kaimoana CEO Dion Tuuta said, “What the government's proposing here in many ways is worse than what they did with the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act."...
See full article HERE

Iwi KiwiSaver scheme ends
Iwi Investor, the only iwi-managed KiwiSaver scheme, is being wound up after it failed to gain enough members to make it viable.

The scheme was set by Taupo-based financial advisory group Iwi Investor in April 2011. But its latest annual report shows it had just 213 members as of March 31 last year....
See full article HERE

Rangitane leader Wiremu Te Awe Awe sat alongside council planner Michael Duindam in the council chamber on Monday as they presented a collaborative proposal on reviewing the Tangata Whenua section of the District Plan.

The whole order of business for the meeting was turned around to enable Maori greetings to be exchanged and for the report to be jointly presented.

He said the Manawatu River was a spiritual place for Maori, it was a source of food, and it was a highway.

Another issue high on Rangitane's list of significant planning issues was the recognition, protection and preservation of wahi tapu and wahi tupuna (sacred or important sites).

Iwi wanted to be alerted to any land use or development that could affect mahinga kai — culturally significant resources used in medicine, weaving, carving, art ornamentation or other customs.

Rangitane wanted to be involved in the development of marae, urupa, papa kainga (housing), kohanga reo, kura kaupapa (pre-schools and schools) and other forms of cultural institutions.....
See full article HERE

Iwi advocate for stronger role in water plan
IWI made strong calls for Maori cultural values to be recognised in the District Council’s freshwater plan on the first day of hearings yesterday.

Runanganui chairman Selwyn Parata said they were there as the people of the land, extending from Potikirua to Toka a Taiau.

“We are the people, we are the river, we are the land and the land is us,” he said.

The Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust recommended that a memorandum of understanding be created between the iwi and the council.

It noted that water was an integral part of Rongowhakaata iwi culture. It had spiritual meaning and played an important part in the wellbeing of the iwi.

The Te Arai River was a taonga and should be recognised separately from the Waipaoa.

“Most of the water for the city comes from our lands. It comes across our tribal area to feed all your people. That is the the reason we are here.

“We don’t want to be ignored. We don’t want to be pushed aside like some interest group. Remember we are signatories to the Treaty of Waitangi. We have mana to the lands here and to the waters.”.....
See full article HERE

Health minister backtracks to fund sleep pods
The Ministry of Health had previously refused to fund the pods because of a lack of evidence they helped save babies' lives.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has previously supported that stance.

But after a Herald investigation -- which found the Ministry had secretly restricted the reach of the Maori-led safe sleep initiative, contrary to expert opinion and dozens of Coroner recommendations -- and a meeting with New Zealand's leading cot death expert, Mr Coleman's backtracked....
See full article HERE

Peters claims credit for foreshore law
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has accused the Maori Party of headline hunting over former prime minister Helen Clark’s bid to become the next secretary general of the United Nations.

The Maori Party says it can’t support the bid because of the Foreshore and Seabed Act, her government’s refusal to sign the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the 1987 raid on Ruatoki by armed police looking for terrorism suspects.

Mr Peters says the foreshore and seabed legislation came from New Zealand First after consultation with coastal iwi.

He says the Maori Party went quiet on the issue because of that support, but after the 2008 election got National to agree to what he calls race based policies....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

3 August 2016

Gains measured in the millions for South Taranaki iwi since treaty settlement signed
Two years on from signing its Treaty of Waitangi settlement, a South Taranaki iwi is looking to grow services which will benefit its people, including a focus on the development of marae.

Since August 2014, Te Korowai o Ngāruahine has grown its asset base by $10m, some of which has already been tagged to future investment into the iwi's eight marae.

Edwards said in addition to growing Ngāruahine's net assets from the $67.5m settlement quantum to more than $75m, he said there were more opportunities on the horizon for the iwi.

This included progressing its customary rights application under the Takutai Moana (Marine and Coastal Area) Act along with the ongoing negotiations, along with other iwi in the region, around redress related to Mt Taranaki.

The third and final reading for Ngāruahine's settlement legislation, along with that of Te Atiawa and Taranaki, is expected later this year....
See full article HERE

Hysterical crap from the Māori Party
Are you seriously putting historical petty politics ahead of Helen Clark's taxpayer-funded bid for the top job at the UN?

Yes, you most certainly are. I find it pathetic.

Clark's bid is NZ's bid. It's backed by the Government and all grown-up political parties - which happens to be all of them, except the Māori Party.

Their opposition looks like treason, especially given all New Zealand taxpayers are helping pay for this Clark tilt at the job.

Co-leader Marama Fox has just signed up to be National's little yelping lapdog forever. A toothless poodle with a mini-bark. And with stuff-all leverage.

Today is a sad day for NZ Inc on the world stage, and the Māori Party has broken all sorts of unwritten and informal agreements that, no matter what the politics are, we fight together on the international stage......
See full article HERE

Māori Party stance on Helen Clark is 'political utu'
The Māori Party's refusal to support Helen Clark's bid to head the United Nations is a personal attack on her and an attack on New Zealand's nationhood, a former Minister of Māori Affairs says.

Dover Samuels, who was a minister in that government, said the stance was vindictive.

"In my view this is outrageous, personal and vindictive. And that's where it's come from - it's called political utu. And very clearly the Māori Party has set aside New Zealand's interest and really it's pay back time."
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

1 August 2016

From the archives of Alf Grumble

Rotorua could show where co-governance is taking us – to cities run by Maori tribal councils.

Being brought up with a world view shaped by his proud British heritage, Alf has been apt to bridle every time he learns of yet another Treaty-based co-governance system being imposed on one of our communities.

Most critically, and glaringly obviously, these arrangements debase our democracy and our notions of unity.

One party to the co-governance arrangement is accountable to all the people. The other party is not. The division is racial.

As a staunch champion of democratic systems, your hard-working MP for Eketahuna North could only become seriously hot and bothered each time bloody Chris Finlayson signed off on one of these deals with a smugly self-satisfied smirk on his face.

But how far will it go?

Much further, if the indigenous people have their way. These are our special people and some of them are scheming on introducing a very special system of governance for our local authorities.

They want to get rid of city councils and run the show with tribal councils.

They have yet to get around to determining how non-Maori would be represented in the new local authority model. Or if non-Maori would be represented........
Continue reading Alf’s article HERE
August 22nd, 2013

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

31 July 2016

Faces of Innocents: High rates of child abuse among Maori can be traced back to colonisation, academic says

Nearly half of all children in the child victim toll are Maori.

There's a reason for that, says Waikato Associate Professor Leonie Pihama. It's called colonisation.

"Colonisation impacts on our children through the removal of every part of our cultural framework that enabled us to keep our children safe. And I think that model of the nuclear family, the domestic unit, is actually an unhealthy model for a culture of people who are used to having a collective relationship.

"Historical trauma caused by colonisation is the root cause of intergenerational issues, particularly child abuse within Maori families," Pihama said.

She said the forceful removal of Maori from their whenua (land) and from their whanau, plus the implementation of the Native School Act of 1867, which punished children for speaking Maori, had a devastating effect that was still being felt.

The loss of land left Maori without a way to make a living. Loss of culture and language left Maori looking for an escape, she said.

"When you have whole collectives that have been traumatised, they need to have some kind of out. You end up with issues of alcoholism, you end up with issues of drugs, you end up with up with issues of cigarette smoking.

"Abuse, eating bad food, unemployment - all those things accumulate around inter-generational experience of trauma."

Prior to colonisation, Maori children were not abused, she said....
See full article HERE

Select committee endorses raupatu
Te Ohu Kaimoana says MPs are wrong to think iwi will be appeased if they give a massive new ocean sanctuary a Maori name.

One of the few changes the local government and environment select committee recommended to the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill was to call it the Kermadec/Rangitahua Ocean Sanctuary to recognise the indigenous name for Raoul Island.
See full article HERE

DOC working with iwi and marine specialists on separated orca
Jeff Milham says DOC has been working with iwi, marine mammal specialists from the United States along with local orca experts, including researcher Dr Ingrid Visser, on how to deal with this difficult situation.....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

30 July 2016

Bid to exclude Maori fails

Right wing councillors have failed in an attempt to exclude Maori from voting on recommendations on Auckland’s Unitary Plan.

The council this morning voted 13-8 to against shifting debate on the Independent Panel’s recommendations from the development committeee to the full council, which does not include members of the Independent Maori Statutory Board.

Board chair David Taipari welcomed the vote and says he and fellow development committee member Liane Ngamane looked forward to the deliberations, which must be completed by August 19.

He says claims the panel may have rolled back proposed protections for Maori sites may be overstated, and he’s keen to hear detail on how cultural impacts will be considered...
See full article HERE

Tāmaki iwi provisions dismissed in Unitary Plan
There will be dissension if Māori are left out of Auckland's Unitary Plan. That is the response from local iwi to recommendations to the council suggesting the removal of treaty principles, sovereignty rights and recognition or protection for more than 3000 cultural sites from the plan.

Following the release of the Independent Hearings Panel (IHP) recommendations for Auckland's Unitary Plan, questions are being raised over whether unity with Auckland iwi is a priority for the city moving forward.

Te Kawerau a Maki Chairman Te Warena Taua says “they're in for a major fight. If they don't stick to what's right and align with the iwi's wishes, perhaps they are telling us that Māori don't have a say in council decisions. What's the point of Te Waka Anga Mua if they have no authority?”

The New Zealand Tax Payers Union campaigned against the Sites and Places of value to Mana Whenua section naming it the "Taniwha Tax".

It called it a ridiculous provision based on make-believe issues saying with its death comes a win for democracy and the protection of Auckland's genuine cultural heritage.

The IHP also said Historic Heritage Places provisions should stay but Cultural Assessment Impacts for Māori sites must go.....
See full article HERE

NZ police work to bridge cultural divides
There are hopes new ethnic awareness programs in the New Zealand police will help bridge cultural divides between the organisation and local communities.

A Pacific network fono held on Thursday in Auckland was attended by over 200 police officers and featured workshops to improve police interaction with Pacific communities.

"The intention is to get people to be aware of the different cultures that are within the country, how they operate, and become knowledgeable and accepting of it. And to understand how people react, that sort of thing. So it's going to become an important segment of all courses going forward," he said....
See full article HERE

Parliament property rights grab echo of history
The chief executive of Te Ohu Kaimoana says the creation of the giant Kermadecs ocean sanctuary shows institutionalised theft of Maori assets is not just a thing of the past.

A select committee has rubber stamped the Government’s plan to extinguish quota in fisheries management area 10 around the islands, including the rights granted 24 years ago in the Maori fisheries settlement.

Mr Tuuta says while the Foreshore and Seabed Act upset Maori because it took away the ability to seek rights that were still uncertain, the new bill takes way an actual property right.....
See full article HERE

29 July 2016

Independent Hearings Panel recommendations on Cultural Impact Assessments
Today with our sister group the Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance, we are celebrating a comprehensive victory in our “Taniwha Tax” campaign, with the Independent Hearings Panel recommending that Cultural Impact Assessment requirements, and the scheduled “sites of value” be deleted from the Unitary Plan.

Our campaign exposed that many of the 3,600 sites deemed of cultural value didn’t even exist and the Council didn’t bother to check. Despite that the up to 18,000 affected landowners would be expected to obtain expensive reports from Mana Whenua groups before improving their properties.

The Panel confirmed everything that we suspected:

* That no robust process of identification and verification of the sites of value existed

* The sites were never evaluated against any criteria

* The rules relating to sites of value were unreasonable

* The rules had immediate effect

* That the rules covered much larger areas than was approved

This is a win for democracy, for protecting Auckland’s genuine cultural heritage, and for science-based planning......
See full article HERE

Auckland Unitary Plan unveiled
Ms Turei says while Aucklanders struggle with increasing rents and house prices, Maori interests shouldn’t be sacrificed in response.

"We have sacred sites in Auckland that are being effectively bulldozed for housing developments when it is not necessary to do that so we will see if there is any protection in there for our insights and for Maori design as well around housing." she says....
See full article HERE

Māori reoffending too complex to blame on Corrections, Crown says
A Crown lawyer and Corrections staff member have responded to a Waitangi Tribunal claim that the department is failing to rehabilitate Māori inmates.

Crown lawyer Aaron Perkins QC opened the Crown submissions by saying the reasons for Māori reoffending were complex and could not be blamed on Corrections alone.

It was a national issue, he said.

Mr Perkins said Corrections could not be held responsible for Māori reoffending when the reasons were much wider than the department.....
See full article HERE

28 July 2016

Time to abolish prisons - Moana Jackson
Māori Law academic Moana Jackson is calling for the abolition of prisons in NZ and says Ngāti Kahungunu would set up their own system to deal with tribal members that commit crime. Jackson presented his evidence at an urgent hearing before the Waitangi Tribunal over the alleged failure by the government to address the high Māori prison population.

Jackson wants prisons gone.

“It would not be a prison it would be a kaupapa Māori based place in which the reasons for their wrong-doing would be addressed and the whānau helped to recover and so on.”....
See full article HERE

Iwi stations to up Maori content
The chief executive of Te Mangai Paho believes iwi stations are ready for a more than 25 percent increase in te reo Maori content.

The Maori broadcast funding agency has instructed the 21 stations they are now expected to broadcast 10 and a half hours of Maori language content a day rather than eight to retain their funding..
See full article HERE

27 July 2016

Land grab for power line a last resort Far North company Top Energy has asked the Government to compulsorily acquire land under the Public Works Act from up to nine landowners who have not negotiated easement rights across their properties for a new power line between Kerikeri and Kaitaia.

Electricity line supply company and geothermal power producer Top Energy has negotiated easement rights with around 80 property owners in the Far North to allow work to start on a new power line between Kerikeri and Kaitaia.

However, nine other property owners have refused to grant permission to allow work to commence, forcing Top Energy to ask the Government to step in and acquire the land under the Public Works Act.....
See full article HERE

Legal proceedings challenge Ngāti Rehua mandate
Ngāti Rehua is a stage closer to the treaty negotiation table but legal proceedings filed only days ago challenge the Crown approved mandate.

A meeting has been held to update beneficiaries of Ngati Rehua as they come a stage closer to the Crown's negotiation table....
See full article HERE

Maori needed at top levels of Corrections to reduce reoffending
Maori need to be involved in decision-making in order to bring down Maori reoffending rates, says an adviser to the Department of Corrections

If the board received that power they could build Maori "capability and capacity" within Corrections, do more research and receive a wider mandate to "stay connected" with iwi.

Tomoana floated some ideas that his iwi wanted to implemented. These included that every prisoner sentenced to more than a year would come out with a driver's licence, and the families of prison members get educated at the same rate of the prisoners who are undertaking rehabilitation programmes.

The iwi would also place mentors at the executive levels of Corrections to "place Maori at the helm" of change initiatives.

Maori Council member Des Ratima said prisons needed to be more like hospitals.

From the outset, criminals should be diagnosed, given a treatment plan, informed of the success rates of those treatments and scheduled follow-ups, he said....
See full article HERE

Māori academic criticises prison policy at urgent hearing
A Māori academic has called past government policies racist and a contributing factor to the high population of Māori in prisons.

Dr Rawiri Waretini-Karena presented evidence in an urgent hearing to the Waitangi Tribunal addressing the Crown's failure to reduce the Māori prison population.

Dr Rawiri Waretini-Karena ha served 11 years in prison. He says past government policies were a contributing factor to his criminal behaviour.

Hemopo says he worked for the Department of Corrections for 30 years and wants justice for Māori.

“My biggest concern is for Māori women,” says Hemopo, “66% of female prisoners are Maori. So who is looking after our babies, our children? That problem is being pushed back to our old people.”

Waretini-Karena says he knows what it’s like in the system and wants change for future generations.

“I moved away from the marae and the marae was the foundation for all tikanga Māori so our marae became the Chartwell pub so our values weren't taught to us, it was a Once were Warriors life,” says Waretini-Karena.

The Māori prison population is now nearing 5000, and it looks as though that number will continue to grow if a solution isn't found....
See full article HERE

Kupe scholarships to increase Maori teachers
The second crop of Kupe scholarships for teacher trainees were awarded last night at a ceremony at parliament.

Education Minister Hekia Parata says they've gone to 30 people who have shown they can perform well academically as well as retain close cultural connections with their communities.

They represent a range of ages and stages in terms of career choice, and many of them also speak their heritage language, whether that's Maori or Samoan or Tongan.

The scholarship covers all fees plus a $15,000 study award, professional mentoring during study and help finding a job....
See full article HERE

26 July 2016

Corrections failing Maori, needs drastic culture change – claim

A retired probation officer has harshly criticised the Department of Corrections for failing to reduce reoffending rates among Maori prisoners.

Tom Hemopo, 71, told the Waitangi Tribunal he had loved his job but Corrections needed a "drastic change of culture".

An urgent hearing kicked off in Wellington on Monday, to investigate Hemopo's claim that the Crown had breached Treaty obligations by allegedly failing to reduce Maori reoffending rates.

However, he claimed Corrections refocused these Maori management roles such as his until they were eventually phased out. The roles were an "aberration from a department that does not value Maori culture".

Current programmes aimed at Maori rehabilitation were just "window-dressing", Hemopo said.

The Crown said there were "dozens and dozens" of programmes which supported Maori reintegration, including initiatives set up in partnership with iwi.....
See full article HERE

Iwi want Crook Cook statue rolled in favour of tipuna Rakaiatane
Ngāti Oneone is calling for the 'Crook Cook' statue on top of Gisborne's Kaiti Hill to be replaced with that of Māori chief Rakaiatane. Iwi spokesperson Nick Tupara says it is appropriate given the current statue is not actually Captain Cook but an unknown Italian admiral and Rakaiatane was chief at the time of Cook's landing.

The Gisborne District Council says it is reviewing the Titirangi Reserve management plan and it did not rule out the possibility of replacing the statue. .....
See full article HERE

Iwi-run savings scheme pays off
New Zealand's only iwi-run savings scheme has ticked over $50 million and has signed on more than 20,000 members to save for their education, a home or retirement.

Ngai Tahu's Whai Rawa savings scheme was launched in 2006 as a way to help give the money from the iwi's business investments back to its people.

Last year it paid out a distribution of $3.5m to savers in Whai Rawa as well as matching the savings of child members at a rate of four to one and adult savers at a rate of one to one up to $200 a year.

Over the 10 years the scheme has paid out more than $5m to help savers pay towards a tertiary education, house or retirement.

Those who want to take their money out for retirement can do so from 55, unlike KiwiSaver where savers must wait until the age of entitlement for New Zealand Superannuation, currently set at 65.

Tikao said many of the Whai Rawa members were also in KiwiSaver which meant they could also benefit from the Government's annual contribution of 50c for every member dollar saved up to $1042.

The scheme is only open to registered Ngai Tahu iwi members.......
See full article HERE

Tauranga Māori issue warning to boaties and skiers
There’s been more angry protest in Tauranga. Earlier this month, housing developers were warned homes for a planned housing subdivision on Matakana Island would be burnt to the ground.

Now residents of Matakana, Rangiwaea and Motuhoa Islands in Tauranga Harbour have boaties and water skiers in their sights.

“People leave fires burning, dump their rubbish, use our islands as toilets, pinch our gas and gear, and have no regard for other boat users,” said Ngaraima Taingahue, who lives on Rangiwaea island.

But this time, islanders are issuing a warning that old vehicles, nets and other barriers could be used to obstruct boaties and skiers if their behaviour doesn’t improve.....
See full article HERE

Wide te reo exposure key to fluency, says researcher
Children must be exposed to te reo Māori outside the home if it is to become their preferred language, a Māori language specialist says.

For three years Victoria University of Wellington researcher, Maraea Hunia, monitored the language acquisition of her baby granddaughter who was brought up surrounded by te reo and another child whose mother was the only one who spoke to her in the language...
See full article HERE

More Maori needed on councils
Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox wants to see more support for Maori candidates to stand for this year’s local government elections.

Ms Fox says the diversity needed is more Maori candidates, with only three percent of councillors elected last time being tangata whenua.

She says that’s not for lack of trying, but unless Maori candidates have a high public profile from some non-Maori activity, they are unlikely to get elected.

One way to get greater diversity is Maori seats, as her own Wairarapa council is doing.

"Despite who else might put their hand up, we think iwi should have places on local government so they should be part of decision making power and not merely consultation tick box....
See full article HERE

25 July 2016

From the NZCPR BreakingViews archives by Reuben Chapple
Partnership? what partnership
Only in the last 25 years has anyone considered it an established fact that the Treaty of Waitangi created a partnership between Maori and the Crown. For almost 150 years, this view was largely unheard of. Moreover, there is not a shred of evidence that the British authorities intended to establish such a partnership, nor that the chiefs saw this as the Treaty’s object.

Lord Normanby’s 1839 instructions to Captain William Hobson demonstrate that the Crown’s purpose was “sovereign authority over” those of the “accepting aborigines of New Zealand” who would agree to place themselves “under Her Majesty’s dominion.”

Modern-day revisionists claim the Maori understanding of the Treaty was that “chiefly authority” would be preserved under the “governorship” of the Crown. The Maori version of the Treaty supposedly failed to convey the meaning of the English version, and the Treaty negotiations failed to clarify the difference.

That the chiefs were victims of Crown duplicity is not supported by the facts.....
Continue reading Reuben’s informative article HERE

April 5, 2013

23 July 2016

Auckland Brewery pulls its Legend Series off shelves following death threats
The Auckland brewery that received death threats over its craft beer range depicting Maori ancestral legends has pulled its product from the shelves.

Birkenhead Brewing Company, this week, received widespread criticism over the collection which depicted Rotorua lovers Hinemoa and Tutanekai.

The situation escalated yesterday, with the company alleging death threats had been made against it staff - a matter which police are currently investigating.

Today it's issued an apology and has pulled its product from shelves around the country while it rethinks its labelling.

"The rule of thumb is you don't ever use ancestral names, particularly on products that are known to be harmful."

She said the line, for anyone wondering where to draw it, was clear - Maori ancestral images should never be used for profit, in particular when it came to harmful products.

Mead said the ancestral legends weren't just part of the past for their descendants.

"It's still very much part of the living culture."

She advised anyone looking to infuse the Maori culture into their product or business to do their research and consult the appropriate parties....

See full article HERE

Turia calls for $1b Whanau Ora
Former Whanau Ora minister Dame Tariana Turia is calling for a billion dollars a year in social spending to go through the model she championed.

A $10 million increased in the latest Budget only brings the Whanau Ora total to $44 million a year, although the Ministry of social Development has agreed to channel a small portion of its multi-billion dollar spend through the commissioning agencies.

Dame Tariana told Radio Waatea host Ngaroimata Reid the Government needs to go a lot further if it wants the model of integrated, whanau -driven service delivery to work.

"Drip feeding us small amounts of money and they are small amounts of money in the scheme of things. You think about the health system, $16bn dollars a year they give to them and have they made a difference for us and the answer is no. So give us a break. Restore our mana and allow us to become the authors of our own destiny" , says Dame Tariana Turia.....

See full article HERE

Treaty Minister seen as block to indigenous rights
The author of a report critical of New Zealand’s implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is blaming Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson for blocking progress.

Professor Margaret Mutu delivered the report to the five members of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous People meeting in Geneva last week.

"They do not want to talk about the declaration. In fact Chris Finlayson sent a letter back in 2011 to the Te Hiku iwi chairs telling them he would not allow any mention of the declaration in anything to do with the treaty or our treaty settlement. That is a very very bad mistake on his part in terms of the country's international obligations," she says.

Professor Mutu says the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples can be seen as a blueprint for implementing the Treaty of Waitangi....

See full article HERE

Kermadec ocean sanctuary gets the go-ahead from committee
One of the biggest ocean sanctuaries in the world has been endorsed by a parliamentary committee, despite submissions opposing it.

Environment Minister Nick Smith welcomed the news, and accepted a recommendation to tweak the name.

The sanctuary would have a dual name of "Kermadec/Rangitahua" at the request of iwi who would be involved in the management of the area.....

See full article HERE

Paraparaumu School to start bilingual class, taught in English and te reo Maori
Paraparaumu School are starting a bilingual te reo Maori primary school class, in a bid to revitalise the language in the district.

The class will feature the current New Zealand curriculum taught in English, but with a Maori world view. Currently, no class of its kind is offered between Paekakariki and Otaki.

Gina Sarich, who would teach the class, said it would involve "between 30 and 50 per cent Maori immersion".

Most class interactions outside of the curriculum would be in Maori, with a focus on customs such as karakia (prayers), mihimihi (introductions) and waiata (songs)....

See full article HERE

22 July 2016

Tuhoe practices drop PHO-free plan, signing with eastern alliance
The Tuhoe iwi’s two medical centres have joined a local PHO, abandoning the original plan to stay PHO free.

The move came on 1 July, with Tuhoe Te Uru Taumatua Trust signing with the Eastern Bay Primary Health Alliance.

Tuhoe has invested in its own health system for the past two years, serving about 1200 community members, trust chair Tamati Kruger says in a media release.

The iwi had originally planned not to join a PHO, as it regarded the organisations as being too register-driven.....
See full article HERE

Northland DHB to continue to fund pepi pods
Pepi pods will continue to be funded in Northland, despite Ministry of Health cutting funding due to uncertainty over their effectiveness.

Northland District Health Board will continue to fund wahakura, or pepi-pods, for young babies.

Because SUDI rates are much higher for Māori infants, it prioritises Māori babies from its Special Care Baby Unit.

"Bed-sharing for parents with a young baby is a cultural norm for some Māori whānau.

"As there is such significant inequity between Māori and non-Māori in Northland's SUDI rates, the priority has been to find prevention measures that are culturally appropriate."...
See full article HERE

Voting opens for $100M Wairoa Treaty Settlement
Voting is open for the Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa to have a say on whether their Treaty of Waitangi Settlement goes ahead.

The voting process is crucial to the completion of the Treaty Settlement journey for the Wairoa Inquiry District, which started more than thirty years ago.

If sufficient support is achieved, mandated negotiating body Te Tira Whakaemi o Te Wairoa (Te Tira) is set to secure redress of $100 million on behalf of the Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa.

This would become the country’s fifth biggest Treaty of Waitangi Settlement in terms of financial redress......
See full article HERE

Time for 'Cook' to go?
A STATUE of the Maori chief at the time of Captain Cook’s landing would be the best figure to have on top of Titirangi (Kaiti Hill), say Ngati Oneone.

Repeated vandalism of a statue known as the ‘‘crook Cook” at Cook’s Plaza on Kaiti Hill, installed to commemorate the explorer’s arrival, has raised a question of whether it should be there at all. .....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

21 July 2016

Youth MPs' back compulsory Te Reo in schools
Some of the students spoke at a select committee hearing about a proposal to make te reo Māori compulsory in schools.

Josh Gill and Crystal Te Moananui from Thames, and Finnian Galbraith from the Kapiti Coast, all supported the proposal.

Mr Galbraith said Māori language should be compulsory in primary schools and an option at secondary school....
See full article HERE

New report examines the sustainability of very high needs practices
“There is clear evidence that there is a group of practices with large numbers of Māori and Pacific patients that are struggling to remain financially and clinically viable that points to inequities in the current capitated funding arrangements for those practices” says Dame Tariana Turia, the Chair of the NHC Trust......
See full article HERE

Doctors weak link in rheumatic fever campaign
A leading campaigner against rheumatic fever is welcoming a new fund for encouraging innovative responses to rheumatic fever in Maori communities, but warns the whole health sector needs to get behind the kaupapa.....
See full article HERE

Morgan puts hand out to Harawira
New Maori Party president Tukoroirangi Morgan is tackling the party’s Hone Harawira problem.

He says vote splitting between the Maori and Mana parties allowed Labour to win back three Maori seats at the last election.

He wants to turn that around next year....
See full article HERE

Maori Party and Mana rule out alliance
See full article HERE

20 July 2016

Call to have Maori language housing clusters
The council said Māori housing clusters, with those committed to speaking te reo, should be an important part of the new Māori language strategy.

The NZMC said Māori lived in papakainga in rural areas where te reo was the primary language, but the rural papakainga could not be maintained due to legislation such as the Town and Country Planning Act 1952 and Maori Housing policies.

This legislation requires that Māori move to urban areas in order to build with State Advances or Māori Housing loans.

Those moving to urban areas, said the NZMC, were pepper-potted throughout so that the language had little chance of survival.

New Zealand Māori Council deputy chair Owen Lloyd said the rural concept of a small community in an urban environment would help revitalise te reo.

"When you put it into a community and have a group of Māori speakers and families speaking their language and associating it with the way they live and their language complementing each other, the chances for that language are a lot more stronger."

"The concept itself is an innovative approach because things Māori are interconnected, like housing and the language."....
See full article HERE

Maori land rates remission policy to be developed
The Dunedin City Council will develop a rates remission policy taking into account the special connection Maori have with the land.

Councillors at yesterday's finance committee meeting voted in favour of developing a rates remission policy for Maori freehold land not producing revenue after the issue was raised by the Ngai Tahu Maori Law Centre as part of this year's annual plan process.....
See full article HERE

Taura Whiri leak reveals $3 million left unspent
Information leaked to Te Kaea shows a $3 million dollar underspend in the Māori Langauge Commission's budget. The funding is allocated to increase te reo Māori in the communities.

The Māori Language Commission's mission is to grow te reo Māori, but funding intended for communities is staying in-house.

Labour MP Peeni Henare says, “To hear that a lot of this funding isn't going out into the communities is a major concern. It begs the question, where is the money going?”

He says while there is a significant underspend, the money won't need to be returned.

“Te Taura Whiri is different, we are able to roll over our funds into the next year,” says Apanui.....
See full article HERE

Dr accuses MoH of racism for refusing to fund baby pods
A prominent Māori GP is accusing the Ministry of Health of racism for stopping the funding of special baskets to protect babies sleeping with their parents.

Dr Rawiri Tipene-Leach, who designed the first flax wahakura 10 years ago, said there is a lack of faith by government to back Māori solutions for Māori problems.

The Ministry argues there is not enough scientific evidence to fund the annual cost of $1.5 million for the project, despite no cases of SUDI in a wahakura or pepi pod....
See full article HERE

NZ's lack of action on Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Iwi Māori have taken the government to task about their lack of implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Members of the Monitoring Mechanism, an independent working group of the National Iwi Chairs Forum recently tabled their second report

“Our report focused on Māori participation in decision making and looked at three specific case studies - local government, the Treaty claims settlement process and the Trans-Pacific partnership Agreement,” says Professor Margaret Mutu the chair of the Monitoring Mechanism....
See full article HERE

Children's Commissioner says bias exists in justice, education
Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft has endorsed a study's findings showing there is bias against Māori in the education system, and says he has also observed it in the youth justice system.

Report co-author Carla Houkamau said racial bias was more subtle in New Zealand but still has a major impact on the success of Māori students....
See full article HERE

Government could make $150 million annually from taxing cannabis
Moreover it said reforming drug policies would "save money, ease pressure on the justice sector, and lead to fewer criminal convictions for youth and Maori".

Drug prohibition as it is in New Zealand disproportionately affects males, Maori and youth - in 2001 Maori made up 14.5 per cent of the population but received 43 per cent of the convictions for cannabis use....
See full article HERE

Waitangi Tribunal hold urgent inquiry into Crown's alleged failure to reduce Maori reoffending
An urgent hearing has been called to decide whether the Crown has failed to reduce Maori reoffending rates, and breached the Treaty of Waitangi.

Former probation officer Tom Hemopo, 71, lodged a claim with Waitangi Tribunal last year alleging the government has not done enough to help Maori prisoners rehabilitate.

Tikanga Maori (Maori culture and customs) should also be integrated into the "cold" prison system, he said - for example, tikanga training could be given to all parole officers.

Around 300 places in prison were set aside for 'Te Tirohanga', a Maori tikanga based therapeutic community environment, running in five prisons.....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

19 July 2016

Discouraging co-sleeping criticised as Eurocentric
The Ministry of Health is ignoring cultural needs by not funding sleeping pods, or woven baskets, for the babies of at-risk families, says the Māori Women's Welfare League.

About 50 babies, more than half Māori, die in their sleep each year.

Most are accidentally suffocated by their parents while sleeping in the same bed.

They also recognised the importance to Māori of having babies sleep in the same bed as their whānau.

Ms Kapua said the ministry showed they had a Eurocentric view by promoting the idea of babies sleeping in a separate bed.

"It takes no account of any different cultural practice," she said....
See full article HERE

NZTC funded He Taonga embraced during Māori Language Week
It’s not often that a private training establishment independently funds a learning resource and then provides thousands of copies to the education sector free of charge.

To date over 3500 Māori learning resources have been personally delivered to early childhood centres throughout the country.

Over 5000 He Taonga resources will be distributed to the early childhood sector in 2016.....
See full article HERE

Low productivity growth rates ruining education system, says top Kiwi entrepreneur
"Our education system is failing people in the bottom two deciles, our education system is failing Maori and Pacific students," Mr Jennings said....
See full article HERE

Rates remission policy for Maori land considered
The development of a rates remission policy for Maori ancestral land is to be considered by Dunedin city councillors today.

Ms Williams said a "very minimal'' amount of land was involved, and the owners of blocks being used "should and do'' pay rates.

"Maori hold the view they are inexorably connected to the land.'' .....
See full article HERE

Urban Maori fisheries challenge upheld
The High Court has upheld a challenge over the future of a $20 million trust fund set up to ensure urban Maori got a share of the Maori fisheries settlement.

The National Urban Maori Authority and Te Whanau o Waipareira said they weren’t properly consulted over what would happen with Te Putea Whakatupu in the wake of a review of Maori fisheries settlement structures....
See full article HERE

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa gets printers in te reo Māori
Samsung has enabled touch display panels on its printers to operate in te reo Māori.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa will be the first institution in the world to use the new technology.

"Having the ability to operate the printers in te reo Māori fits perfectly with the values of our organisation, reflecting the fact that we strive to put the user, not the technology, at the heart of everything we do.

"Our Māori language strategy focuses on normalising te reo Māori and using it as a part of our everyday life, both in our work place, and in our learning environment. Having Samsung printers that are operated in te reo Māori encourages our staff and students to use te reo Māori on a daily basis."....
See full article HERE

18 July 2016

From the archives of NBR by Rod Vaughan

Why other kiwis must stop fawning to the shrill cries of Maori

A New Zealand academic of Maori, Irish and French descent believes the pendulum has swung too far in redressing Maori grievances.

Dr Brian McDonnell, a senior lecturer in film studies at Massey University, says New Zealand’s “polite middle ground has become too fawning and the government too accommodating to the shrill cries of extremists”.

He told NBR ONLINE: “Maori people have certainly been marginalised in the past and there are specific wrongs to be righted, but it’s time to draw back to the centre.

“In an effort to be nice you can be seen as a soft touch, so who can blame Maori groups for asking for the stars when the government and the Auckland Council seem ready to grant power and funds while ignoring democratic processes."

“It has been the move to enshrine the Treaty of Waitangi in a written or more formalised constitution that I feel should be the 'bridge too far' for well-meaning, reasonable, moderate people, both Maori and Pakeha, to say 'enough'."

“I would certainly place myself among their number and for me it is not Maori bashing to say so."

“I am part-Maori and I want success for all Maori people, but I think dependence on a Treaty-burdened constitution will not help Maori, as its advocates claim.”

Dr McDonnell believes such a constitution will trap Maori in a “suffocating self-definition as in need of special pleading and a special status”.

“True equality comes with being treated as responsible adults who shoulder responsibilities as well as crying out for rights."

ONE STANDARD OF CITIZENSHIP

“We must have one standard of citizenship for all and the over-arching identity in the progressive New Zealand state must be unified citizenship, not class divisions based on 1840 groupings."

“If a Maori and Pakeha marry and have children, why call the children Maori and not Pakeha?” he asks."

“I can whakapapa back to my Tuhoe forebears and am proud of that, but a huge part of my make-up is Irish, those first 'sufferers' of British colonising zeal."

“Children of mixed parentage should not increase the census count of one ethnicity at the expense of the others."

“I experience consternation when academic speakers at conferences parade their iwi affiliations but are mute on the subject of their European ancestry."

“Just because a Waldorf salad calls itself an apple doesn’t mean it actually is an apple!”

Exasperated and amused

Dr McDonnell says that working in a university has by turns “exasperated and amused me as one witnesses:

The opening of anything bigger than a broom cupboard ceremonialised with a Maori blessing at dawn.

The imposition of grace before meals with staff bent forward silently, hands clasped while someone prays, all this in a supposedly secular institution.”

“I enjoy the haka done well and have performed it myself while playing rugby overseas but, like Valerie Adams, I’m haka’d out."

“It's over exposed and overdone as with Maori welcomes, even to people who’ve been to the place often before."

“And I tire of the self-indulgent, meandering rants of self-aggrandising old men from any ethnic group, especially when few present know what they are talking about.”

Dr McDonnell says he bases his ideas on a strong wish for New Zealand to progress and prosper in the future “and to look forward, not back, to be united in what will be a trying world environment and for people to have equal opportunities to succeed and prosper”.

He believes personal advancement should be the result of merit and not the consequence of gender, ethnicity or socio-economic status.

“Constitutionally, we cannot have two types of citizenship, two groups of citizens depending on your ethnic group – one made up of people like myself who whakapapa back to iwi and hapu and those who don’t."

“The order in which your ancestors arrived as migrants, settlers to this country cannot give you a constitutional status that is different from anyone else."

“To embed this in some permanent way is intolerable. People who are born here belong to the land equally."

“We are at a risky time in our nationhood and are like a boat being rowed by people looking fixedly towards the past."

“We need someone looking ahead to steer us where we need to go, not onto the rocks or off-course.”

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/why-other-kiwis-must-stop-fawning-shrill-cries-maori-rv-134626

January 17, 2013

Dr Brian McDonnell, a former New Zealand Mastermind and two-time international Krypton Factor champion. (NZ Herald)

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

17 July 2016

Partnership school deal called off
The Government's charter school model has been branded "an unworkable mirage" by former MP John Tamihere, after he pulled the plug on a proposed bilingual West Auckland school.

The Te Whanau O Waipareira Trust, headed by Tamihere, was on the verge of announcing a new partnership school with the Ministry of Education, with 100 children already signed up to enrol.

The trust was ready to invest $250,000 into the kura which would have opened next year in Henderson.

In final negotiations with the ministry, the trust requested two amendments to the contract, Tamihere said - that the minister's powers be applied reasonably and an acknowledgement that Waipareira Trust has Treaty of Waitangi status when dealing with the Crown.

Partnership School Minister and Act Party leader Seymour said Waipareira Trust was offered the same conditions as all organisations wishing to establish a charter school.

He described as unfortunate that the trust boss had introduced his Treaty status request "at a late stage in the contract negotiations".

The Government had refused his amendments because it risked entering into "a contract with a lot of implications that may not be known".....
See full article HERE

Govt lays out scientific 'roadmap'

She welcomed the attention to areas such as climate change, and was pleased to see Mātauranga Maori, or Māori knowledge systems, "highlighted so fully and so carefully".

"It's a great opportunity for us to really engage with Māori a lot more and also work with their different environmental management approaches."....
See full article HERE

Paramedic gets top honour for Māori practise education
Mr Carlton's just as passionate about improving health outcomes for Māori.

He says when he first became an ambulance officer 14 years ago he encountered racism. It’s what has driven him to educate St John staff to be more culturally aware.

"We delivered out to our frontline staff so they had an understanding about Te Ao Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi. And what to do particularly with deceased patients so understanding tangihanga and all that stuff," Carlton says....
See full article HERE

Tuku Morgan new president of Maori Party
Party leader Te Ururoa Flavell says the new president will help determine the direction the party takes....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

16 July 2016

Christchurch City Council strikes 'good balance' in ash scattering saga

New rules for scattering ashes will strike a good balance for Maori and Pakeha, city councillors say.

The Christchurch City Council on Thursday adopted changes to the Parks and Reserves bylaw, meaning ashes can now be scattered in designated areas of Barnett Park, Halswell Quarry Park, Victoria Park and Bottle Lake Forest Park.

The issue was first raised in a 2014 submission by Mahaanui Kurataiao Ltd, a company which acts on behalf of six Christchurch runanga.

Protocol for behaviour in such areas would restrict tangata whenua using the space for recreation.

A complete ban was originally called for, but was considered impractical by council.

The only place where scattering ashes is prohibited is the Botanic Gardens.

The bylaw changes take into account the anticipated increase in cremations, demand for ash scattering options and tikanga Maori.....
See full article HERE

Māori Party 'rebuilding' after disappointing election
The Māori Party is confident it will be ready in time for next year's election, despite being in a "re-building phase".

The Māori Party has gone from having five seats in 2008 when it struck a deal with National, to winning just one seat at the last election.
See full article HERE

Fury over a stop to funding for wahakura that save babies’ lives
“The Ministry of Health also appears to be taking an institutionally racist view to bed sharing, when it is clear wahakura address the risk while respecting cultural practices.

"To use our traditional Māori view of children as the basis for the vulnerable children's policy and then to ignore our cultural practices and needs by cutting funding for wahakura is sheer hypocrisy,” says Ms Kapua.“The Government needs to overturn this decision and put more cash, not less, into wahakura and protect our precious babies," Ms Kapua said....
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

15 July 2016

Arson threat prompts calls for action
A Pakeha land owner on Matakana Island in Tauranga Harbour has questioned the right of Maori protestors to make threats of arson against land developers.

Earlier this week on Maori Television Nessie Kuka said “We're pretty resolute in what we say here. You're not welcome to build on this island”. Maori Television quoted the protestors as saying “they [the houses] will be burnt down,” referring to any new housing developments on the island.

The land owner and former Tauranga City councillor Bill Faulkner says he didn't personally hear the threats but he is appalled by what has been reported back to him. And he says, if the threat was made, then it's a case of double standards.

“My issue is solely that people can make public threats and get away with it.”

Bill Faulkner says the development is not taking place on Maori land but the protestors are making it a Maori issue.

“And using my example of the bomb at the airport. I would have expected the police to have at least acted on the threat and advised these people this sort of behaviour is unacceptable in New Zealand.”....
See full article HERE

New name for City Focus
Rotorua's former City Focus has a new name and will soon have eight new carvings installed.

Its new name is Manawa, which means heart in te reo Maori.

But, the new name and carvings came as a surprise to Rotorua district councillors spoken to by the Rotorua Daily Post today.

But, councillor and chairwoman of the Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers group Glenys Searancke said the first she had heard of the name change and new carvings was when she was called by the Rotorua Daily Post today.

"There has been no discussion about it at council," she said.....
See full article HERE

In New Zealand, Lands and Rivers Can Be People (Legally Speaking)
In New Zealand, they can. A former national park has been granted personhood, and a river system is expected to receive the same soon.

The unusual designations, something like the legal status that corporations possess, came out of agreements between New Zealand’s government and Maori groups. The two sides have argued for years over guardianship of the country’s natural features.

Chris Finlayson, New Zealand’s attorney general, said the issue was resolved by taking the Maori mind-set into account. “In their worldview, ‘I am the river and the river is me,’” he said. “Their geographic region is part and parcel of who they are.”....
See full article HERE

Budding Maori writers get expert help
Six budding Maori writers have started on the Maori Literature Trust’s six-month Te Papa Tupu writing incubator.

They’ve been matched up with mentors who will help them set goals and deadlines, provide feedback and communicate weekly with the aim of producing a publishable manuscript.

"Sometimes I think I'd like to write things that have a little bit of magic and mystery in them. Sometimes things that are profound but always, always I 'll be writing from the perspective as a Maori and as a Maori woman," she says.....
See full article HERE

New brand Moana to take Maori fish to world
The largest Maori-owned seafood company, Aotearoa Fisheries, has a new name.

It's now Moana New Zealand, and it's hoping the rebrand will help it get more value of out its premium specials....
See full article HERE

Lottery $7.5m set aside for marae upgrades
The Lottery Grants Board will spend just over $7.5 million for marae heritage and facilities over the next year, compared with just under $8 million paid out last year....
See full article HERE

13 July 2016

Maori residents say they will take action
Māori residents of Matakana Island are warning people who want to buy and build on the remote island in the Tauranga harbour. They're opposing plans to build more than 100 houses in forested areas on the island and they say any new homes will be burned down.

The warning from Matakana residents to outsiders who want to buy land and build homes here is loud and clear.

Nessie Kuka (Resident) says, “You're not welcome here. You're not welcome to build on this island.”

Locals are angry about the Environment Court decision allowing 103 homes to be built on Matakana. As a result they're warning if houses do go up, they'll be burnt down.

Kuka says, “We're coming to a head now, so we're pretty resolute in what we say here.

The warning has been issued and the iwi is standing firm.....
See full article HERE

Minister's decision on gang member rankles
Judith Collins' decision to suspend Ngapari Nui's voluntary work in Whanganui Prison could have far-reaching consequences, crime and justice spokesman Kim Workman says.

"There is growing anger from iwi leaders about this whole thing and it's likely to escalate well beyond the prisons, I think."
See full article HERE

Kaupapa Maori vital for CYFS overhaul
Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell has told a Whanau Ora conference in Auckland the rebuild of the Child, Youth and Family Service needs to follow a similar kaupapa Maori approach.

Mr Flavell says for there to be real change that suits those who are affected by the children’s service, the new entity must adopt a kaupapa Maori world view and framework that provides for the voices of tamariki, rangatahi and whanau to be heard....
See full article HERE

Tribal Māori must help urban Māori - Tamihere
The gap between rich and poor Māori is widening dramatically, and iwi needed to step up and take care of their people, a Whānau Ora chief executive says.

Māori were caught up in a class system which magnified the issue, and while the government was responsible for addressing social issues, it was time for iwi leaders to step up and take care of their people, Mr Tamihere said.

The board's chairperson, Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, said it was time the government moved more resources to Whānau Ora where Māori work for Māori......
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

12 July 2016

Make all motorway signs bilingual and drop the English verse of the national anthem
Is it not time, after 41 years of Maori Language Week, to take two significant steps: make all motorway signs bilingual and drop the English verse of the New Zealand National Anthem?

But if Wales, Ireland and Canada can have their main traffic signs in two languages, why can't we?

But here's a really easy suggestion to get everybody in the country singing Te Reo on a regular basis.

If we leave the English verse off the New Zealand Anthem at high profile ceremonial occasions, like rugby tests, we'll encourage ALL New Zealanders to a) learn the Maori words and b) sing them often…..
See full article HERE

Unconscious bias against Māori children 'structural'
Teachers' unconscious biases and low expectations are hurting Māori children and teachers need more support to deal with it, educationalists say.

The study, Unconscious Bias and Education, has found the unconscious bias of teachers is affecting the performance of Māori students.

She said most of the Māori students she knows at university are from Kura Kaupapa or Māori boarding schools - which speaks for itself.

"They're quite different entirely because they have been taught that it's great to be Māori and it's great to succeed and this is what success in education looks like.

"They have had positive role modeling. Bias wouldn't exist in an environment where being Māori is the most important."….
See full article HERE

Dewes throwing pakeha yoke off reo
Te Arawa’s appointee to Te Matawai says the new Maori language body is a chance to take responsibility for Maori language revitalisation away from the crown.

Cathy Dewes was a member of Te Paepae Motuhake, the independent panel that proposed a new structure for overseeing Maori language efforts.

She has been part of the struggle for te reo Maori since her teens when she supported the petition to make secondary schools offer Maori as a subject.

"My view has always been that we have to throw off the yoke of Pakeha oppression that we have to move out of this oppressed state that we are currently in. I have been in this business 47 years. It was worse then but it still exists now, where Pakeha culture and decision makers have all the power and we have none or very little," she says…..
See full article HERE

11 July 2016

Iwi push claim to Awaroa as people of NZ take ownership
Awaroa Beach becomes part of the Abel Tasman National Park today after 40,000 Kiwis raised the money to buy it - but local Maori want the Government to hand it on to them.

The beach was privately owned by European families until it was bought for the nation with $2.3 million donated through a Givealittle campaign last summer.

Wakatu Incorporation chairman Paul Morgan, who will speak for local iwi at the handover, said the 7ha beach property should not have been taken from its original Maori owners.

"Our view hasn't changed, the Government is in possession of land that actually belongs to Maori," he said.

Iwi historian John Mitchell said the iwi tried to get the Awaroa land returned in a Waitangi Tribunal claim in 2000-03 but the tribunal refused because it had no jurisdiction over privately owned land.

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner, who will officially receive the land today, said agreements to settle all historical claims in the area were signed between the Crown and eight iwi between 2010 and 2013.

"At this point in time, Awaroa Beach was held in private ownership and therefore not available for use as part of a Treaty settlement."….
See full article HERE

Victoria committed to diverse and genuine Māori environment
If universities are the critic and conscience of society, then the new head of Victoria University of Wellington’s Te Kawa a Māui School of Maori Studies says its strength is also in encouraging staff and students to be the critics and conscience—for Māori.

“Te Kawa a Māui wants its students and academics to study Māori alongside other disciplines within the University, to become equipped to look at all aspects of Māori culture, heritage and language within different settings,” Dr Bargh says……
See full article HERE

Institutional racism' behind funding decision
The Government's refusal to fund a Maori safe sleep device that has been saving babies lives for the past decade has been labelled "institutional racism" by doctors and politicians.

Every year in New Zealand, 50 babies die from Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI), with more than half being accidentally suffocated.

Maori babies are eight times more likely to die from unintentional suffocation, largely because of high smoking rates and the cultural custom of bed-sharing.

"If those were pakeha babies dying the Ministry would be going to extraordinary lengths to find an innovative way of saving them," said Hastings GP Dr David Tipene-Leach, who designed a safe sleep device called the wahakura to prevent these deaths back in 2006.

This criticism was rejected by Dr Pat Tuohy, Ministry of Health chief advisor of child and youth health, who said the Government funded $1.3 million on SUDI prevention every year, with two thirds specifically targeting Maori services.

"While pepi-pods or wahakura may well have protected some babies, the evidence that they are the 'magic bullet' for SUDI prevention is at best circumstantial," Tuohy previously said in a written statement…..
See full article HERE

Reo Māori will benefit economy
An ANZ banker says valuing and learning the Māori language could be beneficial to the Māori economy. Hamiora Jackson, who is non-Māori, says his journey to learning te reo Māori has created good business practices and relationships with Māori…..
See full article HERE

Marae could be on the move at the University of Waikato
Graduations and major conferences could be held on the University of Waikato campus if a multimillion-dollar proposal gets the go-ahead.

Three concepts are on the table for a new complex with a more prominent marae and event space.

The existing 29-year-old Te Kohinga Mārama marae almost bursts at the seams on occasions like graduation day, director of Māori advancement Joseph Macfarlane said.

The idea of a new marae grew into something more, said director of Maori advancement Joseph Macfarlane, who is lead coordinator for the project.

"Now we're thinking beyond a marae and thinking about a facility that might be able to accommodate graduation ceremonies and other major gatherings like international conferences and award dinners," he said…..
See full article HERE

10 July 2016

From the NZCPR archives by Dr Muriel Newman
Crime – it’s about demography not race
Claims of racism against the Police and the justice system are politicking of the worst kind. This slur is being used by the Maori Party as a political ploy to justify their attempt to take control, not only of the criminal justice system, but the whole of the public service as well. Not all at once, of course, but incrementally: a cultural competency programme here (to ensure that all public servants embrace the ‘Maori World View’), and a claim of Treaty partnership rights there – to give Maori privileges that other New Zealanders don’t have.

It is all, of course, a self-serving agenda. Dr Sharples believes that the ultimate solution is to have a Maori Justice system – one land, two peoples, two laws. Everything the Maori Party and other Maori activists do is designed to advance Maori privilege and power. The self-serving manipulation of crime statistics and the orchestration of the notion of racial prejudice when there is none, is just another example…..
Read the full article HERE
October 9, 2011

9 July 2016

Andrew Little wants compulsory Te Reo in schools Labour leader Andrew Little want te reo Māori to be compulsory in New Zealand schools.

"I think it should be compulsory in primary school and certainly the first couple of years of secondary school," he says.

The Labour leader says te reo Māori was woven into the fabric of his community in Taranaki during his childhood, and now believes the country is ready to incorporate the language even further.

"I am a strong believer in new generations, Pākehā, Māori, whatever, learning te reo as a way of understanding Māori culture in New Zealand," he says.

"The one thing that distinguishes New Zealand around the world is our Māoritanga and I think those of us living here need to understand it."

The question around te reo Māori being made compulsory in New Zealand has created much debate in the past.

Mr Little says there are no qualms about English being compulsory in schools so the same rule should apply for Māori….
See full article HERE

DHB releases regional health profiles in te reo Māori for the first time
Lead researcher Bridget Robson says that it’s important to have this information in te reo Māori.

“The people and communities most affected must have the statistics in their own language. We hope they will assist reo speakers to engage with Māori health data and advocate for the issues affecting their communities,” says Ms Robson…..
See full article HERE

Learn te reo and help save Aotearoa $500m a year
Te reo Maori could save the economy almost $500 million a year, according to researcher Hinemoa Elder.

Studies have shown that bilingualism can delay the onset of dementia by four years, drastically reducing the rates of Alzheimer's and other conditions that affect the brain…..
See full article HERE

Half of NZ schools do not offer te reo
More than half of New Zealand schools do not offer any te reo Maori language education according to the Maori Language Commission.

Figures showed 1185 schools did have some level of te reo Maori language education while 1353 schools did not…..
See full article HERE

Māori journalism recognised in expanded awards
Massey University’s Māori book awards are being expanded this year to celebrate excellence in Māori journalism. The 2016 Ngā Kupu Ora Awards, Celebrating Māori Books and Journalism will include the first national Māori journalism award.

Assistant Vice-Chancellor Māori Pasifika, Dr Selwyn Katene, says the move will provide long overdue recognition of the role Māori journalism plays in developing the bi-cultural fabric of New Zealand society.

Massey University Assistant Vice Chancellor, External Relations and Development, Penelope Barr-Sellers says: “One of Massey’s big goals is Te Aronga Manaakitanga – or responsibility – which means we seek to contribute to understanding of cultural and environmental issues, including those that affect tangata whenua….
See full article HERE

Teacher bias leads to Maori student failure
A new study from diversity consultancy Oranui, Unconscious Bias in Education, has revealed how teachers’ low expectations have lead to decades of under-achievement by Maori students.

“In this study we have compared Maori and African American students’ experience and found very similar patterns. Teachers in both countries have low expectations of these groups of children. As a result Maori and African American children lag well behind other groups at school.

“Maori children face significant barriers to achievement, which stem from negative stereotypes attached to Maori as a social group. Personal and interpersonal racism, and institutional racism, work together to perpetuate Maori disadvantage in almost all spheres.”

“Recognising how unconscious bias influences teachers’ relationships with Maori students is the key to lifting Maori educational achievement. Tools and programmes to address unconscious bias towards Maori should be developed and applied broadly in the full range of education, health and social service sectors. A whole of systems approach is required.”….
See full article HERE

Next step for river protection effort
Iwi, environment and recreational organisations are welcoming the Environment Minister’s decision to ask a special tribunal to consider their application for a Water Conservation Order over the Ngaruroro and Clive Rivers in Hawke’s Bay.

It is backing the application because it strengthens its efforts to restore the waterway’s mana and mauri….
See full article HERE

8 July 2016

Calls to make te reo compulsory Te reo Maori should become compulsory in New Zealand, says Maori broadcaster Willie Jackson.

His comment comes after statistics show the proportion of Maori able to hold an everyday conversation in te reo Maori has decreased over the last 17 years.

Willie says the majority of Pakeha didn't support the language.

“That's why we have to enshrine it in the law. It has to be made compulsory… You know you get all these people who say ‘no you can't make it compulsory because there is not enough teachers, not enough resources'.”

“But the reality is, if you make it compulsory and then the Government prioritises it. Then they find the funding and then they find the resources. They [Government] always do. Once it is law everything changes.”…
See full article HERE

NZH apologises for offence caused by 'outdated' policy on te reo Maori
The New Zealand Herald has apologised for declining to publish a death notice in te reo Maori.

Te Atarangi Whiu yesterday told Maori Television she wanted to mark the one year anniversary of her mother's death in a te reo Maori only memorial notice in the newspaper, but it was declined on the grounds it could only be published alongside an English translation, she told the broadcaster.

"I disagreed with that because for my family and me, te reo Maori is our first language. It is also the language of this land. It's a nationally recognised language under New Zealand law," she said.

Her notice was published in the Bay of Plenty Times, also owned by Herald parent company, NZME.

The NZ Herald's general commercial manager for Auckland and Northland, Neil Jackson, today said the decision was a "highly regrettable" result of an outdated policy.

"The New Zealand Herald apologises for any offence caused," he said.

"It is an outdated policy related to languages that are not English, which we are reviewing and will rectify immediately in relation to Te Reo."

Mr Jackson said the Herald had spoken to Whiu and apologised to her personally.

"We recognise and respect Te Reo is the language of our people and the Herald is championing Māori Language Week but we have let ourselves down in this instance."….
See full article HERE
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11670321

Maori leaders want gang member reinstated as prison volunteer

Maori leaders are calling for a gang member to be reinstated as a prison volunteer, but the Corrections Minister is standing firm in keeping him out…..
See full article HERE

Gang member's removal 'slap in the face'
"A bunch of do-gooders in Sensible Sentencing have used their lobbying position to now affect and tell iwi what to do and tell the Treaty [of Waitangi] partner what to do, and that's where the level of engagement is happening with the Crown and Sensible Sentencing.

"And the minister has been straight-out arrogant in refusing to meet with the treaty partner and iwi."…
See full article HERE

Turia calls Collins ignorant
Turia has called the Justice Minister Judith Collins ignorant over the standing down of Ngapari Nui.

“There are some people and Judith is one of them, who choose to be ignorant, who choose to be disrespectful of anything Māori.”

“I'm not going to go down that track,” said Collins, “Dame Tariana is perfectly entitled to her opinion, but I'm the Minister of Justice and my view is very clear we have to be aware of active gang membership in prisons and I fully support Corrections in their review.”…
See full article HERE
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/regional/turia-calls-collins-ignorant

Māori Television CEO refutes news reports as gossip
The CEO of Māori Television has tonight refuted rumours that Māori Television is removing the word Māori from the station’s name.

Māori Television is in the process of a rebrand which includes engaging with one million viewers per week and remaining relevant in an increasingly competitive environment.

But Mr Maxwell said the rebrand was still in its early stages and no decisions had been made. The word Māori would definitely be staying….
See full article HERE

Iwi role flagged in DHB housing land grab
The Government has asked Counties Manukau Health to give up 10 hectares in south Auckland for housing.

Mr Smith says if the land is released, the Government will look to buy it at fair market price, using some of the $100 million set aside in this year’s Budget.

Mr Smith says the Government is exploring the possibility of developing the land in conjunction with local iwi…..
See full article HERE

$1 million rheumatic fever fund for Māori communities
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has today announced a new $1 million one-off fund aimed at increasing awareness and reducing rheumatic fever in high-risk Māori communities.

“Rheumatic fever is a serious but preventable disease. Children and young people from Māori and Pacific communities are the most vulnerable,” says Dr Coleman.

“The Rheumatic Fever Māori Community Fund targets six DHB regions where most of the Māori rheumatic fever cases occur - Northland, Counties Manukau, Waikato, Lakes, Bay of Plenty and Tairāwhiti.

“These DHBs will distribute funding to Māori community groups for small-scale initiatives to test innovative solutions for increasing awareness and helping to prevent rheumatic fever…..
See full article HERE

7 July 2016

Redistribution of funding needed for te reo Maori education A group of Maori language educationalists is calling for a redistribution of funding to support a model of education where pre-schoolers, primary and secondary students and their extended families learn together on one site – from the cradle to the grave.

“Life-long learning ‘cradle to the grave’ would support our communities coming together with a shared interest in language and culture revitalisation in the belief that one should be able to access a high-quality Maori language immersion pathway from birth to old-age. It will however require current funding to be distributed in a new way to allow clusters of communities to flourish, says Dr Dewes.”….

See full article HERE

Te reo Māori the focus of new Master's scholarship
Some Māori students from NZ tertiary institutions will receive $10,000 Kia Ita Scholarships for their Master's degrees which will focus on the revitalisation of the Māori Language…..
See full article HERE

NZ Rugby to invest in te reo Māori
The NZ Rugby have today confirmed they are in the process of creating initiatives to further promote te reo Māori in the sport. This comes after senior players raised concerns about the lack of te reo Māori promotion within the professional rugby environment.

It's an issue affecting a large number of Māori rugby players. And NZ Rugby is finally walking-the-talk on encouraging players to speak Māori….
See full article HERE

Flights in breach of Doc plan
Internal documents reveal the Department of Conservation received payments for glacier landings which breached its own management plan for Fiordland National Park.

Ngai Tahu said it was concerned about the legality of the process, and that it could set a precedent that commercialised conservation and disregarded Treaty of Waitangi partnerships.

West Coast iwi Makaawhio is also crying foul.

Te Runanga o Makaawhio says the increased flights were not notified to Ngai Tahu, even though Mt Tutoko, the highest mountain in Fiordland and close to the ice plateau, has legal protection as a topuni, or place of special significance.

Makaawhio tumuaki (general manager) Susan Wallace said the mountain had cultural values.

"Often when we reference who we are ... that's our ancestral mountain. It's part of our genealogy. There needs to be some place that remains silent.'' ….
See full article HERE

Big gains to be made growing doctors’ cultural competence
In September 2015, the Medical Council released a discussion paper I wrote entitled “Cultural competence, partnership and health equity: professional obligations towards Maori health improvement”.

At that time, I said:

“Cultural competence and genuine partnership with Maori are important aspects of achieving excellence in medical practice.'

Perhaps one of the most significant ways we can help improve equity is by supporting Maori doctors in their advocacy and leadership roles within the profession and the health sector.

It was encouraging to see last year a major milestone ticked off – for the first time, demographic proportionality has been achieved, with the number of Maori students entering medical school proportionate to the Maori population…..
See full article HERE

6 July 2016

Gang member allegedly working in prison teaching 'wellness' to Maori inmates
There are allegations tonight that gang members are working behind bars, signed off by the Corrections department.

It's prompted a full scale review of our prison system, with Corrections Minister Judith Collins demanding answers.

Ngapari Nui has been volunteering at Whanganui Prison for five years as a 'kaiwhakamana', by which he's allowed in the prison to teach wellness and well-being to Maori inmates.

Now he's been stood down, accused of working for Black Power.

"We have a fully patched gang affiliated member working within prisons," the Sensible Sentencing Trust's Scott Guthrie says….
See full article HERE

Reo promoted as New Zealand's language
He says promotion of te reo isn't just about Maori, but to survive it needs to become part of the base school curriculum.

That means turning around public attitudes, because at the moment there is limited support for the idea and a much larger percentage strongly opposed.

"There's never really been a concerted effort to promote te reo Maori to the whole country as New Zealand's language,….
See full article HERE

Maori parents meeting
Just a reminder about our Maori Parents meeting that we are holding this Wednesday….
See full article HERE

Private sector running Auckland port on council-owned land an option, report says
Consideration could be given to funding the land component of the new port separately from the operating company, which might enable equity participation in the "Landco" by council and iwi, it said. The proposed sites are subject to Treaty of Waitangi settlement negotiations that could result in iwi co-governance and/or co-ownership interests…..
See full article HERE

Call to halt retirement home plans until more is known about war graves
The battle took place on the morning of May 16, 1846, after a Maori raiding party attacked a British military outpost. Six British soldiers were killed and two died later from their wounds. The soldiers were buried locally but nobody knows where. There is no reliable account of Maori casualties.

Historian Ewan Morris by the memorial at High St. Botilcott, to those killed during the Battle of Boulcott's Farm. Morris is fighting for the names of Maori victims to be included….
See full article HERE
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/81647785/Call-to-halt-retirement-home-plans-until-more-is-known-about-war-graves

Maori more likely to be killed by partner - data
Maori are three times more likely to be killed by a partner than non-Maori, according to figures obtained under the Official Information Act.

The figures, released to Newstalk ZB and covering the years between 2009 and 2013, show Maori are almost three times more likely to be killed by their intimate partners than non-Maori or non-Pacific peoples. They're also two and a half times more likely to be offenders in intimate partner homicide cases….
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

5 July 2016

Maori Language Week 2016: Children source of hope for te reo Maori Ngahiwi Apanui, a founder of the Maori-speaking band Aotearoa back in 1984, will launch his first Maori Language Week since becoming commission chief executive with a parade through Wellington today.

"Our job will be to engage the whole country," he says. "I don't think you can revitalise the Maori language without everybody in the country being involved."

On his LinkedIn page, he declares: "The endgame is to assist Aotearoa New Zealand to be a Maori-speaking nation."

He wants te reo to be "a core subject in early childhood education and primary schools. Within two years as a core subject you could have 200,000 new speakers," he says….
See full article HERE

NZ sign language prioritises Te Reo
The deaf community is taking steps to include Te Reo Māori in NZ Sign Language. This year The NZ Sign Language Interpreters' Association will focus on Te Ao Māori to further develop Māori concepts and incorporate them into NZ Sign. They held their annual conference this weekend at Orakei marae…..
See full article HERE

Facebook in deal to take native language to modern day
Facebook is on the verge of signing a deal with the Maori Language Commission to develop a tool which will translate posts into te reo Maori…..
See full article HERE

Iwi, hapū at odds over urban board seat
Tūhoronuku, the board whose mandate to negotiate a settlement was accepted by the government, has agreed to a number of major changes, after the Waitangi Tribunal found its mandate was flawed.

After months of discussions within the iwi, Tūhoronuku has now accepted that hapū should drive the settlement and choose their own representatives on a new board, reduced from 22 trustees to six.

It also agreed to scrap the dedicated Ngāpuhi rūnanga seat on the board, and a seat reserved for kuia and kaumātua….
See full article HERE

Urewera dinosaur hunt is on
A $100,000 dinosaur hunt is about to start within the central North Island's Te Urewera in association with GNS Science and Ngai Tuhoe.

The project, with input from Victoria University of Wellington, involves searching for dinosaur and other prehistoric fossils within Te Urewera…..
See full article HERE

Wadeable freshwater not good enough - Fox
The government has been put on notice that a so-called 'wadeable' freshwater standard is not good enough for Māori.

One of its support parties, the Māori Party, says streams and rivers are a lifeblood for Māori and they should be safe to drink and gather food from…..
See full article HERE

Family violence costs NZ $4 billion annually - officials
Documents obtained from Justice Minister Amy Adams under the Official Information Act show officials put the annual cost to the country of family violence and child abuse at over $4 billion.

The advice says the country's family violence homicide rate per capita is more than double the rate seen in Australia, Canada, or the UK with 126 family violence homicides recorded between 2009 and 2012.

And Maori feature disproportionately in the figures - they're almost three times more likely to be killed by their intimate partners than non-Maori or non-Pacific peoples….
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

4 July 2016

From the NZCPR BreakingViews archives By Fiona Mackenzie Monkey Business in the Town Hall
Strict Maori powhiri protocol was imposed on Auckland Council’s inauguration last Tuesday (29th Oct 2013). Women councillors were directed into the back row behind all their male colleagues, then to the end of the line-up for the hongi. One councillor said she was “shoved” into the back, while another explained that the women simply followed each other.

It’s hard to imagine these strong, assertive women willingly being so meek and submissive – especially as their ranks contain at least one ex-MP, two ex-mayors and a deputy mayor. Wherever the truth lies, the appearance of discrimination and rudeness towards our democratically-elected councillors (and, by inference, all women) was shocking.

Whoever was responsible is obviously unaware that: 1) sexual discrimination is illegal in New Zealand workplaces and government, and 2) in politics, one must be seen to be doing the right thing.

Over and above that, this was a local government event, on public land, in a western democracy, representing Aucklanders of every ethnicity and gender. So why was Maori protocol even an issue? ….
Continue reading Fiona's article HERE
November 3, 2013

3 July 2016

Iwi Health Board concerned management shakeup will 'marginalise' Maori health
Expanding a key Maori health role to represent refugees and transient vineyard workers will not marginalise Maori health, the region's health boss says.

The Maori health and whanau ora role at the health board was expanded to include other vulnerable groups as part of a major management shakeup at the end of April.

Iwi Health Board chair Dawn McConnell said the Maori governance group and Maori health organisation Te Piki Oranga had reservations about changes to the role.

"The Iwi Health Board shares the concerns raised around the expansion of the general manager Maori role and is particularly concerned that Maori health does not become marginalised."….
See full article HERE

Community Law launches te reo Māori resource
Te reo Māori speakers can now read about the legal status of te reo Māori in te reo Māori thanks to a new bilingual chapter in the Community Law Manual.

As part of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Community Law is releasing its annual update of the Community Law Manual, an easy-to-read, practical guide to everyday New Zealand law.

Wi Pere Mita, Co-Chair of Ngā Kaiāwhina Hapori Māori o te Ture, Community Law’s Māori Caucus, said last year the manual included a new first chapter, Te reo Māori, which explains the legal status of the Māori language in Aotearoa, sets out New Zealanders rights to speak te reo Māori in courts and tribunals, and offers practical advice for Māori speakers who wish to do so.

“This year, the Te reo Māori chapter has been translated into te reo, making it the first fully bilingual chapter in the Community Law Manual.

“Community Law want to affirm the mana of te reo Māori, and its legal status as an official language of Aotearoa by making sure the words on the page reflect the meaning behind them. As Sir James Hēnare said, ‘Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori!’”…
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

2 July 2016

Whanau Ora Cash-Cow Rumbles On Unchecked
The public of New Zealand have been waiting for one detailed, independent economic analysis on Whanau Ora since July 2014, and they will have to keep waiting, says New Zealand First.

“New Zealand First made an Official Information Act request asking if any such report had been prepared and we were advised none existed,” says Darroch Ball, New Zealand First’s Spokesperson for Social Policy.

“Te Puni Kokiri said, ‘the information requested is not held by the Minister for Whānau Ora (Minister of Māori Affairs, Te Ururoa Flavell), the minister’s office, or Te Puni Kokiri. I have no grounds for believing the information is held by another department, minister or organisation.’

“So we do not know how much taxpayer money this scheme is wasting even though the government’s ‘social investment approach’ demands measurable data and measurable positive outcomes must be found before taxpayers’ money can continue to be spent.

“Also, Minister Flavell could not produce any solid evidence of an economic report in Parliament today.

“It’s time he and the National government realised Whanau Ora is a complete failure and not working for ordinary Māori,” Mr Ball says.

Notes for editors:

• The number of homeless Maori in Auckland has increased 10% alone this year.

• More than half the homeless in Wellington are Māori.

• 40% of all those on the social housing waiting list are Māori.

• The number of Māori youth imprisoned has increased from 58% to 63% since Whanau Ora began.
See full article HERE

Rutherford College students honour te reo
Rutherford College 16-year-old Dante Aubrey says he is learning te reo Maori to acknowledge his tupuna.

"This is my history, my bloodline, connecting with them is to remember them. The ones who would run around barefeet and speak te reo."

"Maori is important because it is the language of Aotearoa. Everywhere you go there is a sign in Maori and once you start understanding the words, it's really good."

For 15-year-old Arihia Komene Maori is "everything". She comes from a home where te reo is the primary language.

"I eat, live and breathe Maori. We live in Aotearoa, it is the language of this country."

"My great grandparents weren't allowed to speak Maori at school. They were smacked and had pepper put on their tongues if they did. Now, we are celebrating a week for Maori. Not many cultures have that. If you are not speaking the language you are not living in that culture."….
See full article HERE

1 July 2016

Whānau Ora not living up to promise - Labour
The Māori Party's flagship Whānau Ora programme is under pressure to tell the public what it's achieving with millions of dollars of funding.

Opposition MPs say it is not good enough that six years after its launch it hasn't released a progress report.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated to Whānau Ora since it was launched in 2010, but Labour's Whānau Ora spokesperson Nanaia Mahuta said there was no mechanism in place to measure the outcomes.

Asked whether Whānau Ora was living up to the promise Mr Davis said it was not.

"The short answer is no I don't think it's living up to its promise, we're yet to really see success in the numbers for the volumes of money that have gone into it are justified."…
See full article HERE

Apology for failure over sludge pond
A formal apology has been issued by the Tauranga City Council for failing to decommission the sludge pond at the Te Maunga sewerage treatment works.

Bitterness over the failure to decommission the pond by September 2012 has spilled over in a letter supported by the city's Maori tribes to yesterday's meeting of the wastewater management committee.

Tangata whenua representatives on the committee criticised the lack of action to address their various concerns….
See full article HERE

Dawn ceremony marks return of Appleby School land to Ngati Kuia
Elders from the Ngati Kuia iwi arrive and Dave Johnson performs a karakia.

The iwi group, pupils, parents and staff then move to the school entrance and gather around a pakohe stone (argillite) is covered by a korowai (cloak) that has been hand-made by all of the children at the school.

As the audience listens attentively, Ngati Kuia's Billy Wilson blesses the ground, and two pupils unveil the stone that symbolises the school's connection to its Maori heritage.

In 2015, a Treaty of Waitangi settlement recognised the land Appleby School is on as culturally significant to the Ngati Kuia tribe.

The land the school stands on, originally a garden for travelling Maori, has now been returned to the iwi…..
See full article HERE

$900,000 earmarked for Māori financial capability
As part of the government’s priority to build financial capability in New Zealand, $900,000 is being allocated to improving levels of financial capability among Māori, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith announced today.

“During the past year the government has delivered a number of pilot programmes aimed at increasing financial capability among Māori.

“The allocation of additional funding will help deliver more financial education programmes for Māori and recognises the success of the pilot initiatives….
See full article HERE

Waterways project wins environment funding
Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox have announced more than $376,000 of funding to improve water quality in seven waterways in the Manawatū-Whanganui and Taranaki regions.

Local iwi Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi will lead the Te Kāhui o Rauru Trust’s Waterways Restoration Project, working with both local and central government.

“We are pleased to be able to support iwi, as kaitiaki of freshwater in their regions, with the restoration of significant local waterways.”

The $376,000 funding comes from the Te Mana o Te Wai Fund, which was announced as part of Budget 2014 in partnership with the Māori Party. It provides $5 million over two years to support iwi and hapū-led initiatives to improve the quality of local freshwater systems…..
See full article HERE

Council unanimously vote to buy historic Taranaki pa site behind closed doors
The decision to buy a historic Maori pa near Waitara for nearly three quarters of a million dollars was a unanimous move by New Plymouth district councillors, mayor Andrew Judd says.

He also said all councillors had unanimously voted in favour of buying the land, aside from the two councillors who were absent from the meeting.

Judd said the council would now work with Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa and the community on the future of the land.

He said whatever was developed may be eligible for central Government funding…..
See full article HERE

30 June 2016

Give Iwi access to CYF database - Curtis
Sir Toby Curtis is calling on iwi to stand up and take responsibility to stop child abuse in our communities. This follows the sentencing of those responsible for his death of three-year-old boy Moko Rangitoheriri in Taupō last year.

Curtis says he is outraged that child abuse is still prevalent in NZ.

“Iwi need to be more vocal when saying child abuse will not be tolerated.”

Curtis says that iwi need to have access to CYF. He adds if government agencies are serious about stopping child abuse they need to walk the talk.

“CYF should contract Māori women representatives to mediate between their offices and iwi.”…
See full article HERE

Iwi win Kapiti expressway jobs
Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai’s battle to protect its ancestral whenua during the building of the Kapiti Coast expressway has been rewarded with jobs on the project.

The iwi had raised its concern about its effect on wahi tapu and urupa, and got some concessions.

Iwi administrator Kristie Parata says it’s now embracing the economic opportunities, including getting nine placements with subcontractor Natural Habitats, which is planting alongside the Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway.

"They were really open to working with us Te Atiawa-style. All, the interviews were conducted with whanau and on our space…..
See full article HERE

Tauranga ATMs get makeovers for Matariki
In the spirit of Matariki ATMs around Tauranga have gotten a special Maori makeover.

A few select ANZ ATMs would feature distinctive Matariki-themed surrounds.

ANZ head of Maori relationships David Harrison said the Matariki ATMs were an example of the opportunities created for staff and customers to learn more about Maori culture.

"We are extremely fortunate to have a strong Maori and Pasifika staff group that leads our cultural initiatives. As well as celebrating Matariki through our ATMs and staff events, we're also encouraging staff to use te reo Maori as much as possible throughout July, especially during Maori Language Week from July 4 – 10.

"With each year we're building greater momentum and it's great to hear people's confidence grow as they use and hear more te reo Māori on a regular basis," he said….
See full article HERE

Maori economy cannot be ignored
Just as importantly, I should also have asked: where is Maori representation on our largest agricultural export companies, when the Maori economy is worth $42billion and growing?

The discussion should not be about Maori representation within predominantly Pakeha boards and councils, but recognition that the Maori economy has the wherewithal to lead us out of our export commodity trap…..
See full article HERE

Home ownership would close inequality gap - Labour
he Labour Party wants the government to help Maori and Pacific people become home-owners after the latest household wealth figures show a large gap between ethnicities in New Zealand.

The new statistics showed New Zealanders of European descent were the wealthiest, with an individual median net worth of $114,000, while for Maori it was $23,000 and just $12,000 for Pacific people.

Labour finance spokesperson Grant Robertson said one of the reasons for the gap was the lack of homeownership among Maori and Pacific people.

"One of the things that helps give people more security and confidence to start building their lives in the community is knowing they've got a home to own. And I think there is a huge opportunity for a partnership with iwi. I know a lot of iwi are looking at house building programmes, I think the government can get alongside those as well."….
See full article HERE

Identifying Māori populations using administrative data: A comparison with the census
The feasibility of collecting high-quality iwi information from government agencies or Māori organisations remains uncertain and will require government to work in partnership with iwi……
See full article HERE

Golden run for Māori business - Stats NZ
Business is booming for Māori, with assets owned by Māori authorities topping $15 billion and small- to medium-sized business also doing well, new data shows.

It is the most extensive survey looking at the economic strength of 1050 Māori authorities.

Collectively, their assets grew 15.5 percent in 2014 compared to 2013, taking their worth to $15 billion. It was the second strong year of asset growth, with an increase of 13.7 percent on the previous year….
See full article HERE

Hineuru settlement legislation passed
The House of Representatives sat through extended sitting hours this morning to pass the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill through its third reading.

“The Hineuru Claims Settlement Act will give effect to the full and final settlement of Hineuru’s historical Treaty of Waitangi claims,” Mr Finlayson said…..
See full article HERE

29 June 2016

Wai bottom lines raise doubt on good faith
Maori researchers are up in arms over a push by government officials to establish negotiating positions denying Treaty of Waitangi rights in water.

A cabinet paper on the Environment Ministry’s website shows it and the Ministry for Primary Industries are proposing bottom lines that nobody owns freshwater and there should be no national settlement favouring iwi or hapu over other users.

Law professor Jacinta Ruru from Nga O Pae o Te Maramatanga, the Maori centre for research excellence, says that would mean ignoring hundred of years of law around native title.

She says the Supreme Court, the Waitangi Tribunal, and the national policy statement on fresh water all acknowledge Maori rights and interests, but their nature and extent are still to be agreed….
See full article HERE

NZ OGP and the Tiriti o Waitangi
Statement of purpose
All OGP (Open Government Partnership) commitments will reaffirm government’s commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles . This will be a corner stone of New Zealand OGP principles across all OGP commitments and will ensure there is consideration of what impacts any OGP action or plan has on the Treaty and to Maori. All efforts will be made to ensure positive outcomes and information are included…
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

28 June 2016

Forest and Bird: Govt well within its rights to establish Kermadec Sanctuary
Forest and Bird is joining the crown's battle to establish the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary.

It has announced its joining the crown in defending the sanctuary against Te Ohu Kaimoana, the Maori Fisheries Trust, which filed High Court proceedings against the Government in March.

The Trust says the sanctuary would clash with Maori fishing rights under the Crown's 1992 Sealord fisheries settlement.

But Forest and Bird's marine advocate Anton van Helden said the Government is well within its rights to establish the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary.

He said they will make sure that fact's known in court…..
See full article HERE

Maori men suffering in disability statistics
An official report has uncovered starkly unequal lives for New Zealand's main ethnic groups, with Maori men living an average of only 54 years before developing a disability requiring assistance from others.

The Social Report, a 300-page "state of the nation" survey by the Ministry of Social Development, also shows New Zealanders rate their own health higher than anywhere else in the OECD and that fewer people are victims of crime - but that te reo Maori speakers are declining rapidly, especially in older age groups as native Maori speakers die off…..
See full article HERE

Maori councillor announces next political move at annual Maui Pomare festivities
During Saturday's Maui Pomare Day celebrations at Waitara's Owae Marae, Howie Tamati formally announced his intention to seek the candidacy to represent the Maori Party at next year's general election.

The first step in the process is for Tamati to be selected by the party to be the person who will contest the Te Tai Hauauru seat, a decision which is not likely until the end of the year. At this stage it is unknown how many other candidates he will go up against…..
See full article HERE

New Zealand minister touts Maori enterprise
New Zealand Minister for Maori Development Te Ururoa Flavell came to Korea last week to raise the profile of Maori businesses and promote their time-honored traditions.

In an interview with The Korea Herald, New Zealand Ambassador Clare Fearnley said her country’s founding document -- the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 -- was based on a “recognized partnership” between the two peoples -- the indigenous Maori and European settlers. The Maoris, who came from China, Taiwan and Polynesian islands at some point between 1250 and 1300, signed the treaty with the British Crown.

According to Fearnley, the treaty was distinct in that there was a “mature acknowledgement” of their property, culture and position in society, which was unique among colonies. Maori culture is acknowledged in New Zealand as “tangata whenua,” a native term meaning “people of the land.”
See full article HERE

Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi
Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust has secured $644,000 funding for a two-year project to help improve the mauri (life force) and water quality of Lake Tūtira, its wider catchment of lakes and waterways. The Trust (a post-Treaty settlement governance entity) represents the Hapū of Tangoio Marae, including Ngāti Kurumōkihi who are tāngata whenua of Tūtira.

Tūtira is very important to the Hapū, who have a whakatauākī (tribal proverb) about the lake being “ko te waiu o o tatau tipuna - the milk of our ancestors”. This refers to an abundance of kai (food) and spiritual sustenance. Unfortunately, over a hundred years of sedimentation and pollution has affected the mauri and water quality of the taonga (treasured) lake…..
See full article HERE

Ngāi Tahu Tourism opens new Franz Josef visitor hub
A major new visitor hub housing the Department of Conservation, Franz Josef Glacier Guides (owned by Ngai Tahu Tourism and part-owned by Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio) , Glacier Hot Pools, i-SITE Franz Josef and a café has opened in the village of Franz Josef.

Built and owned by Ngāi Tahu Tourism, the building - Te Ao Marama - was officially opened on Saturday, 25 June with a large crowd of local supporters in attendance.

“We place a strong emphasis on the guardianship and sustainability of the national taonga

The opening also marks another step forward in the growing relationship between Ngāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation.

Director-General of the Department of Conservation, Lou Sanson also commented on the partnership.

“The partnership with Ngāi Tahu reflects the Department of Conservation’s strong desire to work with the iwi, as a Treaty partner, in South Westland and to have visitors experience the natural and cultural wonders of one of the most wonderful nature experiences anywhere in the world,” he said….
See full article HERE

Fulbright NZ And NPM: An Enduring Partnership
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM), New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence and Fulbright New Zealand have established an enduring and successful partnership in recent years.

This relationship has created ongoing opportunities for Māori academics and students to study and experience life in the United States, not only building excellence in Māori research and development but also ensuring that Māori recipients can share their culture with their US contemporaries and contribute to the Fulbright programme’s vision of promoting mutual understanding through educational and cultural exchanges….
See full article HERE

The number of public servants learning Te Reo has surged.
Newly released figures show the ministries of Health and Education have doubled their annual spend on Māori language and cultural training in the last two years.

Ministry of Health spent more than $80,000 on cultural advice and training for its 1100 staff in the last financial year (2014-2015), compared with less than $40,000 the previous year.

Ministry of Education spent more than $60,000 on its 2500 staff last year, compared to $30,000 the year before. while Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has tripled its annual spend for cultural advice and training - from $4000 to $12,000.

And it paid another $50,000 for more than 200 staff to attend workshops to better understand the Māori economy and the evolving Crown-Māori relationship.

The country's largest government department, the Ministry of Social Development, says it has spent up to $30,000 on Treaty workshops and marae visits…..
See full article HERE

Officials seek landlocked land solution
Officials and landowners are looking for ways to open up landlocked Maori land for development.

"So we’ve seen in the Wairarapa, they have significant coastal areas where there people have been denied access to their land. In the Mokai Patea area we have private landowners stopping access of Maori to 5000 hectare blocks so this is a key concern created by the Native Land Court System and the Maori Land Court system that has been inherited that we want to try and find solutions for," he says…..
See full article HERE

Pa at centre of Taranaki Wars bought by New Plymouth District Council for $715,000
An historic pa site at the centre of the Taranaki wars has been bought by the New Plymouth District Council for $715,000.

Known as the L-pa, due to its shape, Te Kohia Pa near Waitara was where the first shots were fired in the first Taranaki War in 1860.

Council intends working with Te Atiawa governance entity Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa on a development plan for the site that could include memorials, heritage and cultural tourism and educational developments.

Judd said he saw the site as an extension of New Plymouth's Puke Ariki library and museum.

"My vision is for this to be a place for Maori and Pakeha to come together to learn and better understand each other, and to heal." ….
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

27 June 2016

Oaths and Declarations (Endorsing the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi) Amendment Bill 2015 (Member’s Bill – Marama Fox)
The aim of this Bill is to:
* “provide for any person taking a statutory oath, in addition to repeating the words of the oath, to elect to state that they will perform their duties in accordance with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi; and

* “specify the wording to be used by any person stating that they will perform their duties in accordance with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi when taking a statutory oath” (Clause 4 of the Bill, the “purpose clause”).

Background
The Bill’s explanatory note states;
* “The purpose of this bill is to ensure that a person taking any oath set out in statute may, in addition to the words of the oath, elect to state that they will perform their duties in accordance with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. This recognises that the Treaty of Waitangi is New Zealand’s founding document and the Government is committed to fulfilling its obligations as a Treaty partner.”…
See full article HERE

Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Public Works Act 1981 to protect Māori freehold and Māori customary land from being acquired by a Minister or local authority for public works. This would mean that no Māori land can be taken without consent…..
See full article HERE

26 June 2016

From the NZCPR archives by Dr Muriel Newman

Undermining Representative Democracy
The Attorney General pointed this out in respect of Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell’s private member’s bill to make Maori seats on councils compulsory. The bill made use of a formula that would have increased Maori representation to a level greater than their proportion in the population as a whole. The Attorney General determined that the bill was discriminatory and in breach of the Bill of Rights:

“In a representative democracy, it is important to maintain approximately the same level of representation for everyone. The proposed formula would make the number of council members for Maori wards or constituencies disproportionately higher than the number of council members for general wards or constituencies in comparison to their respective populations. The Bill has a discriminatory impact on non-Maori by diluting their democratic participation in local authority elections.”[2]

Essentially this means that the 50:50 co-governance ‘power sharing’ model favoured by iwi has a discriminatory impact on non-Maori and is in breach of the Bill of Rights. All government agencies established under this 50:50 framework should be disbanded.

Whichever way you look at it, race-based representation is an anathema to representative democracy. The Maori Party claims race-based rights through a Treaty ‘partnership’, but as Judge Anthony Willy, law lecturer David Round, and others have clearly shown, Treaty partnership rights do not exist in law.[3] They are a fallacy – a political construct invented to persuade politicians and the population at large, that the Treaty confers special sovereign rights that justify iwi being elevated to a position of power above all others…..
Read Dr Muriel Newman's full article HERE
May 11, 2014

25 June 2016

Cabinet paper proposes Treaty of Waitangi breaches say Victoria University academics

A paper prepared for Cabinet proposing the introduction of a freshwater allocation work programme would breach the Treaty of Waitangi and ignores recent Waitangi Tribunal and Supreme Court decisions in relation to Māori rights to freshwater, say two academics from Victoria University of Wellington.

The Cabinet paper, dated May, 2016, includes Terms of Reference for a freshwater allocation work programme that propose three “bottom lines”: 1) “nobody owns freshwater”,
2) “no national settlement favouring iwi/hapu over other uses”
and 3) “Allocation determined catchment by catchment based on resource availability, efficiency of use, good industry practice and a positive contribution to regional economic development”.

All three of these bottom lines would lead to Treaty of Waitangi breaches say Dr Maria Bargh, a senior lecturer in Te Kawa a Māui—School of Māori Studies at Victoria University, and Dr Carwyn Jones, a senior lecturer in Victoria’s School of Law.

“First of all, water is ‘owned’ in Aotearoa,” says Dr Bargh. “It is owned by Māori according to tikanga Māori, although this ownership is ignored by the Crown at the same time that the Crown allows other groups, including international companies, to make an economic profit from trading water….
See full article HERE

Waikaremoana rahui to cleanse hara of history
Descendants of the original owners of Lake Waikaremoana are asking people to stay away for the four days from Saturday as they prepare for a court challenge to get the awa returned to them.

"It’s very important for us to use this time to reflect on what has happened to our lake and we can only really do that when we have some peace. We think our lake is being polluted in many different ways. We want to use this time to cleanse if you like the hara that has been around for a long time," Mr Winitana says.

The rahui applies to all activities on the lake itself including fishing and boating as well as access across all adjacent Maori land form…..
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

24 June 2016

Karakia threatened?
Maori prayers could be banned from the classroom if campaigners succeed in their bid to remove religious instruction from state schools, an academic says.

AUT history professor Dr Paul Moon’s comments came after a High Court judge last month threw out a test case because the parent challenging the legality of the Bible in Schools programme failed to file documents in time.

Dr Moon said although that court action had failed, it would not be the last attempt to remove Bible teaching from state schools. “Banning religious practices in schools may inevitably extend to removing karakia from schools as well,” Dr Moon said.

“Should any court action be successful in achieving this ruling, an important part of the culture of our schools will effectively be banned.”

Karakia are a set form of Maori words, or prayers, used ritually at significant events such as hui, tangi and unveilings.

Dr Moon said any attempt to remove karakia from schools would be a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi.
See full article HERE

Ngāi Tahu assists with new coding initiative in te reo
National charity organisation Code Club Aotearoa along with Ngāi Tahu have created a variety of coding projects to teach in schools, incorporating the Māori language.

Code Club Aotearoa creates projects for volunteers to teach at after-school coding clubs around the country. Some are based at primary and intermediate schools, others at public venues such as libraries or community centres…..
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

23 June 2016

Partnership leads to new maths programme
Education Minister Hekia Parata has paid tribute to a generous bequest and a special partnership between Shirley School, Ngāi Tahu, Massey University and the Ministry of Education.

Ms Parata says the partnership is behind the implementation of Hangaia Te Urupounamu Pāngarau Mō Tātou, a new culturally responsive maths programme for Shirley School.

“The teaching approach, which is based on the ‘Bobbie Maths’ programme devised by Professor Roberta (Bobbie) Hunter of Massey University, is culturally responsive and supports students to work together to solve maths problems, accelerating achievement for the students involved…..
See full article HERE

Maori trust to control Tongan forests
A Maori trust from New Zealand has been granted land leases and at least 50 years control over the former public enterprise Tonga Forest Products Limited.

The Tongan government said the unnamed trust, represents two iwi and had agreed to pay just over US$4.4 million in return for management of the company for 50 years, with the option to renew for a further 25 years…
See full article HERE

Māori focus of smoking study
A new University of Auckland study taking place this year is aimed at the goal of reducing smoking amongst New Zealanders to five per cent or less by 2025.

More than 2000 Māori participants from the Lakes District Health Board region will be involved in the study that compares the effectiveness of two quit smoking aids, Cytisine and Varenicline.

Both studies were funded for a total of just under $2.8 million by the Health Research Council NZ…..
See full article HERE

Palmerston North Schools funded to trial innovative teaching approaches
National List MP Jono Naylor says he is excited to see the results of Milson School’s project into whÄnau, hapÅ« and iwi working with Palmerston North schools to better understand Rangitane Iwi’s place and importance in the local community.

"$184,755 has been funded for the two year, Milson School led, project which involves a range of Palmerston North schools….
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

22 June 2016

Kiwi dentists told to 'take a good hard look at themselves'
New Zealand dentists are being asked to "take a good hard look at themselves" following the latest survey to come out of Otago University.

Lead researcher Jonathan Broadbent said low income patients and Maori and Pacific patients were more likely to have treatment such as tooth extraction rather than more complex treatment.

He believed dental care needs to be publicly funded.

The researchers said New Zealand dentists need better cultural training, while the industry needs more Maori and Pacific Island dentists….
See full article HERE

Te Ātiawa 'blood money' accusation
Taranaki iwi Te Ātiawa has been accused of accepting "blood money" for not securing the release of land stolen from Waitara hapū in the 1860s.

Ōtaraua hapū chairman Rawiri Doorbar there was little reason for his people to celebrate the New Plymouth District Council's unanimous adoption of the Waitara Lands Bill today.

"Our ancestral lands in Waitara that were taken from us when the government brought war on us needed to be returned in order to lay to rest a particular part of our Waitara history and that opportunity was missed."

In 2014, the council offered to transfer the Waitara leases to Te Ātiawa for $23 million as part of its $87 million Treaty of Waitangi settlement.

The iwi refused to take them and instead entered into an agreement with the council to take a local bill to Parliament….
See full article HERE

Waikato Plan reaches major milestone
The first full draft of a ground-breaking plan for the entire Waikato is aimed at creating a powerful new “voice” for the region and establishing a solid base to boost its well-being.

Four priorities are outlined in the draft plan: planning for population change, getting investment right, partnering with iwi Maori, and addressing issues around the allocation and quality of fresh water.

Feedback from them and the joint committee, as well as iwi partners to the plan process, will be used to prepare a final draft of the plan for sign off by the committee in August. Public consultation on this is due in early 2017….
See full article HERE

Store sells 'profoundly hurtful' Maori shower curtains depicting tribal leaders
An online store has been selling culturally offensive shower curtains depicting historic images of Maori.

The shower curtains include depictions of a Maori fort under attack by colonial forces, copies of portraits by Goldie, a face mask and images of tribal leaders.

Art historian Ngahuia Te Awekotuku told RNZ the Maori culture was being exploited and the misappropriation of imagery was appalling.

Maori imagery on teatowels was bad enough, she said.

"To actually see Wiremu Kingi as a shower person is absolutely extraordinary and profoundly hurtful.

"In traditional cultural terms, in the context of tikanga Maori of Maori values around the sanctity of the body and the intimacy of the bathroom, to have an ancestor as a shower curtain is profoundly insulting."

But the system did not offer protection and the Government had done nothing to advance cultural protection, he said…..
See full article HERE

Inner Harbour Redevelopment project keen to unlock cultural elements
The Inner Harbour Redevelopment Project continues to push through the concept design work, with meetings held recently on site to discuss identified heritage sites with archaeologist Lynda Walter and iwi representatives.

Nick Tupara of Ngati Oneone spoke with senior management and urban designers Landlab about the significance of various sites within and around the Inner Harbour precinct.

The Navigations project is set to have historic interpretations of significant historic and cultural events spread over locations throughout the inner harbour, Turanganui River and Titirangi Reserve….
See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

21 June 2016

Youth justice age change would benefit Maori

The chair of justice reform lobby group Just Speak says the overhaul of Child Youth and Family means it’s a good time to also raise the age at which offenders enter the adult justice system from 17 to 18.

Just Speak is part of a coalition of 20 community and Maori organisations which have come together to push for the change.

Julia Whaipooti says as part of the CYFS overhaul the Government has agreed vulnerable children will remain in care until they are at least 18, and Cabinet is now considering whether to raise the youth justice age to match.

"We hope National does do this because it will have an immediate impact and it is one of the most tangible changes we can make in our criminal justice system that will immediately address the number of Maori we have going through our system," she says….
See full article HERE

Susan Devoy: NZ politicians need to be as brave as migrant children
When politicians demand that refugees salute our flag and culture, their cries make me angry. They've obviously never been to the Mangere Refugee Centre where our newest Kiwis cry their eyes out when they proudly sing the national anthem in te reo and in English or when their youngsters burst on to the stage to perform a waiata and a haka…
See full article HERE

Tuia Te Ao Marama: Māori Nursing History Online
The first Oral History website of Māori nurses who practiced in mental health services between 1950 to 1990 was launched at Whatu Kaimarie, Māori Health Services in Auckland. The website is a resource that will ensure the history, knowledge and experiences of Māori Nurses is preserved for future generations….
See full article HERE

No Labour deal, but Harawira could work with Maori Party
However, while no official alliance is on the cards between Mana and the Maori Party, both sides say they could work together.

Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox said their voters don't want the parties to merge, but the parties have similar goals.

"We've proven I think by working with National that we can pretty much work with anybody."….
See full article HERE

Christchurch landmarks and history inspire new laneway names
This week the Christchurch City Council will vote on names for six of the 14 new laneways in the central city's south frame.

The proposed names incorporate Maori terms and geographical and historical references.

Maori wellbeing terms – Waiora Lane, Hauora Lane and Mauri Ora Lane – are mooted for the health precinct.

Mauri Ora describes a holistic approach to health and wellbeing.

The names for the laneways in the south frame itself are designed to reflect the views of the Port Hills and include Lava Lane, Sugarloaf Lane and Te Pohue, the Maori word for the Sugarloaf Scenic Reserve to the south of the city.

Te Pohue means the "the place of the creeping plant", which is commonly found at the peak, known for the transmission mast stationed on it…..
See full article HERE

Te reo Māori champions urged to get ready for $3.2 te reo fund
Māori language champions passionate about getting their communities to learn and love te reo Māori are being urged to ready themselves for a $3.2 million contestable fund from Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori…..
See full article HERE

20 June 2016

Harawira sets sights on political return
Former MP Hone Harawira is getting back into politics and will stand for Māori electorate seat Te Tai Tokerau again in next year's election, he says.

He told RNZ's Mihingarangi Forbes on TV3's The Hui he was re-entering the political fray because Māori lacked a strong voice in Parliament.

Mr Harawira said he was unlikely to work with the Labour Party, which he thought was too centrist.

Mr Harawira said his former Mana Movement colleagues, Sue Bradford and John Minto, could be involved in the party, but in less prominent roles than in 2014....
See full article HERE

Ngāi Tahu announce formal partnership with NZOC
Ngāi Tahu leaders and NZ Olympic committee announced their formal partnership. Ngāi Tahu have been supporting NZOC for over ten years by gifting NZ athlete’s pounamu.

What better than the gifting of pounamu to signal a historical occasion.

Mike Stanley – New Zealand Olympic Committee says, “It is a real honour that Ngāi Tahu allow us to use your taonga for our team.”…
See full article HERE

Mastermind' cashing in on fake warrants
Counterfeit warrants of fitness that being are issued to cars with bald tyres could be a deathtrap for motorists, a garage owner says.

Car repair shops in Northland are reporting seeing cars issued with bogus warrants under the "Native Waka District Motor Vehicle Act 2005" .

Mandy Hauraki, from the Rawene Service Station in Hokianga, Northland, said cars with the counterfeit stickers were showing up with bald tyres and in need of hundreds of dollars worth of work.

She said drivers were forking out $260 for the fake WOFs and registrations.

The invalid stickers are emblazoned with the words "Whakamana Waka" (Whakamana roughly translates as "to authorise") and resemble a New Zealand Transport Agency-issued sticker, complete with an official seal of Aotearoa and expiry date….
See full article HERE

19 June 2016

Role sought for wardens in child protection
The New Zealand Maori Council is looking at ways Maori wardens could become involved in child protection work.

Chair Sir Taihakurei Durie says they need to get more support from the council than they have received in recent years.

He says the council is talking with a wananga about setting up training that will be more extensive than what they get from the police….
See full article HERE

End of the line for Nigh-oh and Para-pa-rumu
The pronunciation of Māori place names announced on Wellington trains hasn't always been accurate, but the Greater Wellington Regional Council is on track to change all that.

Stations such as Ngaio will now be said correctly in te reo Māori, as the council puts in place new recordings for all automated announcements on the region's trains.

For the last few years, Auckland Transport has used a Māori actor to make sure the names in its station announcements are said correctly.

The change would help Greater Wellington Regional Council move towards better relationships with local Māori, Mr Olsen-Reeder said….
See full article HERE

Maori healer fights for right to use chiropractic techniques
Maori have been using the healing techniques of mirimiri and romiromi for centuries. So who gets to determine the rules and regulations around the traditional practices?

Jolie Davis, a qualified nurse, has been practicing Maori healing for 15 years. She specialises in Maori massage and run her own successful clinic in Rotorua.

But Ms Davis is now the centre of a Ministry of Health investigation following a complaint which focuses on her performing a technique reserved for chiropractors.

Ms Davis told TV3's Maori current affairs show The Hui she disputes the manoeuvre is illegal for her to perform and she believes, as a Maori healer, she's qualified.

"The work I do is the romiromi and mirimiri where spinal alignment is done in the process," she says. "It can be done because we look at the body as a total unit, we don't take out pieces or isolate things as part of the total work that we do. So what I'm trying to explain to the Ministry [is] that as a kaimirimiri or kairomiromi sometimes the spinal alignment work is done as part of the treatment.”

In a written statement, the Ministry of Health told The Hui that "certain activities are restricted to particular health practitioners, because of the risk of serious or permanent harm to members of the public if those activities are carried out by other persons."…
See full article HERE

Pākehā needed to lead hikoi – councillor
New Plymouth's only Māori councillor says only a Pākehā could have led the peace hikoi which ended at Parihaka yesterday.

Howie Tamati said the fact the hikoi was lead by a Pākehā mayor who admitted he was ignorant of things Māori and wanted to change made a huge difference.

"To have something that was led by Andrew is a great thing because we [Māori] have been saying the same thing as Andrew for many, many years but no one's listening because it's just Māori voices saying the same things."….
See full article HERE

18 June 2016

Kaitaia homeowners to move into Papakinga homes
Home ownership independence for Māori is the focus of He Korowai Trust. For the past four years, they have tried to create a model in Kaitaia that will achieve their mission.

These were state-owned homes from Glen Innes in Auckland that was destined for demolition. The land here in Kaitaia was converted into communal Māori ownership. They're among the cheapest in the country at $130,000.

He Korowai Trust received a $720,000 grant from the government's social housing programme toward buying land where they installed homes for families with at least two children and living in "substandard, unhealthy or unreliable living conditions"......
See full article HERE

Minister calls for more Māori in tech sector
Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell has told a hui in Gisborne that more Māori need to be exploring careers in technology.
See full article HERE

Resource consents and consultation with Tangata Whenua (Rotorua)
An average of ten percent of resource consents granted in the Lakes A Zone involved Iwi consultation. Rule 41.1 of the Lakes A Zone requires tangata whenua to be consulted for all applications in the Lakes A Zone prior to application.

The Iwi Consultative Committee is made up of three kaumatua who represent Tuhourangi Ngāti Wahiao, Tumatawera, Ngāti Tarawhai and Ngāti Pikiao. There is also one representative from the Te Arawa Lakes Trust. If this committee advises consultation then the applicant is to consult with the stated tangata whenua before the application can be considered....
See full article HERE

PHARMAC signs agreements with Te Rūnanga o Āotearoa, New Zealand Nurses Organisation
Government pharmaceutical funding agency PHARMAC has today signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation.

This MoA is the latest that health professional organisations have signed with PHARMAC as part of PHARMAC implementing its Māori Responsiveness Strategy, Te Whaioranga.

PHARMAC already has MoA with Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā (Māori Pharmacists Assoc, Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa (Māori Medical Practitioners Assn and with five Whānau Ora collectives in Rotorua, Tauranga, Papakura, Ōpōtiki and Kaikohe.

Ātene Andrews says PHARMAC’s intention is to be a long-term partner with Whānau Ora Collectives and whānau delivering health and medicines use programmes to Māori.

PHARMAC’s current memoranda of agreement are with:

Te Arawa Whānau Ora Collective (Rotorua)

Te Pu o te Wheke Whānau Ora Collective (Te Taitokerau)

Ngā Mataapuna Oranga Whānau Ora Collective (Tauranga)

Te Ao Mārama Trust Whānau Ora Collective (Opotiki)

Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā ō Āotearoa, the Māori Pharmacists Association

Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa-Māori Medical Doctors Association

Kōtahitanga-Papakura, Auckland
See full article HERE

Pakeha need to understand they're privileged – New Plymouth Mayor
Mr Judd believes Pakeha have an inherent privilege and need to understand that if Aotearoa is to become a more harmonious society.

"Consider what I put forward on the journey that I've taken as a New Zealander whose ideas of the past were clouded by having a colonial upbringing."

The hikoi will finish up at the historical community of Parihaka later today which Mr Judd says is fitting due to its historical significance as a place of peace in the face of gross injustices by early European settlers…..
See full article HERE

Devoy joins Parihaka peace march
Race Relations Commissioner Susan Devoy has joined New Plymouth Mayor Andrew Judd and hundreds of walkers on the final leg of the Parihaka peace hikoi in Taranaki…..
See full article HERE

Auckland scheme Ka Eke Poutama calls for young Maori leaders
he education group Te Whare Hukahuka is calling for applications for its free governance development programme, 'Ka Eke Poutama'.

The scheme aims to fast-track Maori aged 23-25 into governance roles.

It was proposed by a number of Auckland iwi groups and is backed by organisations including Auckland Council's Southern Initiative, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development.

"Auckland is on the brink of Treaty [of Waitangi] settlements. Iwi in Auckland are wanting to ensure that they are planning ahead and growing their next generation of leaders who can confidently lead both business and community organisations," he says.

"True success is looking out [three to five] years and having a cohort of smart and capable young Maori who can take up governance roles across Auckland."…
See full article HERE

17 June 2016

No 'happy ever after' for Treaty settlements - Minister Chris Finlayson
Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson hopes the Crown will perform to preserve all its agreements with Maori, but said there will be "ups and downs".

While Finlayson didn't have concerns about the security of Treaty settlements into the future, he certainly thought about the longevity of Crown commitments.

"I sit there on settlement occasions and hear the expressions of good will, and say to myself 'Hell, the Crown better perform in the years to come otherwise we'll be back to base one again'."

"It's not like that. There will be ups and downs. There will be issues but it's to make sure that the Crown, which in my experience has very little institutional memory, is aware that these are not mere contracts. They are ongoing obligations."

Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox said the Government had already "forgotten" about the Fisheries Settlement.

"If you can do that here (in the Kermadecs case), then the validity and veracity of every Treaty settlement surely comes into question."

She also called for the Right of First Refusal policy on land sales to be reviewed….

See full article HERE

Land bank denial fresh grievance
A leading member of the Iwi Chairs Forum says a decision to get Land Information New Zealand to manage the Office of Treaty Settlements’ land bank is a missed opportunity.

The iwi leaders have been pushing for more than two years to be allowed to manage the land bank, which consists of about 950 properties in areas where settlements are still to be concluded.

Haami Piripi from Te Rarawa says they wanted to allow iwi to access the properties before the settlement, rather than have them lie idle and deteriorating.

"The fact that the government has now said it doesn't want to do that indicates to us as iwi leaders that it is inflexible around that issue and it is not as concerned as we are about our claimant communities prior to achieving a settlement, and in many ways it continues the grievance," he says.

See full article HERE

Plans for first Marae in Australia underway
A group of Māori leaders from Australia are in NZ to further develop a strategy to build an urban marae in Melbourne, a first in Australia. They hope the marae, once built, will provide a hub for Māori living across the ditch to reconnect with their culture, address social issues and build a community for those away from home.

Māori leaders in Melbourne have a vision to build a marae.

“This is about bringing the local, indigenous and Māori communities together. That's what's important and why we want to build a marae,” says Matiu Taia from the Marae Melbourne group.

They met with Te Whānau o Waipareira Trust knowing that it had worked alongside urban marae Hoani Waititi…..

See full article HERE

Iwi objects to settlement proposal

The government has been accused of pitting Māori against each other during a select committee hearing.

The committee today heard from members of Ngāti Aukiwa who said a proposed Treaty of Waitangi settlement lumped their claims in with the Far North iwi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa.

Janice Smith, of Ngāti Aukiwa, said the hapū had been ignored repeatedly during the negotiations……

See full article HERE

Action Plan poorly written but not discriminatory - IPCA
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that a Counties Manukau CIB Action Plan relating to unlicenced drivers did not intend that Maori drivers be given preferential treatment.

On 16 June 2015, ONE News reported that South Auckland Police officers had been briefed not to ticket unlicenced Maori drivers, and to instead refer them to local Iwi and a community support panel.

After receiving a number of complaints that this Police document was “racist” and “discriminatory”, the Authority conducted an independent investigation.

See full article HERE

Housing crucial for health of Māori

Otago University associate professor Beverley Lawton is the lead researcher for the Whānau Manaaki project, which is focused on the health of young pregnant Māori women and their children.

The project has just received a research grant of $4.7 million from the Health Research Council of New Zealand that will be used for research over five years…..

See full article HERE

Lake case sparks Waikaremoana rahui

Waikaremoana iwi Ngati Ruapani has placed a rahui over the lake at the centre of Te Urewera.

Kaumatua chair Tumanako Waiwai says the banapplies to all activities on the lake itself and access across all adjacent Maori land from June 25 to 29.

It's in support of the hearing in the Maori Land Court at Wairoa on June 28 of application lodged by applicants representing all descendants of the original owners.

Mr Waiwai says the rahui is to protect people and property during a particularly tumultuous political and socially disruptive time for Ngati Ruapani, Ngai Tuhoe and Kahungunu descendants of the original owners…..

See full article HERE

Maori lack internet access - report

Only 68 percent of Maori households have internet access compared with the national average of 83 percent, new data shows.

Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell has released the report on Maori in the ICT Sector, saying it reveals issues that need to be addressed.

Despite the relatively low number of Maori households with internet access, the report says 15 to 24-year-olds are high users of mobile technology which they use to access it.

Mr Flavell says Maori should be helped into ICT career pathways……

See full article HERE

16 June 2016

New Zealand Māori Council meeting ruled unlawful
The High Court has found that a meeting arranged by a small group within the New Zealand Māori Council in February was not lawful and decisions made at that meeting are void.

Sir Edward Taihākurei Durie, the current chair of the council, says this clears any doubts about his appointment in the latest April elections.

He says it confirms the majority commitment to the council and its constitution, and pulls the rug from under those who have tried to take over the council by unlawful means….

See full article HERE

Island launch for Auckland Matariki

Auckland Council is teaming up with Ngati Paoa to launch Matariki on Waiheke Island, where distance from the city should allow a better view of the seven stars coming over the pre-dawn horizon.

Mayor Len Brown says he first became aware of the importance of the midwinter event to Maori from his primmer four teacher Sonny Taari, but has taken a while for the rest of the country to catch up.

"Matariki is becoming the event of the middle part of our year, the time of the new plantings, the new dawn, the time Pleiades shows its seven-sistered face in the east, and it is really a month of celebration, of acknowledgement of all things Maori," he says….

See full article HERE

Marae stitches deal with social housing ministry

The chair of Te Puea Marae says he’s happy with the support he’s getting from the social housing minister for the marae’s homeless programme.

Mr Dennis told Radio Waatea host Willie Jackson that the marae agreed to work in partnership with Ms Bennett’s office.

The marae doesn’t need cash from the ministry at the moment because of the donations coming in, but the whanau in its kitchen could do with some time off if replacement volunteers can be found…..

See full article HERE

Maori begin to accept cremation

Nowadays more and more people are considering cremation as opposed to burial. It raises the question of where we are headed to now.

Approximately 70 per cent of people who die in New Zealand are cremated. More Maori are choosing cremation too…..

See full article HERE

Walking for peace after racial tension

New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd has told hundreds of people at the beginning of a Peace Walk that a proud New Zealand is a nation that knows the rightful place of tangata whenua…..

See full article HERE

$4.4m for Massey health research

Five Massey University College of Health research projects have been awarded more than $4 million in funding from the Health Research Council to tackle issues including screening for cervical cancer, cancer survival rates in Māori, improving smoking cessation rates and managing nurses' fatigue.

College Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul McDonald says the investments are crucial for improving the health and wellbeing of New Zealand residents.

“The projects will lead to breakthroughs in the prevention and improved treatment of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes," Professor McDonald says. "They will provide insight into how we can improve Māori and workplace health. I’m proud that health research funding at Massey University continues to grow. It’s an indication of the large and expanding number of creative and world-class academics and students we have in various health fields at Massey.”….

See full article HERE

Total immersion centre wins PM's award

Awards recognise the best of the best in early childhood to secondary education throughout the country.

GISBORNE total immersion early childhood education centre Te Puna Reo o Puhi Kaiti has received a coveted Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Award.

The awards recognise the very best of the best in early childhood through to secondary education throughout the country and are a prestigious national accolade.

There are four categories; Excellence in Engaging — the Atahapara Award, Excellence in Leading — the Atakura Award, Excellence in Teaching and Learning — the Atatu Award and Excellence in Governing — the Awatea Award.

Te Puna Reo received the Excellence in Teaching and Learning Atatu Award, which celebrates teaching that transforms the learning of all children and young people, and achieves improved and sustained outcomes for them all.

“We have strived to deliver an authentic curriculum for our tamariki so they can stand tall as Maori leaders of the future.”

East Coast MP Anne Tolley said Te Puna Reo strived to develop rangatiratanga…..

See full article HERE

A bid by the Iwi Leaders Forum to manage the treaty settlement land bank for the crown has been rebuffed.

Ms Upston says LINZ are experts in dealing with Crown property, and have the people, systems and processes needed to make sure the land bank properties continue to be well looked after for the iwi who may eventually receive them…..

See full article HERE

Maori health programme for pregnant women gets $4.7m grant

A programme to help young, pregnant Maori woman has been given a $4.7 million grant from the Health Research Council (HRC) of New Zealand in its latestA programme to help young, pregnant Maori woman….

See full article HERE

15 June 2016

Iwi to push ahead with land claim
The Supreme Court has found the Office of the Treaty Settlement made a material mistake when it said Bay of Plenty iwi Ngāti Whakahemo's treaty claims have been fully resolved.

That decision led to Whārere Farms being sold without Ngāti Whakahemo having the opportunity to bid for it.

Despite this there are no plans for the Crown to reconsider the farm sale.

Iwi advisor Willie Te Aho said the iwi will push ahead with a claim regardless…..

See full article HERE

DNA testing of Marlborough iwi Rangitane to establish links to Wairau Bar tupuna

A swab from inside the cheek will be used to establish links between a Marlborough iwi and their tupuna, some of the first people to settle in New Zealand.

Rangitane members will have the chance to get their DNA tested during the New Zealand Archeological Association Conference, which the iwi is hosting this month…..

See full article HERE

Council helps iwi prepare for Matatini influx

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is stumping up $200,000 to help Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated prepare for next year’s Te Matatini kapa haka festival in Hastings.

Kahungunu has also had help from Hastings District Council to upgrade marae in the area in preparation for the influx of teams and manuhiri….

See full article HERE

14 June 2016

Maori Party wants kingmaker role

First it was New Zealand First, and now it's the Maori Party eyeing itself up as a potential 'kingmaker' in next year's election.

The Māori Party is hoping a new formal alliance between the Labour and Green Parties could send more voters its way.

She said only an independent Māori Party can command a balance of power after the next election, and counter New Zealand First in any future government.

"Māori must recognise that they need to come home, they need to come back to being Māori in the Māori Party which is the independent Māori voice in government," she claimed….

See full article HERE

Scholarship established for Maori students

That has paid off. AUT and its sponsors, McDonald’s NZ, have agreed to fund an annual $12,500 scholarship for Maori students from one of five secondary schools — Gisborne Boys’ High, Gisborne Girls’ High, Lytton High, Campion College and Wairoa College…..

See full article HERE

12 June 2016

From the archives of Alf Grumble
A Christmas gift for iwi: Auckland Council comes up with another co-governance deal
Bit by bit, as Alf has observed before, the country is being subjected to so-called co-governance arrangements.

Under these 50:50 deals, Maori representatives (batting for around 15 per cent of the population) sit down at the co-governance table with representatives of public bodies which bat for all of us, including Maori.

As anyone who can do their sums can see, this makes it a thoroughly lop-sided arrangement from the point of view of ardent democrats.

But New Zealanders seem thoroughly indifferent to the erosion of their democracy and dilution of their rights. Or maybe they are much too craven to resist, whenever the pressure for a new co-governance deal comes along, which is more and more often…..
Continue reading Alf's interesting article HERE
December 24th, 2011

11 June 2016

Court clears Bay of Plenty farm sale despite iwi bid
The country's highest court has cleared the path for Landcorp to sell a block of land in Bay of Plenty despite an iwi being denied a chance to bid on it.

The Crown-owned farmer can now proceed with the sale of the 404 hectare Wharere Farm dairy property to Micro Farms after the ruling by the Supreme Court.

The sale had been put on hold after a legal challenge from Ngati Whakahemo.

The Office of Treaty Settlements had incorrectly told Landcorp there was no claim on the land as it believed Ngati Whakahemo's historical claims had been settled.

The iwi told Landcorp in late 2013 it had a claim on the land but it, relying on advice from the office, said that was not the case and it got the same response from the Minister of Finance's office….

See full article HERE

Govt gives emergency cash to Te Puea marae to help homeless

The Government has given $10,000 to Auckland's Te Puea marae to help it cope with the homeless it is sheltering, and more taxpayer's money could be on the way.

Social housing Minister Paula Bennett says the $10,000 grant came from the Ministry of Maori Development.

Officials are working on whether more taxpayer funding from the Ministry of Social Development should be made available for the marae, and Ms Bennett says a decision would be made shortly…..

See full article HERE

Tauranga Moana Iwi Entities to support social housing proposal

A partnership of Tauranga Moana Iwi Entities has signed an agreement to support a proposal to be the preferred bidder for the purchase and management of the Housing NZ portfolio in Tauranga.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ranginui Chairman Tawharangi Nuku said access to safe, healthy and affordable housing is a fundamental expectation for all within Aotearoa.

"As Treaty partners it is important iwi are involved in decision making and in supporting processes which look to provide housing solutions to those in need in our communities…..

See full article HERE

HBRC Annual Plan decisions

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has provided $200,000 to Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated to help in its preparation for Te Matatini Kapa Haka Festival being held in Hawke’s Bay next year.

Around 30,000 people are expected to descend on the region for the event, which involves around 48 Kapa Haka teams.

The decision to assist with funding comes after two days of hearings and consideration of Council’s draft Annual Plan 2016-17 and the proposed 2015-2025 Long Term Plan amendment.

Council also assisted with $5,000 to Nga Tukemata o Kahungunu Charitable Trust for assistance with Waitangi Day Celebrations….

See full article HERE

10 June 2016

Single big event planned for Land Wars commemoration

Iwi leaders are working towards a date for a land wars commemoration, but they’re not pushing for it to be made a holiday.

The Budget included $4 million over four years to mark the wars of the 19th century.

Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell says an initial meeting last Friday decided iwi should still be free to mark battles and significant events in their own rohe, but the money should be spent on some national statement…..

See full article HERE

$3m investment in Taranaki and Whanganui schools

Around $3 million will be invested under Budget 2016 to expand the capacity of schools in Taranaki and Whanganui, say Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye.

Minister Kaye made the announcement today during a visit to Mangorei School in New Plymouth.

The schools receiving new classrooms are:

Mangorei School in New Plymouth (around $700,000 for two new classrooms)

Te Pi'ipi'inga Kakano Mai Rangiatea in New Plymouth (around $1.5 million for four new classrooms)

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tupoho in Whanganui (around $700,000 for two new classrooms).

Ms Parata says the investment also acknowledges the important role that kura play in our community, and underlines the Government’s commitment to supporting Māori students to achieve educational success.

“Expanding the capacity of kura in New Plymouth and Whanganui increases the opportunity for families and whānau in these regions to choose Māori medium education for their students,” says Ms Parata….

See full article HERE

National short-changing Maori performing arts - NZ First

The government is short-changing MÄori performing arts and not doing enough to promote Kapa Haka to the world, says New Zealand First.

"Te Matatini has received funding of $1.9 million for the coming year from the government which is less than what the Royal New Zealand Ballet ($5.4 million) and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra ($14.6 million) have received," says MÄori Affairs Spokesperson Pita Paraone.

"With more funding, Te Matatini could support Kapa Haka to be the cornerstone of our national performing arts and culture - promoted and celebrated not only in New Zealand but internationally.

"Why can’t Kapa Haka be exported to the world as a celebration of New Zealand’s culture, just as the Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been for Scotland?" Mr Paraone asks….

See full article HERE

Māori home ownership falling behind

The report from Statistics New Zealand said, since 1986, the average drop in the ownership rate was 20 percent for Māori, compared with 15 percent for the total population.

The figures showed the fall in home ownership since 1986 had been even greater for Pacific people in New Zealand - nearly 35 percent.

The Māori rate fell from 58 percent in 1991 to 42 percent in 2013. The biggest drop was between 1991 and 2001…..

See full article HERE

A further article on home ownership HERE

9 June 2016

Prefab classrooms no solution

Havelock North, you have been short-changed by the Minister of Education, Ministry of Education and your local member of Parliament Craig Foss.

Back in April 2015, Education Minister Hekia Parata announced that there was no longer a need for a new primary school as the figures never stacked up.

Because of this, the Arataki Motor Camp that was designated for your new primary school would now be used for a Total Immersion Maori Educational Facility.

The Ministry of Education website "Education Counts" shows - and it is worth pointing out at this stage - approximately 2 per cent of our Maori parents throughout New Zealand actually choose a Total Immersion Maori education for their mokopuna.

Eight per cent choose a bilingual education and 90 per cent prefer their children to have a mainstream education, like most other students who are educated in New Zealand.

This means that the $10 million-plus spend for this new facility was dedicated to meet the wishes of only 2 per cent of our Maori parents and their children…..

See full article HERE

Auditor-General's report published: Education for Māori

This report focuses on the use of information across the education sector to support Māori educational success. Although Māori educational achievement is improving overall, results for Māori students from roughly similar communities, being educated in roughly similar settings and circumstances, are very different. Schools must collect, analyse, and use information about Māori students to ensure that they are doing everything they can to give Māori students the best chance at a great education……

See full article HERE

Maori trust wants to buy council car park for development

Palmerston North mayor Grant Smith and city councillors have been taken unawares by an eight-month-old, $500,000 offer to buy the Ngata St car park.

The written sale and purchase offer was submitted by the Palmerston North Maori Reserve Trust in September, 2015.

But elected members knew nothing about it until the trust and its property managers Westerman Property Solutions made submissions on the proposed parking management plan on Tuesday.

The car park is located down a service lane parallel to Nash St, largely surrounded by land already owned by the trust, backing on to Warehouse Stationery, Supercheap Autos and Breakers off Rangitikei St…..

See full article HERE

Whatever happened to the kiwi dream ?

And if the truth be investigated ‘homelessness’ has been insidiously preying on this nation for decades. It’s been aided by successive Government’s lack of active policies and legislation to ensure our right in law, and abetted by foreign economic influencers manipulating domestic interest rates and the like.

Whether New Zealand acknowledges it or not, the genesis in homelessness to our national shame is in Maori land confiscations……

See full article HERE

Natural maori health clinic to open in Mangakino

Opening an alternative Maori Health clinic in Mangakinois on track to open in a few months.

Coordinator Anahera Pedersenhas been busy working through the final details with kaumatua before the official launch.

As a Maori health advocate for the community and Ngati Tuuwharetoa Pedersen said something had to be done to close the huge gap for Maori.

"I see it here all the time that they are not well and I'm here when we have our dead people on the marae and ninety percent of these illnesses are preventable."

"It's a tragedy. It's time we looked outside the square and incorporate all indigenous traditional healing."….

See full article HERE

Official signage for Remutaka Pass

The divide between the Rimutaka and Tararua ranges has been officially named Remutaka Pass "in keeping with the heritage and place-naming traditions of local iwi", according to Land Information New Zealand.

Land Information Minister Louise Upston on Friday confirmed the new name, which was considered by the New Zealand Geographic Board Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) after being proposed by former Masterton Mayor Frank Cody….

See full article HERE

8 June 2016

Wealth in indigenous thinking

“It is a really lovely honour,” she says, humbly accepting the award while acknowledging the work of whanau, hapu and iwi she has worked with in protecting and managing resources.

“Maori have distinct relationships with resources, and it is about making sure they are getting a seat at the table and having something to say.”

She believes New Zealand has much to gain from embracing the Maori way of thinking, especially in areas like resource management.

“There is enormous wealth in indigenous ways of thinking. It is about empathy and having time to engage with people.

“Instead of marginalising the Maori voice and seeing it as a threat, New Zealand would really benefit from embracing it.” ……

See full article HERE

A Labour-Green alliance met with cautious optimism at Green Party annual conference

Party Simon Keenan said he thought the pact would form a strong voice for Maori.

"I think it's very important in 2017, to change the Government. I think from a Maori point of view, Labour-Green is the best way to achieve better outcomes for Maori and honour the Treaty of Waitangi.

"My sense is that Maori caucus within both Labour and the Greens are quite strong," he said…..

See full article HERE

Willie Te Aho - Pest fence refresh for manu maunga

Waikato iwi Ngati Koroki Kahukura is looking for help to refresh the pest free fence around Maungatautari.

Advisor Willie Te Aho says the 47 kilometre fence, which incorporates wire dug into the ground and a line of corrugated iron at the top has been effective for the past two decades, but it’s showing its age.

It has achieved its aim of turning the maunga, which now belongs to the iwi, into an ecological island where the dawn chorus could be heard again,…

See full article HERE

6 June 2016

From the NZCPR archives (By Dr Muriel Newman)
Apartheid New Zealand
Jobs and higher incomes are the reasons usually given for increasing numbers of New Zealanders crossing the ditch to settle in Australia. A net 40,000 moved there in the year to the end of August. While greener pastures are undoubtedly a key factor, it is highly likely that racial issues are also causing the flight of Kiwis. Weary of a political environment that encourages an aggressive mixed-race minority to make unreasonable demands against taxpayers, fed-up Kiwis have had enough!

That was certainly the case for the one in six Maori who lived in Australia in 2008. They openly admitted that a key reason for their relocation was to escape tribalism. In a study carried out by Te Puni Kokiri, many Maori expressed an overwhelming sense of relief of being “free of Maori culture”, of being able to “get away from the rigid beliefs of our elders”, of getting away from “tikanga Maori” and “whanau pressures”. In other words, they wanted to live their lives free from the fetters of tribalism and identity politics.

The issue of race has now become a defining line down through society. This is in spite of the blurring of racial boundaries that has been taking place since first settlement as each generation of New Zealanders increasingly marry and have children across racial and ethnic lines. It has created a ludicrous situation where a growing proportion of the sovereignty movement leaders are now more non-Maori than Maori….
See full article HERE

October 8, 2012

5 June 2016

NZ Rugby embrace tikanga Māori for Lions Tour

Today, NZ Rugby made a commitment to increase support for things Māori. Seven taiaha (traditional weapons) were gifted today to the public to mark one year from the beginning of the British and Irish Lions tour.

Beez Ngārino Te Wāti from Hawaiki Tū Haka Theatre says, “Only now has thought been given to the battlefields where the All Blacks and regional sides of NZ play.”

Mayors from five cities around the country converged on Eden Park today to receive the taiaha.

It's an initiative by NZ Rugby to promote next year's British and Irish Lions tour, but more importantly, the Māori culture….

See full article HERE

Kermadec plan undermines treaty

A parliamentary committee looking at the government's proposal to create a 62,000 square kilometre ocean sanctuary around the Kermadecs undermines the integrity of Treaty of Waitangi settlements.

Jamie Tuuta, the chair of the Maori fisheries settlement trust Te Ohu Kaimoana, says the sanctuary plan revealed by Prime Minister John Key at the United Nations General Assembly last year was in complete disregard to the 1992 fisheries settlement.

He says if the Government had consulted with Maori, instead of springing the plan on his predecessor Matiu Rei just hours before the speech, they could have negotiated a deal which would have allowed iwi to support the sanctuary….

See full article HERE

NZCER restructure upsets Maori researchers

Maori education researchers are raising the alarm at what they see as an attempt to whitestream the New Zealand Council of Education Research.

Despite NZCER’s stated commitment to being a treaty-based organisation, the restructuring was not discussed with Te Ropu.

Te Ropu believes the changes will reduce the capacity of the centre to promote kaupapa Maori research.

It says replacing the research manager position with a new role of general manager Maori is consistent with the trend of whitestreaming which is reducing the number of hard fought-for kaupapa Maori spaces within Crown and other educational institutions.

See full article HERE

4 June 2016

Winston Peters says the National Party's handling of water rights and RMA is 'racist'

NZ First leader Winston Peters has labelled the National Party "racists" over their drafting and support of controversial Resource Management Act reform.

"They're supporting racist legislation and I'm proving it by the number of references in this legislation," he said

Peters made a submission to a Parliament select committee on Thursday, telling MPs his party would fully support RMA reforms on the condition "separatist and race-based proposed laws, starting with the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill" were removed.

Can any MP tell the public where the 13 iwi have come from?" Peters said.

"National has already altered the RMA to transform iwi into consenting authorities." …...

See full article HERE

Maori TV: $10.6m, RNZ: Zero

It is a tale of two broadcasters. Finance Minister Bill English gave Maori Television a $10.6 million boost in the Budget, although it has a $12.9 million nest egg built up over years of taxpayer funding.

Meanwhile, Radio New Zealand is floundering in the eighth year of a funding freeze.

Maori TV gets about $33 million a year from the Crown and from the funding agency Te Mangai Paho combined. Radio NZ gets about $35 million of state funding. For both broadcasters, those sums have not changed for eight years.

But this year Maori TV got another $10.6 million over four years.

Politics plays a role in the public broadcasters' funding. The Government is obliged to reward the Maori Party because of its support….

See full article HERE

Minister 'disappointed' in law suit, Maori lay out concerns on Kermadec ocean sanctuary bill

A select committee listened to arguments from iwi against the establishment of the marine protected area. Iwi have said the sanctuary would extinguish Maori fishing rights.

"I'm disappointed that these matters are appearing before the courts and my door remains wide open to discussions," Smith said.

However, he would not divulge what solutions he would offer, preferring to tell iwi "face to face".

Although Smith said he was open to finding "a way through some of the challenges", he was committed to the sanctuary. ….

See full article HERE

Tertiary education governance roles for Maori

Federation of Maori Authorities chair Traci Houpapa has been appointed to the council of Victoria University.

Ms Houpapa has become a go-to person for the government, holding other posts such as chairing Landcorp, being on the Waikato River Authority, as well as holding other commercial directorships.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says all 14 people he has just appointed to six tertiary and wananga councils brought valuable knowledge and experience.

See full article HERE

Maori-friendly policies from Labour-Green tie-up

Labour leader Andrew Little says closer cooperation with the Greens could result in policies that address many of the concerns of Maori voters.

The two parties signed a memorandum this week to work together to change the Government in 2017.

"If you look at the number of Maori who are being shut out of owning their own home or even renting a decent home, it's Maori the education system is still struggling to serve the needs of - we've got the special character provision in the Education Act but we don't seem to get it to work as significantly or in the numbers we should. It's all those sorts of things that Labour and the Greens are cooperating over, coming together, putting platforms together, can make a huge difference to Maori," Mr Little says…..

See full article HERE

Room for Maori Party in Labour-Green alliance

Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox can see room for her party in the space created by a new agreement between Labour and the Greens.

The two opposition parties have agreed to formalise what is already a close working relationship in the lead up to the election.

Ms Fox says her party’s stance is that it will work with the Government of the day of whatever political stripe.

"In the past Maori would be sitting on the sidelines waiting for a favourable government to come back in, not able to advance their causes. They have seen the benefit of sititng at the table and if it is a Labour Green coalition in the future, we would only be too happy to be invited into that arrangement should they be successful at the next election." she says……

See full article HERE

The power of the media and everyday New Zealanders

Māori New Zealanders especially have endured biased treatment by the media in this country since the time the first newspapers were printed. Māori are viewed as “different” whereas Pakeha things are viewed as “normal”.

This treatment was evidenced during the last General Election, where TVNZ’s Vote Compass asked respondents: “How much control should Maori have over their own affairs?”…..

See full article HERE

3 June 2016

Cultural concerns affect farm future

Otago Peninsula sheep farmer Bob Morris says he wants to pass his farm on to his son, unencumbered by any further district plan changes.

Mr Morris was one of several people who made submissions on manawhenua matters to a hearing on the Dunedin City Council's second general district plan (2GP) yesterday.

Manawhenua refers to Maori people who have local tribal or sub-tribal authority in an area.

Mr Morris told the Dunedin hearing that the farm at Sandymount, near Sandfly Bay, had been in his family's hands for five generations, since 1863, and he wished to pass the 220ha property on to his son Timothy.

He noted that a recently proposed planning map referred to a new wahi tupuna buffer zone on part of the family property, and he suggested this map be redrawn so it did not cross the property boundary.

Wahi tupuna are places important to Maori for their ancestral significance and associated cultural and traditional values.

He had never found any Maori cultural artefacts at the farm.

See full article HERE

Iwi gets together with schools

A kawenata (covenant) was signed between the schools and the iwi in April this year to formally recognise the project. The initiative aims to increase fluency in te reo, create employment pathways, foster a connection to whakapapa and connect members to their maraes.

Funding for kapa halts, arts, crafts, music and sport are other areas where students will benefit Around 27 per cent of students at the school affiliate with Waikato-Tainui and in order to take part in the programme they need to sign up on the tribal register.

PARTNERSHIP Other schools in the partnership are Fairfield College. Hamilton Girls' High School, Melville High School, Ngaruawahia High School, Patricia Avenue School, Raglan Area School, Huntly College, Tai Wananga, St Paul's Collegiate, Matamata college, Pukekohe High, Fraser High School and Te Aho o te Kura Pounamu.

See full article HERE

Minister Tolley agrees system has failed children

"The system has failed, Māori particularly tamariki and rangatahi Māori, so we need to be much smarter at how we work with hapū and whānau and iwi to meet the needs of those whānau."

The Minister of Social Development agrees and says the issues are being addressed through the Child Youth and Family reforms that come into effect next March.

"The Children's Commissioner has described it as visionary,” she says.

“That has a specific focus on Māori children because six out of the children in state care are Māori so we agree the system is broken and we are setting out on a major overhaul."

Tolley says there are already programmes underway leading up to the overhaul.

"My understanding is that the new system is being designed to work for Māori as an integral part of the system…..

See full article HERE

Tense debate at Masterton council over appointing iwi representatives

A sometimes tense council meeting in Masterton has rejected a motion to delay the appointment of unelected iwi representatives.

The decision avoided an acrimonious, race-based council election in October, one councillor said.

But Patterson said dealing with the chronic under-representation of Maori in local government was urgent.

The motion was defeated 8-2, with only Caffell and Goodwin for. David Holmes abstained.

See full article HERE

Waitemata DHB advises against Trust's advice to West Auckland whānau

The Waitemata DHB says people who are seriously ill or injured at the Waitakere Hospital Emergency Department could be impacted if residents follow the advice of John Tamihere.

Tamihere, the CEO of Te Whānau o Waipareira Trust is urging West Aucklanders to go directly to the Waitakere Hospital A and E if they require after-hours medical attention.

The Trust will issue advertisements in the local Western Leader Newspaper tomorrow encouraging whanau to visit Waitakere Hospital after hours.

He says the $92 cost for a medical visit to an after-hours clinic is "outrageous" and is a hindrance to whānau.

However, Director Funding Waitemata DHB Dr Debbie Holdsworth says, "Waitakere residents should only present to the Waitakere Hospital Emergency Department if they have a medical emergency or are seriously ill.

Unnecessary presentations to ED will have a significant impact on the care we can provide to people who are seriously ill or injured." ….

See full article HERE

Marama Fox: Son discriminated against at school

Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox has spoken about discrimination her son suffered at school - saying she demanded a change in teacher after one called him a “predator”.

The mother of nine said one of her sons had been labelled by a long-term reliever teacher when he was in Year 11. The teacher had wrongly assumed he had stolen from another student’s bag.

“I asked how he was doing. I get told...’your son is a predator’. I’m like, excuse me? ‘The young little boy who sits next to him in class is so scared of your son he will not even look at him. I watched your son steal things from his bag.’”

Ms Fox sought an explanation from her son.

“[He] said to me, ‘Mum, we were playing touch at lunch time, I put my stuff in my mate’s bag, he’s on his way to class.

“I came in late from playing touch...instead of disturbing the class that’s already working, I just grab my books, sit down’.”

When her son sat down next to his friend, the other teenager did not look up. Seeing this, the teacher assumed he had been intimidated, Ms Fox said….

See full article HERE

2 June 2016

TV3 Story report into Maori sites of cultural significance lacked sensitivity

A report by Mediaworks presenter Heather du Plessis-Allan that likened Maori sites of cultural significance to "rubbish dumps" has been deemed insensitive.

During the piece du Plessis-Allan reported from an empty field.

"So this is what an area of cultural significance looks like. This is called a midden," she said.

"It's where back in the old days Maori used to throw the shells when they'd finished eating their seafood. So it's pretty much a rubbish dump.

"We looked it up - 'midden' is an old Danish word for 'domestic rubbish dump'."

Following the piece a member of the public, Ross Carter, complained to the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) that it was racist and denigrating of Maori culture.

See full article HERE

Iwi leaders call for river trust investigation

Leaders of a major iwi have taken the unusual step of calling for an investigation into a trust responsible for protecting the Waikato River.

Te Arawa kaumātua are concerned about the financial management of the Te Arawa River Iwi Trust which will get millions of dollars of taxpayer funding over the next 20 years.

In 2010, Parliament passed historic Treaty settlements with Waikato River iwi establishing a framework for co-governance of the river.

As part of the settlement, the government gave the trust $10 million with a promise of $20m more.

The trust is charged with restoring the river's health but in recent months questions have begun to surface about the way it operates……

See full article HERE

Planning puts whanau on reo path

One of the people behind a new approach to language planning says it will allow whanau and communities to set goals and access resources to learn te reo Maori.

Last week's Budget included an allocation of $12 million over four years for Maori language whanau and community planning.

Only 2 percent of Maori families now speak te reo Maori to their children and other whanau need to be shown how they can start doing it….

See full article HERE

Maori Party defend cigarette tax from racism claims

The Māori Party is defending their decision to support the tax hike on cigarettes following criticism from one of Māoridom’s leading tobacco health researchers. Dr Marewa Glover says the tax hasn't made significant changes on smoking rates, instead the policy has become a racist one.

Marama Fox is adamant the Māori Party's choice to hike the smoking tax hasn't created a racist policy.

Fox says, “This is not a racist policy. Smoking is racist as most of the deaths are Māori.”….

See full article HERE

Maori Party president 'sees chance for her people'

Maori voters have just been given a chance to have a big say in who will form the next government of New Zealand after the 2017 General Election, according to the president of the Maori Party, Rangimarie Naida Glavish. "And not just a big say, but also a big play in that next government as a coalition partner if we use the power of our collective votes wisely."

Ms Glavish was commenting on the announcement by Labour and the Greens that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to campaign together in next year’s election.

"The choice for Maori is simple: do we want to continue to depend on either of the two major Pakeha-dominated parties for scraps from the table, or do we combine our voting strength to sweep enough of the seven Maori seats to give us the balance of power. Ideally, we’d like all seven, but five are a realistic and achievable target, and would likely yield an extra two or three Party list seats…..

See full article HERE

White out: Why was this Maori mural erased?

A widely praised mural of a Maori woman's face on the wall of a school in Whangarei has been erased over Maori protocol issues.

Artist Earnest Bradley was allegedly asked by the board of trustees at Tikipunga High School to cover the mural he had been commissioned to paint.

Mr Solomon said another similar mural by Mr Bradley would replace it, adding that Mr Bradley would be paid for his time…..

See full article HERE

Tertiary Education Institution Council Appointments

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced 14 appointments to six tertiary education institution councils, which include appointments to the newly-reconstituted councils of TeWānanga o Raukawa and Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.

“I welcome the valuable knowledge and experience that these appointees will bring to these important leadership roles,” Mr Joyce says. “I also wish to recognise and thank the outgoing council members for their service and valuable contribution to tertiary education.”

The appointments and reappointments of council members are:…..

See full article HERE

1 June 2016

From the NZCPR archives By Elizabeth Rata
Democracy and Tribalism
What is fascinating is that progressive discussion in Africa is advocating moving towards parliamentarianism while in New Zealand we, or a significant number of the politically influential, are seemingly unaware of the jewel that we have in our own parliamentary system, one established as early as 1852 and developed progressively since then. In that innocence, they are unaware of the threat to that system.

From the 1980s, the rather benign idea of recognising Maori culture in the wider society became a political biculturalism that has enabled a small but extremely influential group of retribalists to capture the moral high ground of social justice advocacy – but in their own interests.

(It shouldn’t be forgotten that the numbers of Maori in poverty has actually grown during the bicultural decades.)

On the way to elite status with its associated political power and economic wealth, the retribalists have successfully manipulated the rather naïve belief that social justice comes from cultural recognition – a belief which got support for biculturalism in the first place.

Biculturalism has a new political meaning but its ongoing support lies in the old cultural one. It now means that two so-called ‘ethnic’ groups have different political interests which should be recognised institutionally. This institutional recognition – beginning in education and health, began a veritable march into the heart of government. The re-interpretation of the treaty as a so-called ‘partnership’ is providing the mandate for the march into the institutions to become a march into the constitution. We see this in recent months with the assumption that ‘co-governance’ is the natural next step. The inclusion of Maori representatives on the Auckland City Council is based on this unquestioned assumption.

But what is the nature of the group that will be ‘co-governor’? What are the implications for New Zealand’s parliamentary democracy?….

Read Professor Elizabeth Rata's informative article HERE
November 17, 2013

31 May 2016

Willie Jackson appointed to Te Mātāwai

An urban Māori leader is the first to be appointed to Te Mātāwai, the new legislative body that will be responsible for the revitalisation of te reo Māori on behalf of iwi and Māori.

Willie Jackson admits his reo isn't the best, but he says his latest appointment isn't about that.

Jackson, Urban Māori Member, Te Mātāwai says, "Don't judge me, I am not the most fluent speaker but what's the important thing for this role. It is to support and advocate for our people, as well as challenge the Government.”….

See full article HERE

Child poverty's 'elephant in room'

The report links the rise of separated parents to the growing acceptance of living together outside formal marriage. Children born to legally married couples plunged from 95 per cent of births in 1961 to 51.3 per cent in 2010, before recovering in each year since then to 53.5 per cent in the latest March year.

For Maori, children born to legally married parents collapsed even more spectacularly from 72 per cent of Maori births in 1968 to just 20.9 per cent in 2011, recovering to 21.6 per cent in the latest year….

See full article HERE

Maori have a right to be represented

It's an even better concept when you have been landed with a Treaty signed between your Queen, (Queen Victoria), and the local indigenous people that, rather inconveniently it seems, requires that you treat us as equal partners.

To compare the rights of Maori, on the basis that our ancestors were some of the first people in New Zealand, with the rights of Europeans who emigrated here in those first ships totally ignores the fact that those Europeans (a) arrived in a country already occupied by others and (b) recognised the rights of those indigenous people in a treaty.

When you claim "what is actually at stake is the relationship between the public's widespread and longstanding acceptance of one person one vote and the erosion of that principle by appointed representatives based on ethnicity'', you conveniently lump Maori, the partner in the Treaty we have with the Crown, with all ethnic groups.

Maori have a right to be represented and, if it means that the best way to ensure that representation is to guarantee a place for a Maori on a local body, largely elected by middle New Zealand, then that is the right thing to do….

See full article HERE

'All I did was gathered kai'

A man who was sentenced to a year in prison for stealing trout is unrepentant and says he won't apologise for trying to feed his family.

Thomas Tawha was convicted of stealing 59 trout over two occasions from a protected fishing area near Lake Rotoiti in the Bay of Plenty, while his friend David Leef was convicted of stealing 10 trout.

Tawha said he was collecting fish for a tangi and had a permit from kaumatua under their Māori governance system…..

See full article HERE

‘Platitudes’ erased from agreement

The Waitaki District Council has renewed its relationship agreement with local iwi Waitaha; both sides signed the agreement on Friday.

Dr Cloete said there had been no substantive changes to the agreement but that some of the language had changed and a glossary of Maori words had been added to make the document more transparent.

While the entire South Island was considered to be the iwi's rohe (territory), he said from Aoraki/Mt Cook to the Waitaki River mouth was "sacred'' land for Waitaha…..

See full article HERE

Award For Judges of the Rangatahi Courts Celebrated

International recognition for the work of Judges of the New Zealand District Court and the contribution of kaumātua from 14 marae in developing Ngā Kōti Rangatahi o Aotearoa, the Rangatahi Courts and the Pasifika Courts, will be conferred at Auckland’s Orakei Marae today.

The Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration has awarded these innovative marae-based Youth Courts its 2015 Award for Excellence in Judicial Administration…..

See full article HERE

Health prof: Tobacco tax rise racist

New Zealand's leading Maori tobacco researcher says further tax increases on smokers have become a racist policy that is discriminating against Maori, mental health patients and others.

She said Maori, and especially Maori women, had the highest smoking rates "because of the cumulative stress of the environment"……

See full article HERE

30 May 2016

Maori Party President Hails Benefits of Being “at the Table”

Benefits for te iwi Maori from having its own political party “at the table” of New Zealand’s governing coalition have been hailed by the president of the Maori Party, Rangimarie Naida Glavish.

“Thanks to our being in coalition with the National Party in government, and the constant intercession on our behalf by our two Members of Parliament, Hon Te Ururoa Flavell, Minister for Maori Development, and Marama Fox MP, our people will benefit to the tune of over $100 million in the 2016 Budget announced today,” said Ms Glavish.

Specific Budget allowances for Maori were:

Social services: Extra funding for Whanau Ora: $40 million, and microfinance for whanau and their enterprises: $4 million.

Land: New Maori Land Service: $14.2 million, and assistance to Te Tumu Paeroa landowners: $3.7 million.

Te reo: Establishment of Te Matawai and revitalisation of Maori language: $24 million.

TV: extra funding for Maori Television: $10.6 million.

Electoral: increasing Maori participation: $5 million.

General: New Zealand war commemorations: $4 million.

“Our Minister for Maori Development, Hon Te Ururoa Flavell is releasing full details of these budget allocations specifically for our people…

See full article HERE

Education to back up NZ Wars commemoration

Maori Development Minister te Ururoa Flavell says he will talk to iwi leaders about how they want to mark the Maori Land Wars.

The Budget included $1 million a year for the next four years for commemorations.

He says it’s a response to the calls coming from iwi from Taranaki, Taitokerau, Waikato Tainui, Tauranga Moana, Mataatua and the East Coast who have been organising their own grass roots events on significant anniversaries.

He wants iwi leaders to give him a suitable day for a commemoration.

"Once we’ve confirmed the day, is it a holiday? I don't hear too much of a push for a holiday but what must come is an element of support for the kaupapa, by way of having the resource to support education in schools and the community about those wars because not too many people know about them, and in that regard we think we have responded to the call from iwi and we hope to make a firm announcement prior to Koroneihana this year," Mr Flavell says…..

See full article HERE

Big issues ignored in budget

Labour’s Maori spokesperson Kelvin Davis says he’s not seeing a return for ordinary Maori in this year’s Budget.

Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell is holding the budget up as a significant infusion of funds into help with housing, better use of Maori land, Maori language revival, and Whanau Ora to help more struggling families.

Mr Davis says he’s stretching a little bit of money over a lot of ground, and it falls well short of the real needs of whanau…..

See full article HERE

'Emotiki' to give texting a Māori flavour

Emojis are used in electronic messages all over the world, but a new range of 'emotiki' will give the concept a distinctly Māori flavour.

The world's first Māori emoji keyboard for iPhone and Android is being launched by the Rotorua visitor attraction Te Puia, with 150 characters, including tiki pukana expressions, taiaha, hangi, waka ama and kete….

See full article HERE

$100k to return Koiwi to NZ

The remains of sixty Māori and Moriori individuals have been returned from the Smithsonian Institution to Te Papa Tongarewa in an emotional ceremony today. But what is the cost to the taxpayer, and is it worth the dollars?

Around $100,000 was spent on repatriating the remains contained in these boxes.

Dr Arapeta Hakiwai says it was worth every cent, “We don't pay for our ancestors.

Maui Solomon believes the cost is justified, “We spent 26mil on flag referendum we didn't get a result so $100k to bring back 60 tupuna seems pretty economical to me.”…..

See full article HERE

English name of South Taranaki sports lounge is irrelevant, says councillor

A South Taranaki councillor has compared her council naming a sports lounge after an English village to the explorer James Cook giving Taranaki's maunga the name Mt Egmont.

The name has the support of the mayor Ross Dunlop who said it was chosen by a committee. However Bigham said Ngati Ruanui should have been consulted over the name as they were the original owners of the land…..

See full article HERE

28 May 2016

Budget 2016- Whānau Ora to receive $40 million

Whānau Ora will receive a $40 million boost over the next four years, allowing it to substantially increase the number of whānau it can support.

Budget 2016 also includes $4 million to provide microfinance to whānau and $5 million to go toward increasing Māori electoral participation.

The $4 million over the next four years to provide microfinance to whānau aims to improve financial independence for whānau, including whānau-led small and medium enterprises.

Increasing Māori electoral participation is also a feature of Budget 2016, with $5 million provided in operating funding over the next four years….

See full article HERE

Budget 2016 - More pūtea for Kapa Haka

The biggest kapa haka festival in the world Te Matatini is set to get an extra $700,000 from this year's Budget, a boost of more than 50% from last year's funding.

Today's Budget announcement means the Te Matatini Society will get a total of $1.9mil in funding.

Last year, Te Matatini received $1.2mil a year from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and yet it pumps around $20mil into local economies.

Minister of Arts Culture & Heritage, Maggie Barry says, “It will enable the kapahaka organisations around NZ of which there are about 130 or so at the moment to grow by 50 groups per year.”

The Royal New Zealand will get $5.4mil. Although only a 23% increase, it's still more than double that of Te Matatini…..

See full article HERE

Unique model for Whanganui settlement

A sense of relief as Whanganui River claims its on its final stretch.

Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill passed its first reading in parliament yesterday and should be law by the end of the year.

It recognises the river as an indivisible whole from the mountains to the sea with its own legal identity and all the rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person.

There is also an $80 million redress package…

See full article HERE

Te Pūnaha Hiringa: Māori Innovation Fund boost welcomed

Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell has welcomed the additional funding allocated to Te Pūnaha Hiringa: Māori Innovation Fund announced in yesterday’s Budget.

Te Pūnaha Hiringa: Māori Innovation Fund will be expanded from $2 million to $3 million per year.

“This will help more Māori enterprises to gain the skills, knowledge and networks they need to get new ventures off the ground and grow existing businesses and asset bases,” Mr Flavell says…..

See full article HERE

$40 Million for Unproven Whānau Ora

The Māori Party is once again throwing good taxpayers’ money after bad at the still unproven Whānau Ora programme, says New Zealand First.

“Last year’s Budget gifted $50 million to Whānau Ora, and now this year another $40 million is being thrown away,” says Māori Affairs Spokesperson Pita Paraone.

“No proof has been provided to show Whānau Ora is achieving significantly more than last year, when the Auditor-General found absolutely no value for money coming from the programme.

“Real evidence is needed to justify this spending on Whānau Ora beyond the commissioning agencies being able to increase the ‘Total Page Likes’ on their Facebook pages,” says Mr Paraone…..

See full article HERE

Invercargill group pulls out of Govt housing scheme

But the PACT group, which had applied to buy and manage 348 Housing New Zealand homes in Invercargill, has decided not to continue with the process.

The Government is also considering a proposal from the Horowhenua District Council to look at a joint transfer of council flats and Housing NZ properties to a community provider.

If it goes through, it'll affect 115 pensioner flats and 250 Housing NZ homes and tenancies in Levin, Foxton and Shannon.

But before any decision is made, consultation will be done with local iwi on their Treaty of Waitangi rights and interests. The process will run until July 1….

See full article HERE

Canterbury stream's racist name could change

A north Canterbury stream's highly offensive name could soon be history.

The New Zealand Geographic Board is looking to rename N***** Stream, which flows south from Mt Turnbull in the foothills of Southern Alps.

The board is now proposing a new name - Pukio Stream.

Te Aka Maori-English dictionary describes Pukio as a type of sedge - called "n*****head" by early English colonists - which grows in swampy areas around New Zealand.

Submissions in support of the name, or suggestions for a different name, can be mailed to the board or submitted to the Land Information New Zealand website by August 26…..

See full article HERE

27 May 2016

$34.6m to support te reo Māori revival

Three funds in this year’s Budget 2016 will contribute towards increasing the number of proficient Māori language speakers.

$12 million over four years has been set aside to establish and fund the operations of Te Mātāwai, a new Crown independent entity established under the Māori Language Act 2016.

An additional $12 million over four years has been allocated for Te Reo Māori Whānau and Community language planning.

The Māori Television Service (MTS) will also receive $10.6 million over the next four years to reach a wider audience to ultimately fulfil its objective of increasing the use of our reo rangatira amongst whānau and communities…..

See full article HERE

$17.8m to create Māori Land Service

Budget 2016 provides $14.2 million to support the establishment of the new Māori Land Service, which is a key element of the current reform of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993.

Te Tumu Paeroa will receive $3.7 million of operating funding over the next four years to assist Māori landowners to strengthen their governance arrangements. This will help to improve land utilisation and asset management, and to increase landowners’ financial returns….

See full article HERE

$4m to commemorate New Zealand Wars

The Māori Party is proud to have secured new funding in Budget 2016 to support New Zealand Land Wars commemorations.

The $1 million per annum operating fund over four years will provide financial support to mark commemorative events. It may also support education-related activities for schools, kura and communities about the Land Wars……

See full article HERE

26 May 2016

Kaumatua insist on Maori representation plans for New Plymouth to be outlined before election

Te Atiawa kaumatua Grant Knuckey did not mince his words as he again asked the New Plymouth District Council to consider how it planned to involve Maori views and voices.

Knuckey, along with fellow Te Atiawa kaumatua, former police inspector Harry Nicholas, spoke to council on Tuesday night with a clear message - despite the failure of the Maori ward vote, the need to involve Maori on council was not going away.

Regardless of the failure of Maori wards, it was the council's mandate "to serve the community" and comply with the Local Government Act which lists Treaty of Waitangi obligations to include Maori, Knuckey said.

"Let's not dwell on mandates because at the end of the day for us, we're seeking a solution to an issue about representation for Maori," he said.

"It's not about Maori affairs taking over local bodies, it's about our people participating and having a voice, that's all we ask." ….

See full article HERE

Te Reo Tuatahi inspiring mainstream

A big tick for a programme that gives tamariki in mainstream schools 30 minutes of exposure to te reo Maori every week.

Education consultants Wyllie & Associates say four out of five teachers at 28 North Shore schools noticed an increase in the level of confidence and self-esteem among Maori tamariki from participating in Te Reo Tuatahi.

The number of tamariki Maori who say they want to learn te reo Maori increased from 33 percent before programme to 81 percent after.

Te Reo Tuatahi founder Raewyn Harrison says the kaupapa is growing, with principals throughout Auckland opening their doors and inquiries from the lower North Island, and it's time it was properly funded.

"There are other programmes happening out there but I don't believe there is one like Te Reo Tuatahi going in to mainstream schools where there is a captive audience of tamariki in the school and where now 95 percent of our Maori whanau are deciding to send their tamariki so this is crucial we have good quality te reo programmes in our schools," she says.

Raewyn Harrison says Te Reo Tuatahi helps Maori students feel valued in their school environment and get a sense of what it means to be Maori…..

See full article HERE

Our older names speak of who we are and where we’ve come from

Increasingly our Maori names are used by local organisations interchangeably or instead of Gisborne, which remains for now the only name for our place with wide recognition nationally…..

See full article HERE

Whanganui River Claims Settlement Bill First Reading

“This Bill can never replace or undo the decades of repeated degradation to these very special waters, however it is a start,” says Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell during the first reading of the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement Bill) in Parliament today.

He said the iwi had been forced to watch the sustained misuse and exploitation of their ancestral waters over a century.

Fourteen Whanganui chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi in May 1840, and since that time, the Crown has systematically undermined Whanganui iwi rights and interests in the management and use of the Whanganui River.

Breaches include, exclusion from decision-making; concerns submitted through petitions on the impact of river “improvements”, river conservation and protection being largely ignored; and no consultation when the diversion of water from Whanganui into the Tongariro Power Scheme was authorised in 1958.

To this day the iwi maintains this caused extreme harm to the river and its environment…..

See full article HERE

Initialling Deed of Settlement brings $100 million one step closer

More than three decades after the initial Wairoa claims were lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal, Te Tira is set to secure financial redress of $100 million for its iwi and hapÅ« beneficiaries.

If ratified by the iwi and hapÅ«, this will be the fifth biggest Treaty of Waitangi Settlement in terms of financial redress…

See full article HERE

25 May 2016

Ground set for Parihaka talks

Government ministers have signed a compact trust they hope will lead to a settlement for Parihaka.

Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell says the crown’s 1881 sacking of the village that was the centre of opposition to land confiscation in Taranaki still rankles with the community.

Because of its unique history, negotiators insisted it be treated separately to the rest of the Taranaki settlements.

The compact signed at the weekend by Treaty Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson is similar to one that restarted negotiations with Ngai Tuhoe.

"It sets out a platform I hope of how the crown will engage with Parihaka and that means talking about things like infrastructure, getting fresh water sorted, dealing with the sewage for the marae, upgrades for the electricity which tend to go on the blink, all those sorts of things will be moved into Parihaka to give them a hand on the back of what happened and it's aside from a normal treaty settlement process," Mr Flavell says….

See full article HERE

New technology to monitor amount of te reo on Māori radio

New technology has been added to all Māori radio stations to monitor the amount of Māori language spoken on air.

Te Reo Irirangi o Te Upoko o te Ika says one of the reasons for the implementation is that Te Māngai Pāhō has raised concerns about some radio stations not delivering the right amount of Māori language content.

The device is called Kōkako and it monitors the amount of Māori spoken on radio stations….

See full article HERE

Leading researcher appointed Senior Māori Historian

Leading Māori researcher Dr Monty Soutar has been appointed to the position of Senior Māori Historian at Manatū Taonga, Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

Dr Soutar is the inaugural appointment to the role and will lead the Ministry’s activities relating to Māori history, including Te Taiwhakaea, a significant research and education project on Treaty of Waitangi settlements.

“It’s an exciting new challenge,” says Dr Soutar.

“The Treaty settlement stories project in particular is a unique opportunity, because the settlements that have taken place over the last thirty years or so represent one of the most significant watershed moments in New Zealand’s modern history.”….

See full article HERE

Marlborough City: pros and cons with winemaker Josh Scott and National Kaikoura MP Stuart Smith

But if we are going to think about a name change, we need to think about a name that reflects our heritage and consideration could be given to a Maori name - such as Blenheim's Maori name, Waiharakeke….

See full article HERE

24 May 2016

Rates relief for Maori land owners

Opotiki District Council has announced a five year rates relief for Maori land owners looking to lead a kiwifruit development project at Omaio

The project will see up to 150 hectares of Maori-owned land converted from maize to kiwifruit orchards

Mr Forbes also acknowledged the importance of a united approach and the sort of thinking that allows projects like Omaio to get off the ground.

"We are a small, rural council and we are working to make sure that our economy is growing and keeping up with changing economic realities. And in this instance, it is a fantastic opportunity to support a local initiative. It is 'local' in every sense - it is driven by a local hapu and landowners which will ensure that the benefits flow back to those that have mana whenua," he said.

Background:

-The kaupapa will see 30ha developed each year over 5 years (adding to the 150ha total). Opotiki District Council will apply a rates remission for five years on each parcel of 30ha as they are developed, so rates remissions will run for 10 years (although no more than 5 years on any one property).

- Council expects that the rates remissions will average around $60,000 per annum…..

See full article HERE

NgÄti Hine agreement a milestone in Far North MÄori relations

A formal agreement between the Far North District Council and Te Rá¿¡nanga o NgÄti Hine marks a new era of co-operation and understanding between the Council and NgÄti Hine.

Representatives of the Council and Te Rá¿¡nanga o NgÄti Hine signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Matawaia Marae earlier this month. The Memorandum:

Outlines the willingness of the Council and NgÄti Hine to co-operate with each other at a strategic level.

Commits them to meeting at least four times a year and to developing a work programme that supports shared strategic objectives.

Mayor John Carter says the Council is committed to better understanding the concerns of MÄori and to building strategic partnerships with iwi and hapá¿¡. It signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Te Rá¿¡nanga o Te Rarawa last year and plans to enter into similar agreements with other willing iwi/hapá¿¡ in the next three years……

See full article HERE

Government signs off deals to build 740 more homes in Auckland

The Government has signed off deals to build 740 homes on spare land in Auckland, some of which must be sold for "affordable" prices.

Housing Minister Nick Smith confirmed this afternoon that the Government had completed negotiations on three sites in Manukau, Mt Albert, and Waterview.

Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Limited Partnership would be given first right of refusal on the Mt Albert site as part of the iwi's Treaty settlement.

A portion of the houses built on each site must be sold for an “affordable” price – around $600,000.

Ngati Whatua took legal action against the Government in June, saying that the plans to sell off Crown land to private developers appeared to breach its Treaty agreement.

It later agreed to drop its legal challenge after securing an agreement that 40 per cent of construction would be social or affordable housing.

Deadlines for signing development agreements and building the first homes have also been pushed back, partly as a result of the iwi challenge…..

See full article HERE

Ninety Mile Beach board workshop, tour 'invaluable'

Members of the new Te Oneroa-a-TÅhÄ“/Ninety Mile Beach Board have had a fascinating first-hand insight into the coastal treasure they are charged with managing.

Chairman Haami Piripi and fellow board members gathered in Kaitaia recently (Friday 20 May) for a workshop to discuss the board’s legally-mandated roles and functions and continue getting-to-know one another.

Mr Piripi says they also took the opportunity to travel up Te Oneroa-a-TÅhÄ“/Ninety Mile Beach to hear the history and some of the wealth of stories associated with it from a cultural perspective.

Established through Treaty of Waitangi settlement legislation for Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri, NgatiTakoto and Ngati Kuri, the board will co-develop a management plan for the beach, which has iconic status to both Maori and non-Maori alike…..

See full article HERE

Call for more Maori in hospice care

Hospice New Zealand is calling for an increase in the number of Māori working in palliative care, saying there is a great deal of room for improvement.

Ria Earp, chair of Hospice New Zealand's Māori advisory group Te Roopu Whaka Māori, said the organisation was keen to see a rise in the number of Māori medical staff.

She said hospices around the country are trying to address this issue.

"Firstly how they relate to local Māori communities, how they include as part of the standards for Hospice NZ, the way in which that particular hospice works and operates for Māori patients and whānau, working with communities and working with Māori health providers."….

See full article HERE

22 May 2016

Prayer ban causes cultural unease

Academics Paul Moon and Mamari Stephens are warning the issues raised in a case relating to religious instruction and Red Beach School north of Auckland could affect the ability of schools and kura to include karakia as part of their activities.

Ms Stephens, a senior law lecturer at Victoria University in Wellington, says a prayer or karakia is a standard part of most Maori activities, even when people aren't otherwise religious.

That could clash with the Education Act prescription that religious instruction or observance can only happen when schools are closed.

"There’s a very thinline between what's religious and what's not religious, what's spiritual and what's religious or what's spiritual and cultural and so. Karakia is pretty common. I think the threat is actually more real than I had thought that it was, she says…..

See full article HERE

Addressing 'critical shortage' of te reo Maori teachers high priority for Labour

Labour education spokesman Chris Hipkins was in Invercargill on Friday with the Skills and Wages Caucus Committee, discussing education, training and workplace health and safety as part of a series of talks he was having across the country.

Addressing the shortage of fluent te reo teachers in schools in New Zealand was "high on the priority list" for Hipkins, he said during his visit to Southland Girls' High School.

Adrian Rurawhe, MP for Te Tai Hauauru who was visiting with the committee, said there was a "critical shortage" of te reo teachers in schools because speaking not only te reo, but a second language, was attractive to employers.

"It's becoming more and more of an advantage... that's why teachers who are fluent in te reo gets jobs elsewhere [in other occupations]," he said.

Girls' High principal Yvonne Browning said Ngai Tahu was likely to be one of the biggest employers in the South Island in the coming decades and she was encouraging her students to learn te reo….

See full article HERE

Māori Party opposes bill to abolish charter schools

The Māori Party plans to oppose the Labour Party's bill seeking to abolish Kura Hourua or charter schools.

Mr Hipkins said charter schools have been a costly experiment and despite receiving up to five times the funding public schools got they had not worked - with one in Whangaruru closing this year.

However, Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox said they have proved successful and the party wanted to see the creation of more charter schools….

See full article HERE

21 May 2016

Moriori descendants seek Treaty claim for 19th Century atrocities

"I think the most common things New Zealanders believe is that they were by and large wiped out before pakeha settlement," Treaty Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson told ONE News.

The islands were invaded by Taranaki Maori in 1835, who slaughtered and enslaved the Moriori. The atrocities continued for 20 years

"We lost 90 per cent of our population - that's a holocaust really," Mr Solomon said.

Now, Moriori descendants are close to negotiating a Treaty settlement with the Crown, based on breaches including a failure to stop slavery.

Further grievances include when 120 Moriori left the Chatham Islands in 1870 and were granted just three per cent of the land.

Moriori did petition the government to restore land rights 150 years ago, but were unsuccessful.

Despite the Chatham Islands invasion pre-dating the Treaty of Waitangi, the Government concedes the Crown had a responsibility to act sooner.

Historian Dr Michael Bassett said there is also a more obvious reason the Crown should pay.

"I'm sure the real reason why people want the Crown to do something is that they've got the deepest pockets," he said.

The Crown-owned Whaanga Lagoon is likely to return under the settlement, while the Government hopes to have an initial deal completed by the end of this year……

See full article HERE

Legal action taken to reclaim ashes

Last Tuesday, Native Affairs reported on another family who spent two years trying to locate their ancestor Hudson Pomare Fergusson from Ngāpuhi. Great-grandson Terry Fergusson discovered Hudson’s remains had been removed twice and finally placed in a mass grave……

See full article HERE

20 May 2016

Poll shows majority of Kiwis support Kermadec ocean sanctuary

A new poll shows a majority of Kiwis support the Government plan to set up an ocean sanctuary in the Kermadec region.

Of 1,150 New Zealanders that took part in the polling, 89 per cent were in favour of the reserve - with 62 per cent in definite support, while 28 per cent 'probably' supported it (results were rounded).

Those who opposed the sanctuary made up 5 per cent, with the rest saying they were unsure.

Polling also found that for those who identified as Maori, 86 per cent were in support…..

See full article HERE

Marlborough iwi make joint submission on recreational fishing park

Marlborough iwi have expressed concerns about a recreational fishing park planned for the Marlborough Sounds.

The creation of a recreational fishing park in the Marlborough Sounds will encroach on customary and commercial fishing rights, a group of three Marlborough iwi say. …

See full article HERE

Māori have no greater interest in water - Labour

There is no basis to the claim Māori have a stronger interest in water than any other group, says Labour's environment spokesman David Parker.

He told Nine to Noon he personally rejected the notion that Māori have a greater environmental interest than other groups.

"We reject the idea that Māori have a property interest which trumps everyone else's in all of our fresh water in New Zealand.

"We also reject the notion that Māori don't have an interest in the future of our water.

"But I do accept that Māori involvement in the management of our water, including through the land and water forum, has actually taken New Zealand forward towards addressing some of the water quality issues."

See full article HERE

Māori Party will oppose the abolition of Kura Hourua

The Māori Party will oppose Chris Hipkins’ private members’ bill which seeks to abolish Kura Hourua/Partnership Schools, when it comes before Parliament this year.

Māori Party Co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell says many of the existing Partnership Schools are Māori-led or have a large proportion of Māori students who achieve more than they would in a state-led school. If Chris Hipkins’ bill called the Education (Charter Schools Abolition) Amendment Bill were to pass, more than 470 Māori students would be forced to go to other schools.

We support in particular the importance of high-quality teaching, high educational achievement and strong supportive partnerships with iwi and communities.”

Mr Flavell says: “We’ve seen the benefits of Kura Hourua and other educational providers that put the needs of Māori students at the heart of everything that they do.

See full article HERE

Hundreds attend Maori economic hui

A conference dubbed "Powering up the Maori Economy in Te Tai Tokerau" was "more than a talkfest", presenters and iwi leaders promised.

Mr Dalton said that while Northland's GDP had grown recently, "not a lot of that has occurred in the Maori area".

Of the region's population of 56,613 Maori, 17.4 per cent of them were unemployed compared with the national figure for Maori of 12 per cent; average earnings were $40,670 compared with Maori nationally, $47,385; and, close to the national figure, 52.4 per cent of Tai Tokerau Maori were low-skilled….

See full article HERE

Maori healing takes holistic approach

How did you become interested in traditional healing?

Ruatau: I trained under an amazing Maori healer Papa Hopeha Delamere for 10 years and learnt all the traditional philosophies around healing and plant medicines. This was over 20 years ago. We are carrying on his legacy.

Tracey: I was having wairua, spirit, stuff happening within my house which was scaring me, so my neighbour introduced me to Maori healers eight years ago. Through that I started to learn the philosophies. Also, my mother had died of brest cancer. When I found out a lot of it was treating the catalyst not symptoms, it was in that moment when I realised I needed this to be my path.

What are your main practices?

Tracey: We mirimiri, which is counselling and korero - energetic exchange. It's not hands-on. Romiromi is body work like massage, removing cellular memory, trauma and experience through pressure points.

Ruatau: We use elbows, hands, sticks and stones – traditional modalities. For the stuff we can't remove we have a traditional ceremony that happens in the mountains and sea, which is a spiritual cleansing….

See full article HERE

19 May 2016

Resource revitalises te reo Maori in early childhood centres

The country's youngest children could be the key to ensuring the preservation of te reo Maori.

But early childhood teachers have not had access to effective tools to teach the language.

The New Zealand Tertiary College (NZTC) has launched a new resource to promote teaching of the Maori language in early childhood centres.

Te reo Maori: He taonga mo a tatou aims to include the language in everyday learning.

"It's important that we share the language in New Zealand with our children so we can further develop and support biculturalism in our centres," she says.

"Children pick up language a lot easier in their early childhood years. If it's spoken here it's a lot more likely to be used in the future."…..

See full article HERE

Maori shut-out illegal

A Taranaki Maori leader says the government should be obliged to step in if New Plymouth District Council can’t find a way to represent Maori interests.

Mayor Andrew Judd isn’t standing again because of the backlash to his attempt to create a Maori seat, and the council has gone for almost its full term without a Maori committee or similar structure.

Grant Knuckey from Te Atiawa says there’s a treaty and legal obligation to have one, and he’d like to see the government legislate for a Maori statutory board, similar to the Auckland model…..

See full article HERE

"If they were Māori, they'd be going straight to jail," says MP

Four Pākehā teenagers were sentenced to community service and fined for stealing 80k worth of goods in Northland. It has sparked online debate on the fairness of the sentence with some believing the punishment would have been more severe if the perpetrators were Māori.

These four teenagers won't be seeing the inside of a jail cell for burglary.

MP Marama Fox says Māori wouldn't have been so lucky.

“If they were Māori, they'd be going straight to jail. That is the challenge before us.”

Law academic Mamari Stephens says it's different for some Māori, “The judge will ask where the family is? Will they support that person? What's the use of giving them community service when they might go and commit another crime?”

Fox wants everyone to be equal under eyes of the law…..

See full article HERE

Yoga in Schools joins forces with te reo Māori

Yoga in Schools Aotearoa is a new school programme teaching students and adults in Christchurch the benefits of yoga. The classes are conducted in te reo Māori. Tutor Letesha Hallett says it's a good way to spread te reo…..

See full article HERE

18 May 2016

Maori wards back on agenda (Gisborne)

It was generally felt that Maori views were not taken into account by the GDC.

GDC has yet to introduce Maori wards (the local government equivalent of the Parliamentary Maori seats) to ensure and improve Maori representation, although there is legislative provision for such wards (they were adopted by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council).

It is important to acknowledge and celebrate all the good things that come with change. Whether it is big or small, it’s the future direction we need to pursue…..

See full article HERE

Possible funding boost for kapa haka in Budget 2016

Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Maggie Barry has told Te Kāea that the government will allocate more funding to kapa haka.

She told Te Kāea, she believes kapa haka is unique to New Zealand and more investment is needed.

Maggie Barry says, "I am very much in favour of them getting more funding to do what they have told me they would like to do. So I have been pushing hard to have consideration of more funding for kapa haka.'

Since the establishment of Te Matatini in 2004, the government has invested $1.2 million in kapa haka annually. …..

See full article HERE

Opportunity for Maori economy

Mr Flavell, along with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Guangzhou Vice Mayor Wang Dong and Auckland Mayor Len Brown, came together at the Tripartite Economic Summit in Auckland which celebrates the relationships between the three sister cities.

Mr Flavell says the summit is a timely and welcome way to build on the relationships Maori-owned businesses are building in Guangzhou and Los Angeles.

“The Summit's theme ‘Making Connections' fits very well with Maori culture,” he says.

“For Maori, relationships are about mana. We are a people whose connections manifest through practices such as hongi where we like to hear your heart, not just slick words.

“Mana enhancing relationships are all about trust, honesty, respect, and dignity, and that is gauged by connections of the heart.

The government strategy is called He kai kei aku ringa, a metaphor for the self-determination of our people which literally means ‘growing food by our own hands',” he says.

The Maori economy is substantial within New Zealand totalling around $42 billion and growing across a range of industries, including a considerable share or the forestry, fishing, farming and horticulture sectors.

Mr Flavell says one in four Maori live and work in Auckland, making the city a crucial economic engine for the Maori economy…..

See full article HERE

Heritage NZ ordered to pay oil company 120k

Heritage New Zealand has been ordered to pay almost $120,000 to an oil company after it lost a court battle over the burial place of Treaty of Waitangi signatory Wiremu Kingi.

In 2014 Heritage New Zealand refused Greymouth Petroleum an archaeological authority for its Kowhai D site in the Waitara Valley in Taranaki, on the grounds it would disrupt the "wider cultural landscape".

The company appealed against the decision to the Environment Court in 2015 and in January this year the court found drilling would have no effect on cultural sites in the area….

See full article HERE

Pew Rejects Negotiations with Maori over Kermadec Reserve; Denies Role in Breaking the Treaty

Pew is digging itself into a hole which will likely damage its international reputation by refusing an offer to meet with Te Ohu Kaimoana, the Maori Treaty organization that holds fishing rights in trust for all New Zealand Maori.

Jamie Tuuta, chairman of Te Ohu Kaimoana, has written a blistering letter over the refusal of Pew to admit its role in the creation of the Kermadec reserve, and asking for a meeting to negotiate a way forward that would both preserve the pristine environment of the Kermadecs, but also uphold Maori treaty rights.

Pew refused such a meeting and instead tried to wash its hands of the situation by saying any further discussion was the responsibility of the New Zealand Government.

Pew had in fact set aside $10 million to promote the Kermadecs….

See full article HERE

Lawyer gains tribal court experience

A Northland man who will be working in a Native American tribal court after he graduates from Harvard Law School believes tribes in the United States have valuable lessons for Maori as they settle with the Crown.

Mr Snelgar said there were many similarities and inequalities that existed for Native American people and Maori across all the socioeconomic indicators, such as health and poverty. The biggest difference is legal sovereignty, said Mr Snelgar.

"Native American tribes have their own separate lands over which they have sovereignty, meaning several have their own parliaments, court systems, for example.

"For us in Aotearoa, this might be a model that iwi might wish to explore - basically having more control over their whenua and people…..

See full article HERE

17 May 2016

Rates relief from Auckland Council

Auckland Council is changing the way it charges rates on Maori land to reflect the limited potential for development of some land in multiple ownership.

The change to the rates remission and postponement policy in the 2016/2017 budget means rates can be adjusted to what would have been charged had the property been valued excluding any potential use that is unlikely to be achieved within Maori ownership.

The rates can also take into account significant barriers to development such as owners being deceased or not succeeded to.

Rates can also be remitted for marae and urupa land even if it is larger than the current two hectare limit for non-rateability.

Land returned under treaty settlement for commercial redress but then set aside and protected for cultural, historic or natural conservation purposes or because it is waahi tapu can also escape rating….

See full article HERE

Major repatriation of Maori and Moriori remains on horizon

Ancestral remains of dozens of Maori and Moriori, including skulls, heads and tattooed skin, are being repatriated to New Zealand.

The return of remains belonging to 60 Maori and Moriori, the indigenous people of the Chatham Islands who were almost wiped out, marks the second-largest repatriation in the history of New Zealand……

See full article HERE

What to do if you're suspicious about a 'bright' new banknote

New "bright" $20, $50 and $100 banknotes officially entered circulation on Monday morning.

Besides the refreshed design, the new notes are packed with added security features making them harder to counterfeit.

The bright $5 and $10 banknotes have been in circulation since October last year, with 9.7 million dispensed.

The new notes include the Maori name for New Zealand, Aotearoa, and The Reserve Bank's Maori name, Te Putea Matua……

See full article HERE

Iwi and Govt unite to boost school results

Two Northland iwi will be working closely with at-risk children and youth to improve education outcomes to ensure no young person is left behind in the education system.

"Iwi, hapu and marae have an important contribution to make in the learning and achievement goals of our tamariki.

"We want to do our bit to help create an environment for our tamariki to thrive and contribute to their whanau, add value to their iwi and to the economy in Te Tai Tokerau," she said…..

See full article HERE

15 May 2016

Council seeks clarity on agreement with local iwi

The Waitaki District Council is seeking amendments to its relationship agreement with local Maori.

Council community services group manager Thunes Cloete and Cr Hugh Perkins met members of the Waitaha Taiwhenua o Waitaki Trust board early this year after a previous agreement between the two groups expired.

The board approved the renewed agreement at its annual general meeting on April 30.

However, at council chambers this week, questions were raised about the meaning of the agreement.

Phrases in the document use Maori terminology that was not understood by councillors.

Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher asked Dr Cloete for a translation of the phrase "For many generations Waitaha have maintained ahi ka uninterrupted'' and a translation could not be provided immediately.

"I want to get my head around what it is exactly we are signing up to,'' Mr Kircher said.

Further, the "application of the relationship agreement'' addressed what the council would provide to the trust board, but did not mention the trust's obligations to the council….

See full article HERE

Local Government Minister supports Māori representation on councils

Local Government Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga told Te Karere that he personally supports Māori representation.

“In my view Māori as tāngata whenua should be involved at all levels of society, whether it be in Parliament where there is strong Māori representation, whether it be on local councils, on boards of schools or on boards of our companies – Māori involvement as tāngata whenua is really important.”

See full article HERE

Free Education to prepare Tamariki for School

A former Foodbank in Auckland has been renovated to now feed children's minds. Te Whanau o Waipereira Trust have established the free playgroup Puna Kāinga to prepare 4-year-olds for school who would otherwise miss out on access to early childhood opportunities.

Free food, free education and a free space for whānau.

"It was to make it more accessible for anyone and everyone to come here where the focus is for our four-year-olds to help them get ready for school," Puna Kāinga Teacher Rachael Heimann says…..

See full article HERE

Matauranga merges with science in new course

A new course at Auckland University aims to show students how ancestral ways or matauranga Maori can be integrated into modern practice.

It's led by Dan Hikuroa, whose training as a geologist led him to adopt a wider earth systems approach which encompasses a range of inter-connected disciplines.

He says the way early Polynesians and Maori developed their matauranga or knowledge was consistent with the scientific method.

See full article HERE

14 May 2016

Māori Party saves Race Relations and Equal Opportunities

The Māori Party has successfully argued for the statutory recognition of the roles of Race Relations Commissioner and Equal Opportunities Commissioner within the Human Rights Commission.

The Human Rights Amendment Bill being considered today before Parliament intended to disband the roles of Race Relations and Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioners. The responsibilities of these two roles were intended to be shared among other Commissioners

The Māori Party urged Justice Minister Amy Adams to continue these roles in the new structure of the Human Rights Commission.

“We only need to look at the comments of Mike Hosking regarding Māori wards in the past week to know that these distinct positions are necessary” says Māori Party Co-Leader Te Ururoa Flavell…..

See full article HERE

Sovereignty on menu for Tau

An advisor to the Iwi Chairs Forum says Sonny Tau’s status as an iwi leader shouldn’t be diminished by his convictions for shooting protected kereru and then attempting to pass the blame on to a relative.

But Willie Te Aho says Ngapuhi is caught by its acclamation for a Waitangi Tribunal finding that it did not cede sovereignty by signing the Treaty of Waitangi.

"Don’t hold him to account to Pakeha law that you don't acknowledge. No crown official consulted with us in terms of the harvesting or not harvesting of those species, so what I say to my brethren in the north is that you can't champion the laws that don't apply to you and then try and use those same laws to have a go at Raniera Tau," he says…..

See full article HERE

Consulting with Māori when making a place name proposal

Find out about how you can consult with Māori when investigating place names

This guide will help you consult with Māori when investigating place names to make a proposal. Consulting with them respects their kawa and tikanga (customs and protocols).,,,

See full article HERE

A treaty isn’t enough, NZ’s indigenous reconciliation efforts shows (Opinion)

The relationship between Māori and the British Crown (which delegated its authority to the New Zealand government) has historically been filled with broken promises. Māori reached their nadir at the turn of the 20th century when their population had fallen to half of what it was at first contact.

Ever since the 1840 signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (New Zealand’s founding document), a raft of government initiatives have resulted in Māori losing both resources and power. To tackle grievances stemming from these actions, reconciliation efforts were established in the country 30 years ago.

The Treaty of Waitangi contains three articles which recognise Māori retaining their mana (authority) and allow the British Crown to govern its own people; protect Māori resources and culture; and require Māori to enjoy equal rights with British citizens.

Despite all this, acts by both the British Crown and successive New Zealand governments have had detrimental effects on Māori. These span the loss of lives to the taking of land through various measures, with Māori becoming culturally and economically bereft within their own lands…..

See full article HERE

Judd trying to make law work

Manurewa MP Louisa Wall says abuse heaped on New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd shows why parliament must step in and ensure Maori are properly represented in local government.

Ms Wall says he was trying to do what laws like the Resource Management Act require, which is ensure Maori views are considered, but the Local government Act creates obstacles to that….

See full article HERE

Bill a grab for Maori land - Whaitiri

Labour MP Meka Whaitiri is urging Maori to make submissions of Te Ture Whenua Maori Bill to stop a corporate land grab.

The 400 page rewrite of Maori land law had its first reading this week and was referred to select committee.

Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell says the bill will protect the rights of Maori owners to retain, control, occupy and develop their land as they see fit.

But Ms Whaitiri says the principle of helping Maori retain their land will be replaced one of ensuring the land becomes available for development, in a way that will shut out many owners…..

See full article HERE

Educators’ key concerns in education funding review

• Meeting our obligations to the Treaty of Waitangi to support learning in and through Te Reo Māori. …

See full article HERE

Te Arawa stories provide genuine tourism experiences

Mr White says Te Arawa’s new partnership with Council, which sees iwi-elected representatives on council committees, ensures local iwi maintain strong relationships across the community and contribute to decision-making which will ensure the continued success of Rotorua’s tourism industry.

His sentiments are echoed by Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick who says Rotorua has always been a community that values tourism. She says continued success relies on local Maori continuing to play a leading role, both as hosts and through economic investment…….

See full article HERE

13 May 2016

Spanish helmet just lost trinket

A leading expert on Maori pre-European history says there’s no evidence to back up a suggestion recently added to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s Te Ara history site that Portugese or Spanish ships may have made it to New Zealand in before Abel Tasman in 1642.

Atholl Anderson says one or two items that have been picked up, such as the so-called Spanish helmet, have fuelled speculation, but if there had been visitors more evidence should have emerged by now.

They’re more likely to have been old items brought travellers or migrants and then lost, much like the finds of pounamu he investigated in Tasmania….

See full article HERE

Trust successful in funding application

Roana Bennett, General Manager for Te Taumata said “Our team will develop eight bi-lingual science kits to be used in local pre-school/kohanga reo, primary, kura kaupapa, intermediate and secondary schools. The content will be based on the successful Matakokiri Science Wananga that the Taumata holds during the first week of every school holidays for tamariki aged from 7 years to 14.” …..

See full article HERE

12 May 2016

Group condemns Maori council posts

Democracy Action said it was deeply concerned by the proposed appointment of two Maori representatives with full voting rights to Masterton District Council's policy and finance, and audit and risk committees.

The Auckland-based lobby group stands for only "elected and accountable" members having voting rights within local authority.

Democracy Action chairman Lee Short said if Kahungunu ki Wairarapa and Rangitane o Wairarapa wanted to influence the direction of council, "they should have had their representatives stand for elected office".

"It is imperative our system of government is democratic, and that each of us is equal under the law."…

See full article HERE

Auckland’s Māori tourism operators carve out spot

It’s been a big year for the Auckland Māori tourism operators on show at TRENZ 2016 this week – there’s been international awards, visits from famous talk show hosts, new products launched and partnerships formed.

“Over the past few years Auckland’s Māori tourism operators have really started to successfully carve out their own unique cultural offering and put the region on the map as another place to experience Māori culture.

“These new attractions provide a great opportunity for Aucklanders and visitors to learn more about the Māori heritage and contemporary culture that Tāmaki Makaurau offers.”…..

See full article HERE

Maori Migration told in short form

The story of the Maori migration across the Pacific is being retold in a new short book this week.

He also discusses how oral tradition and whakapapa can offer reliable accounts of the past, where a focus on place and person builds a historical narrative that can be passed on from generation to generation……

See full article HERE

11 May 2016

Budget 2016: $12.6m increase for Maori Housing

The Māori Housing Network is to receive a $12.6 million boost over the next four years, helping more whānau to realise their housing aspirations, Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell says.

Since last October the Network has helped build 42 affordable rental homes and is supporting housing repairs for around 165 whānau. It is also funding infrastructure (power, water, sewerage system, roading, gas, and telecoms) for social and affordable housing and papakāinga housing on Māori land for 113 whānau.

The new operating funding means the Māori Housing Network, operated by Te Puni Kōkiri, will have a total of $17.6 million a year for Māori housing projects…..

See full article HERE

Changes expected in Taranaki business sector as Maori population grows

A rise in the number of Maori in the workforce is expected to change the way business is done in Taranaki.

Parininihi ki Waitotara CEO Dion Tuuta said more Maori involvement in the business sector could lead to some changes.

"As I expect Maori to play a larger role in the economic development of Taranaki as a region, it will have an effect on how business is done," Tuuta said.....

See full article HERE

Formal complaint laid against Mike Hosking after editorial spiel cause offence

Opinionated TVNZ host Mike Hosking is under the state broadcaster's spotlight after an editorial spiel caused offence.

Seven Sharp last week ran an item about the abuse meted out to New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd, after he proposed a Maori ward on the local council.

A TVNZ spokesperson said in a statement today a formal complaint had been laid against Hosking and it would be reviewed by a committee.

Hosking's comments have been criticised by colleagues Miriama Kamo and Scotty Morrison….

See full article HERE

New Plymouth's only Maori district councillor announces he won't stand for re-election

New Plymouth District Council's only Maori councillor will not stand in October's local election.

Howie Tamati, of Te Atiawa, Ngati Mutunga and Ngai Tahu, has announced that this term will be his last, 15 years after he was first elected on to council…..

See full article HERE

Being Maori more than words

Maori Party co-founder Dame Tariana Turia is rejecting suggestions fluency in te reo Maori should be seen as a mark of being Maori.

But Dame Tariana Turia told Radio Waatea host Willie Jackson none of her contemporaries in her hapu spoke the language because their parents and grandparents had it beaten out of them at school…

See full article HERE

10 May 2016

Dial a Tohunga in it to heal

A newspaper advertisement Dial a Tohunga has attracted much attention on social media. The elder responsible for the advert says, he wants to heal people, not chase money.

Meet Orsgona Tawhara. He says his mission is to help people.

Orsgona Tawhara - Ngati Ira, Te Whakatohea says, “My advert in the newspaper was to provide services for family homes that contain bad sprits, so that I can move them on. That kind of stuff.”

Tawhara says. “There were many who rang me. Some needed their homes blessed while others were just being nosey. Some also rang from Auckland, the South Island and Australia.”

Mr Tawhara says he will continue undertaking his work to bless many people’s homes and lands….

See full article HERE

First of five new learning support hubs opens

Education Minister Hekia Parata today announced the opening of the first of five new learning support hubs to help 16- to 18-year-old Māori achieve NCEA Level 2.

The hubs to be run by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Kaikohe, Mangere, Hamilton, Kawerau and Gisborne will provide a mix of activities designed to assist young people with their studies…..

See full article HERE

Maori doctors coming through in numbers

"We’ve got 15 percent of the populations Maori and 15 percent of kids going into med school are Maori so these next few years, we're starting to see 20, 30, 40, 50 Maori graduates per year so really exciting times. The next step is obvious as well which is working with the colleges so the Maori Medical Practitioners Association - Te ORA are really pleased to be working with the College of Surgeons about building the Maori surgical workforce," says Dr Rawiri Janse ....

See full article HERE

9 May 2016

Local Government - Iwi in positive discussion

The Minister of Local Government Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says Maori involvement with local government is being actively discussed by iwi leaders and councils.

Minister Lotu-Iiga met with the Iwi Chairs Forum at Whakarewarewa yesterday to present his Better Local Services reforms package.

"The BLS reforms preserve existing arrangements under Treaty settlements and those specifically established under legislation. For example, they protect arrangements such as co-governance or co-management in respect of the Rotorua Lakes and the Waikato River.

"The changes to the Local Government Act mean councils can lead re-organisations across regions by creating Council Controlled Organisations. Those CCOs will deliver shared services particularly for water and transport to achieve better value for ratepayers," Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

The Local Government Commission will also have to consult iwi and local communities when considering re-organisations.

"It is pleasing to see Councils and Iwi working through various consultative arrangements to provide better local services and community engagement for ratepayers and their families," Mr Lotu-Iiga says…..

See full article HERE

Govt work with iwi to maximise Māori education results

Education Minister Hekia Parata has announced an investment of just over $7 million over four years to kick start a new way of working with iwi to ensure more young Māori get the qualifications they need to succeed.

Parata says, “Nearly 30 iwi from Kaikohe to Hokonui will work with specific young people, on specific steps, to get specific results. Government has long partnered with iwi on education, but now we have a plan that is more hands-on than ever before.”…

See full article HERE

Wairarapa settlement a gift to nation

Masterton-based Maori Party MP Marama Fox says it comes after a 30-year process of research and negotiation, and means work can now start on the fine print of the settlement that will be put before parliament.

She says it's a huge day for the iwi but it's also a reminder of what has been lost.

"No matter what they come to, no matter what land is returned, no matter what assets are realised, they are literally 1 percent of what should be owed, and while we have the treaty backlash around the nation saying Maori have some sort of underserved privilege, what they will be recognising is the great gift we give back to the nation by not demanding 100 percent," Mrs Fox says….

See full article HERE

Young lives left behind by justice system

Young lives are not being taken into account by the justice system, says Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox.

Her words come after news the killers of Moko Rangitoheriri avoided a murder charge and instead entered a plea of guilty on a lesser manslaughter charge.

"The outcome of this case has made many of our constituents feel the justice system doesn't care about our mokopuna," she said.

"This needs to change."

Fox said New Zealand has "unacceptable level of violence" and is calling on iwi leaders to get involved with finding solutions.

"We need iwi leaders to take charge of the situation and ensure they don't just have an asset plan but social development plans where children's lives are turned around.

"And the government needs to allow us to do that."…

See full article HERE

Scholarship for Maori surgeons

New Zealand has more than 800 surgeons but fewer than 10 identify as Maori - an imbalance which a new $20,000 surgical scholarship aims to address.

The scholarship, provided by Johnson and Johnson Medical along with Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, will provide support to Maori doctors studying to become surgeons…..

See full article HERE

7 May 2016

Iwi Leaders' Forum gives Maori voice

Iwi leaders from all over Aotearoa were welcomed to Rotorua yesterday for day one of a two-day forum.

Rotorua forum chairman and Te Arawa kaumatua Sir Toby Curtis said the forum attracted the leaders from all iwi in the country plus their support teams with about 200 people attending.

He said the forum gave confidence to Maori that they can have a say in the overall running and development of the nation.

"We believe we have a particular contribution we can make in terms of being tangata whenua ... and how our lives are guided and directed no matter which government is in power.

The main issues are to ensure Maori play a reasonable role in the running of our country through local government, through government departments ... and a Maori view that captures the cultural significance in terms of what is best for our future direction."

Also attending the forum were Maori Party co-leader and Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell, Rotorua MP and Trade Minister Todd McClay, Treaty Settlements Minister Chris Finlayson, Minister of Local Government Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, Professor Margaret Mutu, Sir Tumu Te Heuheu, Sir Mark Solomon and Judge Carolyn Henwood…..

See full article HERE

Inquiry to align legislation around postmortems with Māori customs

There is an inquiry currently taking place that hopes to align the current legislation around post-mortems with Māori customs.

“We have seen that how Māori and how Pākehā tend to the deceased is very different”, Davidson says.

See full article HERE

TPP doesn't breach Maori rights - Waitangi

Maori interests will be "reasonably" protected in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP), according to the Waitangi Tribunal.

See full article HERE

New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd rules out re-election

New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd has confirmed he will not be standing for a second term in office - having suffered abuse, including being spat at, over his support for a Maori ward.

Out of 471 people who voted in a Stuff poll last month on whether Judd would get their support if he stood again, 68 per cent said he would not get their vote. …..

See full article HERE

Iwi leaders debate having one voice

An iwi leader says the Iwi Chairs Forum should be the primary representative body for all Māori in NZ. Haami Piripi of Te Rarawa says the forum and the NZ Māori Council could have a combined voice for Māori…..

See full article HERE

6 May 2016

Appointed iwi representatives get voting rights on Masterton council committees

A Wairarapa council has approved the appointment of unelected iwi representatives, with voting rights, to its standing committees.

Masterton District Council voted on Wednesday to appoint representatives from Wairarapa's two iwi, Kahungunu ki Wairarapa and Rangitane o Wairarapa, each with speaking and voting rights, to its policy and finance, and audit and risk, committees.

They also have speaking rights at full council meetings, which ratify the recommendations from the two standing committees.

Backing the proposal, deputy mayor Graham McClymont urged councillors not to "fear" the reaction of Pakeha voters.

The vote was carried 7-2, with Caffell and Goodwin opposed.

Iwi will decide on their representatives, and the new arrangement could be in place by July….

See full article HERE

Karakia could fall foul of ban on Bible teaching in state schools

Maori prayers could be banned from the classroom if campaigners are successful in their bid to remove religious instruction from state schools, an academic says.

AUT history professor Dr Paul Moon's comments come after a High Court judge last month threw out a test case because the parent challenging the legality of the Bible in Schools programme failed to file documents in time.

Dr Moon said while that court action had failed, it would not be the last attempt to remove Bible teaching from the country's state schools.

"Banning religious practices in schools, may inevitably extend to removing karakia from schools as well," Dr Moon said.

Dr Moon said any attempt to remove karakia from schools would be a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi.

"Maori cultural expression is guaranteed in the Treaty," he said…..

See full article HERE

Policy sought on rates remission for unproductive land

A Maori legal centre has called on the Dunedin City Council to provide rates remission for Maori ancestral land not producing revenue.

Ms Williams said a ‘‘very minimal'' amount of land was involved, but a block owned by William and Mary Ellison, who accompanied her at the annual plan hearing, was an example.

She said the land involved was freehold land that had been passed down through generations, and was quite different from iwi-owned land.

The couple were not keen to abandon Maori land.‘‘Maori hold the view that they are inexorably connected to the land.

‘‘The catastrophic loss of Maori land which has taken place since colonisation has irreparably damaged the spiritual links of Maori with their whenua,'' Ms Williams said in her submission.

Asked about the scope of freehold land, Ms Williams said in the South Island it made up about half a percent of land mass.

In Dunedin, where there were blocks in Karitane, Waikouaiti and some on the Taieri, it made up less than quarter of a percent of land….

See full article HERE

NZ health system ignores Māori tikanga - study

Māori cancer patients feel uncomfortable when they use mainstream healthcare because Māori tikanga - or culture - is ignored, new research has found.

They found tāngata whenua did not feel culturally safe once they stopped seeing Māori health providers and moved into the mainstream health system for treatment…..

See full article HERE

Researchers dig in to Maori economy

Politicians trumpet claims that the Maori economy is worth $40 billion, but Maori researchers say it’s hard to understand what that figure means.

He says while a lot is known about some of the larger tribal enterprises, there is a vast amount of activity where there is little data available.

"We are great exporters at the moment, certainly in the tribal system, but the other area of great growth is the hundreds of small enterprises started by Maori families, individuals, taxi drivers, owning shops, all these sorts of things, little businesses up and down the countryside. We don't have a good picture of that." Associate Professor Henare says….

See full article HERE

5 May 2016

'Undisclosed party' interested in Coromandel fish farming, financial flamboyance required

The Coromandel marine environment has been reopened to tenders after renewed interest in fish farming.

No one wanted to venture into fish farming five years ago, said Coromandel Marine Farmers Association chairman Gilbert James.

It's too expensive and there is no guarantee of success, he said.

In 2011, the Government amended the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan, setting aside two areas for fish farming but interest waned.

But a new player has entered the scene with the desire and capacity to make fish farming happen and Waikato Regional Council strategy and policy committee is calling for tenders from all interested parties.

Hauraki iwi might miss out on the tender process because they are still waiting for their treaty claim to be finalised, Mahuta said but Silver said 20 per cent of the area has been reserved for iwi…..

See full article HERE

Judd plans hikoi from mayoralty

From the mayoral office to Parihaka.

That’s how New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd hopes to make his swansong from local government in June.

It’s widely expected Mr Judd won’t stand again after the crushing defeat by referendum of his plan to create a Maori ward on the council.

He told Radio Waatea host Willie Jackson he will reveal his plans on June 17, when he will hikoi from New Plymouth to Parihaka, the township on the western edge of Taranaki Maunga that is a symbol of Maori resistance to colonialism and land loss.

"I’m really trying to reference to the country that I'm shocked by what's been going on. We've almost got to reboot and start a fresh and there are so many underpinning conversations with what that message is, not only the basics around honouring what was promised by our ancestors promised but actually truly Pakeha to Pakeha having an honest and authentic conversation with ourselves about our colonial attitude towards our treaty partner, the tangata whenua" Mr Judd says…..

See full article HERE

$6.2m settlement for Far North iwi

A $6.2 million Treaty of Waitangi settlement will help a Far North iwi create training opportunities and scholarships for whanau and hapu, the chairman says.

The settlement includes a financial redress of $6.2 million and will give iwi ownership of 15 cultural sites, including 2275ha of the Stony Creek Station, about 10km south of Mangonui.

David Manuel, chairman of Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa's post-settlement governance entity, Kahukuraariki Trust, said the settlement gave the iwi the chance to move forward.

"It's never enough based on how long the land had been in Crown ownership. But it is an opportunity for us to step forward and to move forward for future generations," he said.

The 15 cultural sites which will be vested to Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa total about 3422.3ha and include Kowhairoa Peninsula property (about 282.9ha).

A cultural fund of $300,000 will also be given for the development and implementation of a historic reserve management plan for the property.

The Deed of Settlement also includes a Crown apology for historical grievances and acknowledges Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa were left "virtually landless" and because of this the majority of their people now live outside the rohe (area).

Eleven geographic names will be also be assigned or altered on settlement….

See full article HERE

Bitter South Island iwi spat revealed

A leading Ngāi Tahu figure, Sir Tipene O'Regan, has waded into a row between tribal leader Sir Mark Solomon and the iwi's chief executive Arihia Bennett.

For many years the South Island's powerful Ngāi Tahu iwi, which has assets reportedly totalling $1.34 billion, has gone about its business managing its many successful ventures without fanfare.

A confidential memorandum has been leaked containing a raft of allegations by chairman Sir Mark Solomon that the perception of nepotism and corruption were creeping into the way the iwi conducted itself…..

See full article HERE

Pressure on water bottlers to pay up

Maori are backing calls for bottlers to be charged and have been fighting the issue since 1985.

Maori Council member Maanu Paul said personal and recreational use of water should be free, but giving it away for a profit is wrong.

"They are ripping off Maori Treaty [of Waitangi] rights. I don't care if it's the water bottling company or the city councils using the water to sell off to people," Paul said.

Paul has been arguing over water since 1985, when action was brought against the sale of State Owned Enterprises…..

See full article HERE

4 May 2016

Owning water nonsensical, minister says

Dr Smith said Māori had interests as land owners and were major players in horticulture, agriculture and other industries but they would not be given any preferential or financial rights over water. But he agreed Māori should be part of decision making processes.

"How do we ensure that iwi are involved in the decision making process around freshwater that is made by our councils on a catchment on catchment basis?

"What we're saying is that iwi have an absolute legitimate right to have a say in the way in which New Zealand manages its freshwater. Those balanced judgements around setting those quality standards and the system by which we make a decision on allocation.".…

See full article HERE

Maniapoto takes aim at curriculum

Education was high on the agenda for Prime Minister John Key's visit to Te Kuiti last week.

Keith Ikin from Ngati Maniapoto says the iwi is keen to look at new and different ways to support the generations coming through to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

While in the past, iwi have tended to invest through tertiary scholarships, he says Maniapoto wants to work with schools in its rohe.

Priorities include use of technology and getting the iwi's view of history more widely understood.

"We've been able to achieve what the education leaders within Maniapoto, a commitment to having input into the curriculum around Maniapoto, history, tikanga o Maniapoto, te reo o Maniapoto, our own European contact history and the land wars and we believe it is really important our young people, all young people in our community have knowledge of who we are, where we have come from, our history, our culture," he says……

See full article HERE

Plans underway for first ever Māori language parade

New Zealand’s first ever parade to celebrate the Māori language will get underway in Wellington on July 4.

The Māori Language Commission is currently mobilising hundreds of groups and thousands of people, to take part in the event which will kick off this year’s annual Māori Language Week campaign.

“We are taking te reo Māori to the streets and making it visible in places and spaces where it isn’t,” said commission chief executive Ngahiwi Apanui….

See full article HERE

Maui's dolphin protection plan doesn't breach Treaty, tribunal finds

The Waitangi Tribunal has found that the Government's protection plan for the highly endangered Maui's dolphin does not breach the Treaty of Waitangi.

The tribunal said today that the native dolphin was a taonga to two North Island hapu because of its endangered status, and their interests deserved the Crown's protection under the Treaty.

However, there was no evidence that the Crown's threat management plan for the dolphin breached the Treaty.

"While it was obliged to take into account the dolphin's importance as a taonga to Māori, the Crown also owed Treaty duties to Māori with fisheries interests in the Māui's dolphin habitat."…

See full article HERE

Te Tai Tokerau MP survey highlights Māori opposition to deep sea oil drilling

The Tai Tokerau electorate has been vocal on deep sea oil drilling. Labour's Kelvin Davis says his very own survey findings show this.

Kelvin Davis' Christmas Card Survey found that 86% of those surveyed opposed deep sea oil drilling. He says the survey is the first of its kind.

Davis says, “Although this isn't a scientific survey, this is the largest survey undertaken of this nature. 6000 people responded as to whether they supported deep sea oil drilling or not. There is no other survey as large as this. “

Kelvin Davis says most of the 6000 people in the survey are opposed to oil drilling. 9% said they needed more information to make a decision on the issue, while only 4% supported deep sea oil drilling.

He says, “I did this survey to find out what the people of Te Tai Tokerau think. The issue I have is that if a national survey is carried out, the concerns of Māori will be lost.”

Although the findings won't make a difference to the Government's plans, Kelvin Davis says the voice of Te Tai Tokerau will never be forgotten……

See full article HERE

Doctors embrace traditional Māori medicine

Rongoā Māori, a traditional healing system that's embedded in Māori cultural traditions and beliefs, is becoming increasingly popular and some doctors are urging their peers to embrace it.

A recent study found Māori wanted doctors and traditional healers to work more closely, but doctors' lack of cultural knowledge and acceptance was a barrier…..

See full article HERE

2 May 2016

Name change shock angers councillor

TAURANGA councillor Gail McIntosh has declared herself "super p***** off" at being blindsided by a proposal to change the name of Cambridge Park.

Letters went out to organisations and nearby residents earlier this month announcing that the council "intends to commence the process to change the name of the reserve at the end of May".

But the trouble was that no one had bothered to tell councillors about the suggested name change to Te Waha O Te Marangai, which translates to "the mouth of the storm".

"It makes me wonder who is running the council, staff or elected members," Cr McIntosh said.

The political storm was touched off by a letter to the editor from former city councillor Mike Baker, who was on the mailing list for the name change letter.

He said the council's response to his inquiries made it appear that the opportunity for the community to either object or support the proposal did not exist.

He said there was a risk that name changes from non-Maori to Maori names would become the norm…..

See full article HERE

Never again, urge Porotī trustees

he Māori trustees of Porotī Springs near Whangarei say the local council should never again issue a consent for a water-bottling plant over the road.

A land-use consent for a factory, granted 12 years ago to the Auckland company Zodiac Holdings, has lapsed with no sign of building on the site, and no application to the council for a building permit.

Zodiac Holdings and its subsidiary, New Zealand Spring Water, have declined to comment on why they allowed the land-use consent to lapse.

The company has a separate resource consent to take water from bores on the land for the next 30 years, but has never used it.

Māori who own Porotī Springs have strongly opposed the bottling project, fearing it would deplete the aquifer that feeds the springs.

Trustees chair Taipari Munro said hapū feared Zodiac was about to sell the site to overseas interests…..

See full article HERE

CYF gone by March next year

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says by the end of March next year Child Youth and Family will be gone.

The National Party gathered in Hamilton today for Social Development Minister Anne Tolley's announcement.

“The way that CYFS currently works now, their way of operating is gone. And by the end of March next year, Child Youth and Family as an organisation will be finished.”

Tolley announced a number of new initiatives for better child care.

“The new Model will focus on five core services - Prevention, Intensive Intervention, Care Support, Youth Justice and Transition Support. So instead of responding to a crisis, the agency or the new structure will take a life-long view.”

The majority of children known to CYFs are Māori. The Minister says it latest plan will address this over-representation.

“We have to partner with Iwi, with our Whānau Ora procurement agents, purchasing agents, with Māori academics, and with Māori whānau. And we need to develop and test new initiatives to find new ways to work together to get better outcomes for their tamariki and whanau,” says Tolley……

See full article HERE

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

1 May 2016

Secrets of the Maori heavens revealed

A curator of Waikato Museum’s Matariki show says it’s a chance to reveal some of the trove of information he has gathered about Maori astronomy.

Waikato University Associate Professor Rangi Matamua has delved into the manuscript written early last century by his great-grandfather which names more 1000 stars and the Tuhoe understanding of them.

He says it’s consistent with what he has discovered from other tribal areas, and shows a sophisticated knowledge of the environment…..

See full article HERE

$93m for Wairarapa, Tamaki iwi

A Crown offer of $93 million and almost 20,000ha of land -- including forestry sites at Ngaumu and the bed of Lake Wairarapa -- has been accepted by the people of Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa and Tamaki Nui-a-Rua in settlement of their historic Treaty of Waitangi claims…..

See full article HERE

Kids are leaving Māori medium education between kōhanga reo and kura

Māori medium education loses kids as they get older and move through the education system.

"Large numbers of Māori are leaving Māori medium education at key transition points," the report said.

For example, just over 2600 kids who'd been to kōhanga reo were starting school in 2014.

Only 49 per cent of them (1275) were going to learn in Māori at kura, and the pattern was similar for the move to secondary.

About 1000 of the Year 6 students learning in Māori in 2011 had stopped three years later…

"It's really important to us that those who wish to attend Maori immersion can do so. Māori language is a taonga guaranteed under the Treaty of Waitangi."

About $400,427,000 was spent on supporting te reo in English and Māori medium schools in the 2010/2011 financial year.

How many kids learned in te reo in 2014?
* Early childhood: 9389 - about 22 per cent of all Māori kids enrolled in early childhood
* Primary and secondary: 17,263 - just under 10 per cent of all Māori at that level
Source: Ministry of Education

See full article HERE

30 April 2016

Waitangi Tribunal water claims continue, Government stands firm

As Waitangi Tribunal water claims move into the next phase, the Government is standing its ground.

The second stage of the Tribunal inquiry has been confirmed, and will look at the scope of Maori water rights and how they apply in a modern context.

Prime Minister John Key described the Government's stance on water rights as "diametrically opposite" to some claimants.

"There's been a very consistent view across a great many previous governments and that is that no one owns water," he said.

"The Government's view is there won't be a national settlement...but we recognise those rights and interests on an ongoing basis."

The Maori Council have submitted on the latest freshwater consultation, referring the Government to the Tribunal finding that Maori have rights amounting to ownership of water.

Government policies and proposals did not provide adequately for "Maori proprietary water interests", it said in its submission…..

See full article HERE

Sir Mark Solomon to step down from Ngai Tahu

Sir Mark Solomon's 18-year reign as leader of Ngai Tahu will soon be over.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon Solomon said he would not seek re-election as the Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu representative for Kaikoura…..

See full article HERE

Ocean Sanctuary Threatens Maori Constitutional Rights, Say New Zealand Indigenous Leaders

"Coming in here and pushing us around, and pushing our political leaders around in the manner they have is reprehensible and has to be opposed," said Sir Tipene O'Regan, who was instrumental in negotiating the 1992 settlement…..

See full article HERE

Government climate fraud tolerance a toll on Maori

A Maori climate change campaigner says the Government’s failure to stop New Zealand companies including state owned enterprises buying fraudulent carbon credits has cost Maori forest owners hundreds of millions of dollars…….

See full article HERE

Mispronunciation of Taranaki te reo Maori words 'not good enough'

A Maori language leader says there are still small pockets of people who mispronounce Maori place names on purpose.

"They say it's because it's the way the have always said it, which isn't really good enough," Trustee of Te Reo o Taranaki Will Edwards said.

Edwards said this was lazy and correct pronunciation was a basic level of respect….

See full article HERE

Maori King Tuuheitia gets Hamilton's highest civic honour

The Maori King Tuuheitia has been awarded Hamilton's Freedom Holder of the City - the city's highest civic honour.

The Hamilton City Council made the announcement on Friday, with the award to be conferred later in the year.

Tuuheitia's mother, the late Maori Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, was made a Freedom Holder of the City in 1973.

The honour is limited to 12 living people at any one time.

Deputy Mayor Gordon Chesterman said Tuuheitia was a respected leader who had made a significant contribution to Hamilton…..

See full article HERE

29 April 2016

Water ownership back before Waitangi Tribunal

Who owns New Zealand's water is the million-dollar question.

Despite a 2012 Waitangi Tribunal ruling that Māori have rights and interests in water, the country is no closer to answering that question - which is fast becoming priceless.

When considering the Māori Council's claim three years ago, the tribunal determined Māori had rights equivalent to ownership under the Treaty of Waitangi.

Those rights were to be protected by the treaty with the expectation that the waters would be shared with incoming settlers….

See full article HERE

Smith smackdown over fishing rights

Te Arawa leader Sir Toby Curtis says Environment Minister Nick Smith is talking nonsense about the proposed Kermadec ocean sanctuary.

Dr Smith says Maori they are ignoring the need for leadership in marine conservation - that’s despite the fact Maori led the move a decade ago to turn the same area into a benthic protection zone with no trawling or dredging allowed.

He says they are also overstating the impacts in respect of fishery and Treaty settlement obligations, and the fact Maori have not fished the area since the settlement means they have no case.

Sir Toby says it’s a clear breach of the 1992 Maori fisheries settlement and a denial of the Maori development right.

"Because we don’t farm certain land we have doesn't mean they can take it away from us. It's the same argument for the Kermadecs, if you haven't used it for what you can use it for, that doesn't give anyone the right to take it away from you," he says.

Sir Toby says the crown made a full and final settlement with Maori on fishing rights, and the Government can’t change it on a whim…..

See full article HERE

28 April 2016

Geothermal prize in water battle

A lawyer for the New Zealand Maori Council says while the attention around water claims is now focused on the clear cold water being bottled for export, Maori also have their eyes on the hot water under the earth.

Donna Hall says the Waitangi Tribunal hearing set for September is a chance to establish how Maori ownership of specific water bodies should be recognised.

That needs to be done before the government finalises its policies over allocation and management

She says central North Island tribes like Te Arawa and Tuwharetoa has seen government-owned power companies establish geothermal plants on their land, and they want a right to develop their own resources for the benefit of their people.

"If it is confirmed that Maori have a proprietary interest in the geothermal field itself, it means that whenever anyone applies to draw a bore in a field where there are clear iwi customary users and associations, they are going to have to talk first about who has that right," Ms Hall says….

See full article HERE

Focus on fire safety in te reo Maori

The Rotorua Fire Service's new iwi liaison officer is looking forward to helping people by sharing his fire safety skills and says more fluent Maori speakers are needed to help deliver safety messages.

Kereama Katu has been in the Fire Service for 13-and-a-half years and has just been appointed to this role.

"Now that I'm in the Fire Service I can see we need more fluent Maori speakers within the service to help deliver safety messages."

"I have a team who help me as well, I work with them and we go out to the communities and schools and we present the programme in te reo." ….

See full article HERE

Iwi filling in housing gaps

An Auckland iwi has bought a block of Crown land at Hobsonville to build 430 homes - but iwi have failed to bid for the next block offered in nearby Massey. ….

See full article HERE

Here's my response to your opinion piece on Ture Whenua.

While I wouldn’t (god forbid) presume to speak for the Minister of Treaty Settlements Christopher Finlayson, what I do know after working alongside him as a (former) National Party List MP, is that he consults and takes advice from a broad sector of Maori - predominantly Iwi affiliated. He has confidantes and access to tribal goings-on that the Labour Party Maori caucus is denied and therefore envies. Much of this is due to the 95 Treaty Settlements signed under his six year watch compared to Labours six in nine years. Ngai Tuhoe Settlement is a classic example of Finlayson honouring personal commitments to tribes and individuals…..

But political ideologists need to be reminded Maori are neither left nor right, socialist nor capitalist nor anything in between. These constructs aren’t ours they’re colonialist. What we are is Maori, indigenous, native…..

So Komrad, one last thought for you to ponder. Maori is not a class-system dreamt up by some old white male in Eastern, Western, Central Europe or where-ever-the-prussian Marx came from. We are tangatawhenua, mana whenua, native…..

See full article HERE

Tribunal agrees to hear Māori water claim

The Waitangi Tribunal is to hear the second part of the Māori Council's claim advocating Māori ownership rights for water.

The announcement comes at the end of a government consultation round on freshwater.

In 2012, the Waitangi Tribunal found Māori had ownership rights and interests in water - which were protected by the Treaty of Waitangi. However, the government said no one owned water.

In the absence of ownership, local authorities have focused on the allocation of water instead.

In Taranaki, the regional council has given away the bulk of water rights to farmers and energy companies, at no cost.

In other parts of the country, water has also been allocated to commercial ventures - again at no cost.

The second phase of the water claim will focus on changes needed to recognise the tribunal's initial findings that Māori have water interests and rights, and is expected to be heard next year….

See full article HERE

27 April 2016

Anzac Day reaffirms call for a day to remember NZ Land Wars

Thousands have gathered at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington this morning to mark the anniversary of the Anzac landings at Gallipoli.

While many shared their thoughts on the brave who lost their lives in the first World War, some Maori are calling for a national day to commemorate New Zealand’s very own land wars.

Tauranga’s Awanui Black says, “We need one special day. If we don't continue to remember, then those same mistakes might happen again.”

A new public holiday to mark the New Zealand wars has been a popular debate among Māori over the last year and Mr Black believes iwi should administer the event…..

See full article HERE

Tribunal ready to hear water claims

The Waitangi Tribunal has lost patience with the Government’s stalling tactics over water and has set a date for hearings on stage two of the water claims.

Stage one was reported on back in 2012 as the New Zealand Maori Council and iwi with an interest in water used for hydro generation challenged the partial privatisation of state owned power generation companies.

The tribunal found Maori could have rights and interests in specific water resources, and the stage two hearings would look at what reforms would be needed to recognise those rights and interests in a way that is consistent with the Treaty of Waitangi.

Since then the government has worked on policy options, talking with the Freshwater Iwi Leaders Group rather than the council….

See full article HERE

Case strong for water ownership

A member of the Freshwater Iwi Leaders Group says the Maori case for ownership of specific water bodies is strong.

Two Northland cases are likely to feature strongly in the Waitangi Tribunal hearings on water starting in September.

Both the lakebed and the water of Lake Omapere near Kaikohe were vested in Maori owners in 1912, and the hapu that owns the land around Poroti Springs near Whangarei have an 1896 Native Land Court judgment upholding ownership….

See full article HERE

Maori give Govt go ahead for housing

The government has signed an agreement with Ngāti Whātua which gives the green light for a 400-home development at Hobsonville.

Housing Minister Nick Smith says the subdivision will go ahead next summer with the first homes completed in early 2018.

Dr Smith says 15 percent will cost below $450,000, 7.5 percent below $500,000 and 7.5 percent below $550,000.

At least 50 percent of them will go to first home buyers and the other 50 percent will be sold below Auckland's median house price.

Ngāti Whātua had right of first refusal over the surplus land at Hobsonville and has signed a memorandum of understanding about its use for housing.

Dr Smith says a similar agreement is being explored with Ngāti Whātua involving 18 hectares of land in north-west Auckland owned by NZTA…..

See full article HERE

Ownership question must come before allocation policy

A lawyer for the New Zealand Maori Council says the Waitangi Tribunal is the only body that can give Maori a proper hearing over their water claims.

Donna Hall says the crown was asking for another year to develop policy on water allocation, including consulting further with the Freshwater iwi Leaders Group.

the hearing will also look at who has the right to exploit the geothermal fields under Maori-owned land..…

See full article HERE

26 April 2016

From the NZCPR archives by David Round
A House Divided
Nations can fail, and from time to time they do. New Zealand enjoys no exemption from the laws of history. We are so used to our reputation as the ‘social laboratory of the world’ that we seem to have forgotten that not all laboratory experiments succeed. We have been so bewitched, or so intimidated, by the mystique of the Treaty, that it seems never to have occurred to us that any policy attributed to that magical document could ever have anything but the happiest consequences. But the Treaty offers no magical guarantee that anything done in its name will bring only blessings. Nations can fail, and they can be brought to their ruin by policies entered into with the highest motives. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

New Zealand’s history has not been without injustices, although they are often exaggerated. But whatever justification there may have been in the past for Treaty claims, the Treaty industry is now the self-perpetuating vehicle by which a small greedy and power-hungry clique practices a gigantic con-job on the people of New Zealand.

It is time ~ it is long past time ~ that we shake ourselves free from the baleful spell the Treaty industry has cast upon our nation, and calmly and clearly assess the good and ill it has actually done. We must assess where we are, and examine the ways ahead. Our country stands now at a crossroads. To introduce the Treaty into our constitution, with all its inevitable consequences, would be to commit ourselves irrevocably to one particular path ~ the path of racial discrimination and hatred, social disruption, poverty and civil strife. There is still time to take the better way, but the opportunity to do so will end forever if we make the wrong decision on the constitutional issue now confronting us….
Read David's full ICRP report HERE

December 10, 2013

24 April 2016

From the NZCPR archives by Stephen Franks
The New Zealand Maori Council Water Rights Claim
When Contact was sold a decade ago there was no claim that the legislation to enable that sale, which took Contact out of the SOE stable, raised Treaty issues.

So why would Maori think that they can get traction now with claims that are so obviously vexatious?

The answer is simple – because they have so much experience to show they can face down politicians who would rather buy peace in their time, than hold to the principles of colour blind law and the real Treaty!….
See full article HERE
February 12, 2012

23 April 2016

Iwi oppose cafe at Putaruru's Blue Springs

Plans to build a restaurant and cafe beside a popular South Waikato tourist destination have been opposed by local iwi.

Cheryl Waite has applied for resource consent to build cafe/restaurant next to the Te Waihou Blue Springs in Putaruru, plus an accommodation facility for up to 10 people.

But in a written submission on the proposal for consent, Raukawa group manager for environment, Grant Kettle, said they could not give their written approval to the application.

The Blue Springs have proved increasing popular of late, with a record number of 5200 people visiting the springs in December, increasing to 8949 in January.

"This increase has resulted in adverse effects on the surrounding environment including degradation of the river banks, loss of riparian and aquatic vegetation and littering."

Ruakawa was concerned that Waite's proposed development would increase visitor numbers further and lead to further destruction and erosion.

Kettle said, for those reasons, they could not give their written approval to the application.

Waite previously said she was frustrated by the delays being caused by the need for Ruakawa to have their say on the application…..

See full article HERE

Engaging with Iwi

We value our role in the community and local iwi as a major stakeholder in the port. Given the place of our seaport in Auckland city, we have developed a special relationship with Ngāti Whātua over time.

We consult iwi over port projects and developments, from smaller-scale projects, like work around the location of Te Kawau's Rock (Britomart Point) to make it more accessible for the community, to larger port extension and reclamation works.

Our local iwi, Ngāti Whātua, also facilitates Māori ceremonies and protocols for our port, including; the blessing of vessels as they arrive in Auckland before they start service. The most recent blessing was of our new pilot boat Wakatere, which arrived at the port in November 2015.

As we grow our network of freight hubs, we will grow our engagement with all tangata whenua as we develop relationships with iwi in these regions….

See full article HERE

Māori Academic contributes to indigenous global report

A world-first study into the health and wellbeing of more than 154 million Indigenous and tribal peoples globally has been launched today.

One of the authors who provided a New Zealand perspective was Bridget Robson, Associate Dean Māori from the University of Otago, Wellington.

The next steps include developing data systems that support iwi and hapū to monitor health and social outcomes for their own people and rohe, incorporating Māori values and concepts of health and wellbeing.”

Some of the key findings from the study include:

Maternal mortality in New Zealand is low compared to that of many countries in this study, but Māori women have twice the risk of non-Māori. Low birth weight rates are higher for Māori but the gap is relatively small (a difference of 1.1 per 1000 live births).

Māori are twice as likely as non-Māori to live in low-income households, a key social determinant of health.

The study shows evidence of poorer health and social outcomes for many Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, demonstrating the need for governments to develop tailored policy responses to Indigenous health. However, the patterns are not uniform….

See full article HERE

Supporting local iwi

Auckland Airport marae

We developed our airport marae (Te Manukanuka o Hoturoa Marae) in partnership with Tainui, and contribute to its running costs. The marae is a cultural resource available to all members of the airport community.

Auckland Airport Gold Medal Awards

Each year the Auckland Airport Gold Medal Awards provide $30,000 in grants to support sport and fitness activities, including at marae. In 2015 marae recipients included Papatuanuku Kokiri Marae plus local schools Te Kura Maori o Nga Tapuwae and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori a Rohe o Mangere.

Observing Māori protocol

We regularly involve iwi in protocol ceremonies around the airport.

See full article HERE

22 April 2016

Health impacts of climate on Maori underplayed

Te Ora Taiao, the New Zealand Climate and Health Council, says the Royal Society's climate risks report overlooks the real health risks to New Zealanders from climate change.

He says the report does recognise the impact on specific groups, and that applies to health as well.

"Those things are going to impact differently on different groups of people and particularly as Maori, having already some of the worst health outcomes in New Zealand, we stand to be affected much more than other groups because of where we live, socioeconomic conditions, cultural practices, and things like that," Dr Jones says.

He says iwi need to play a greater role in identifying the risks to their people and pushing for action……

See full article HERE

Support for iwi-led social housing initiative

An iwi-led housing project in Christchurch has been lauded today by the Minister for Māori Development as another string to the bow of positive initiatives being driven by Te Rūnanga o Ngai Tahu for whānau in their takiwā.

“The housing projects we’ve supported are in regions that have high Māori housing needs including the East Coast and Northland.

“The Network’s goal is to work with whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori to realise their own housing aspirations.”

The Māori Housing Network was launched after securing $35.3 million in last year’s budget……

See full article HERE

Chance to engage Maori voters online lost

Greens co-leader Metiria Turei is disappointed a trial of online voting in this year’s local body elections has been cancelled.

The Government says it’s not convinced the technology was sufficiently secure to be used with confidence.

"And for Maori it's incredibly important. We have very few Maori councillors on city and territorial authorities and we know that major decisions about resources, land and water are made at the council level and so we need to maximise our representation at the council level," Ms Turei says….

See full article HERE

Pressure drives down benefit total

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley is celebrating the number of people receiving a main benefit falling below 280,000 for the first time since 2008.

Beneficiary numbers fell by just over 4300 or 1.5 per cent in the year to March 2016.

Most of that came from those getting Sole Parent Support, which dropped 5.7 percent.

The largest annual decrease came from Auckland and Bay of Plenty, where Sole Parent Support numbers dropped 8.2 per cent and the total 8.3 percent.

From April 1 there has been an expectation that sole parents and partners of beneficiaries look for part-time work of 20 hours a week when their youngest child turns 3, instead of 5.

There were 42,091 Maori getting the jobseeker support benefit, or 35 percent of the total, compared with 45,526 Pakeha.

31,461 Maori were getting Sole Parent Support, 47 percent of the total, compared with just over 20,000 Pakeha….

See full article HERE

21 April 2016

Māori Council scrutinises water ownership

New Zealand Māori Council representative Donna Hall says the management of water resources cannot progress until the issue of ownership has been addressed. This comes following the release of the government's freshwater reforms.

New Zealand Māori Council representative Donna Hall questions the government's allocation of water rights following the release of the government's freshwater reforms.

“Basically for everyone who gets that paper the New Zealand Māori Council sees the position like this. What the Government is doing is working out whose going to be the tenant of the house and what colour the walls are going to be painted and what a fair rental will be. But it hasnt asked itself who owns the house. That is the position that the council takes. There is a fundamental question to be asked about water and it needs to be answered,” says Māori Council lawyer, Donna Hall….

See full article HERE

Calls for park to be established to remember both sides of land war conflict

A Taranaki kaumatua wants a separate memorial set up to pay tribute to Maori who died in the 19th century land wars.

Te Atiawa's Grant Knuckey said his idea to establish a memorial park on Waitara's McLean St would address the current historical imbalance, which only reflects the losses suffered by the colonial troops.

Knuckey said the park would incorporate the existing obelisk erected in 1915 to honour 34 British soldiers who died in the 1860 land wars.

There was a lack of public recognition for the losses tangata whenua suffered during this time, he said…..

See full article HERE

Bloody beatings enforced language loss

Former MP Dover Samuels says the punishment of children for speaking te reo Maori is a cause for national shame, but the acknowledgement of it in the new Maori Language (Te Reo Maori) Bill is probably as much as can be expected this time.

He says children were expected to drop their identity and culture behind at the gate, and they were caned if they spoke their language.

"Because we didn’t have much padding on, just a pair of trousers, no underpants, anything like that, and when the cane got a bit low on your trousers it drew blood, and I think that issue has been swept under in terms of that generation because it has been so deep. All governments, National or Labour, have tried to bury it because it would be an indictment of our historical past and they did not want even to go there," Mr Samuels says….

See full article HERE

Bail changes stack deck against Maori

A leading justice reform advocate says changes to bail laws and legal aid are filling prisons, with Maori bearing the brunt of the changes.

Kim Workman says the Government’s goal of reducing re-offending is based on false premises about how rehabilitation works in a prisons setting, and the goal should be to have fewer people in prison.

Most don’t now qualify for legal aid, so they plead guilty rather than defend often dubious charges.

"Historically Maori will plead guilty more often than non-Maori. Maori are less likely to be bailed, about twice more likely to be remanded in custody for serious offending than non-Maori. Maori are less likely to have good legal representation, so it's not that offending has increased it's that the systems are weighted against the offender and particularly against Maori," Mr Workman says.

He says a systemic review is needed to address institutional racism in the justice system….

See full article HERE

Iwi suggests parkland-for-housing deal

An iwi plans to give 175ha of coastal land to Auckland Council in return for the right to create and sell 58 upmarket housing sites.

Ngati Manuhiri announced today its scheme for part of its 700ha Mangawhai South Forest, after it struck a deal with golf course developer and investor John Darby of Queenstown….

See full article HERE

20 April 2016

CYF 'racist' says Tariana Turia

Child Youth and Family (CYF) is a racist institution and iwi should be given the right to care for children in state care, former Māori Party leader Tariana Turia says.

"Here we have an organisation that has been failing for many, many years, miserably," she told RNZ News.

Dame Tariana believes there is an unconscious bias in CYF system.

"I have to say institutional racism is rife right throughout government agencies including CYF. The whole way in which they view certain groups of people, their attitudes against those groups of people and the way they use their power against those groups of people, is horrendous."

For that reason, she said, iwi should be given statutory rights to care and protect their children where they can…..

See full article HERE

New start for wardens

Maori Council chair Sir Taihakurei Durie says the council wants to give Maori wardens greater access to qualifications and boost their contribution to community development.

"We are now putting in place plans where wardens can work in association with other voluntary groups, receive qualifications or tohu that will enable them to work alongside government departments. We are trying to reshape these wardens. I believe we are well on track to doing so. There have been difficulties in the past with the wardens. I believe we are going to see new life breathed into what is a very important organisation for Maori," he says….

See full article HERE

Rongoa use kept hidden

A Health Research Council-funded study has found many Maori visit both rongoa Maori healers and conventional doctors, but often won’t tell one they’ve visited the other.

Postdoctoral researcher Dr Glenis Mark from Whakauae Research Services says Maori are keen for traditional healers and doctors to work together on managing their health.

Dr Mark says Maori are more likely to opt for rongoa if their illness is more psycho social or spiritual, but they will do to their doctor for a directly medical issue, such as a broken leg…..

19 April 2016

Walk out as Maori Council cleans house

The chair of the New Zealand Maori Council, Sir Taihakurei Durie, says the organisation now has its house in order, after a meeting on Saturday where former co-chair Maanu Paul and his supporters walked out.

Sir Taihakurei was confirmed as the sole chair in an election overseen by Sir Harawira Gardiner.

He says the only way the council can work is by following its own rules, which was confirmed by a High Court hearing last week.

He says the New Zealand Maori Council can now concentrate on addressing national issues of concern to Maori such as water rights, Resource Management Act reforms, the Trans Pacific Partnership claim and changes to the Maori wardens…..

See full article HERE

Māori keen for doctors and healers to work together

Study shows Māori keen for doctors and healers to work together

Latest research shows that Māori are keen for traditional rongoā Māori healers and doctors to work together on managing their health, however, many seriously doubt that doctors would be open to such an arrangement.

Dr Mark says that with greater collaboration between healers and doctors, health care delivery could benefit from the inclusion of rongoā Māori as a culturally appropriate form of treatment for all New Zealanders.

See full article HERE

'New ideas' needed on Māori health

The Public Health Association wants to change the conversation about why Māori have worse health outcomes than other New Zealanders.

Māori are more likely to get sick and live shorter lives than other New Zealanders and many of the root causes are blamed on the aftermath of colonisation.

The Public Health Association, which is holding a Māori health symposium in Wellington next month, does not want to focus on the impact colonisation has had on Māori.

Association spokesman Anton Blank said going on about it would not solve the problems.

"As Māori, we need to move on from being solely focused on colonisation because if we stay in that space we focus on our own victimisation and ... we will miss out on a whole lot of new ideas that are beginning to circulate."…..

See full article HERE

Education Minister launches digital resource to strengthen Te Reo Māori

Education Minister Hekia Parata has launched a new digital graphic novel aimed to strengthen recognition of the Māori language, culture and history amongst certain students,

The book, Ngarimu Te Tohu Toa / Victory at Point 209, was launched as part of a ceremony announcing the five winners of the Ngārimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship.

Ngarimu Te Tohu Toa / Victory at Point 209 is an interactive digital book in comic format, with audio and text in Te Reo Māori (Ngāti Porou dialect) and English.

According to Parata, the application was developed in a unique collaboration between Government, iwi and private sector agencies, and supported by Manatū Taonga - Ministry for Culture and Heritage……

See full article HERE

18 April 2016

Māori Television leading the way with New Zealand content

A new report released by NZ on Air has revealed that Māori Television continues to lead the way as the largest free-to-air provider of local content in prime time for 2015.

The Local Content New Zealand Television report was released this morning and showed NZ content made up 82 per cent of Māori Television’s prime time hours, which was comparative with 51 per cent for TV One and 50 per cent of TV3’s prime time hours.

Chief Executive Paora Maxwell said, “We pride ourselves on producing quality shows that tell stories from a uniquely Aotearoa perspective…..

See full article HERE

Youth to play a part in tourism development plan

Northlands’ youth now have an opportunity to play a role in the development of the region's tourism and hospitality sector with the opening of the QRC Taitokerau Resort College in Paihia this week.

Kelly Kahukiwa of NZ Maori Tourism says the college is a start to providing them with the skills to play key roles in the burgeoning tourism industry.

An initiative of the Taitokerau Regional Growth Programme, the college has nineteen foundation students…..

See full article HERE

Diversity rising through the ranks

At 17 years old Krista Kite dropped out of school with no idea of what she wanted to with her life.

But by the time she was 20 she was a sworn police officer handcuffing criminals, including gang members twice her age and size, in South Auckland...

See full article HERE

Taking NZ history into schools

A University of Auckland researcher is looking to take her New Zealand history teaching resource to the Ministry of Education again after it turned her down for funding.

New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world to teach so little about its own history, and teachers are afraid to educate in something they don't themselves understand, she says…

A lecturer at the University of Auckland, Ms Hanley explained she had written it to cover 200 years of accurate history from both a Pākehā and Māori viewpoint.

"It's like a beginner's guide for dummies, if you like, about Māori and Pākehā history that we didn't know - that I didn't know previously."

The information was collected from official foundation history books, she said, by authors like James Belich and Michael King.

The books, which she called the CPR (Curriculum Programme Resource) could be applied to early childhood education, primary schools, and secondary schools, she said…..

See full article HERE

Current drug laws support racial profiling - Lance O'Sullivan

Dr Lance O’Sullivan says New Zealand’s current drug laws, which criminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis, lead to poor outcomes for young Maori men in particular.

Speaking to Q+A’s Jessica Mutch, the 2014 New Zealander of the Year said when young people, especially Maori, come to the to the attention of the police for low-level crime it’s a “slippery slope”.

“These kids get engaged in the criminal system, and if you treat a person like a criminal, they’ll end up like a criminal,” he said…..

See full article HERE

17 April 2016

From the NZCPR archives by Dr Muriel Newman

Race-based Water Rights a Step Closer

Water is being targeted by the Maori elite as the next resource to control. The influential Iwi Leaders Group is pushing ahead with their demand for a proprietary right to freshwater. They want a preferential allocation – in perpetuity – that can be commercialised. They say it’s their right under the Treaty of Waitangi. But it’s not – it’s just another attempted money grab and unfortunately our political leaders are allowing them to get away with it.
Continue reading HERE
April 19, 2015

Mole News is published on a regular basis to expose the on-going build up of race-based privilege in New Zealand. The Mole welcomes tips - please send to mole@nzcpr.com. Older news items can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE .

16 April 2016

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