Saturday August 17, 2019
News:
Moriori trust search for descendants
Moriori are on searching for other descendants whose whakapapa has been hidden or lost.
Chief negotiator Maui Solomon says Moriori maintained they were never conquered because they maintained their customary tikanga of non-violence.
He says the history of slavery and land loss meant many of the people had to leave the islands, and they kept their Moriori identity from public view because of persecution.
Hokotehi Moriori Trust estimates there are between 5000 and 8000 people of Moriori descent, and it hopes to reconnect with many of them during the ratification process....
See full article HERE
Maori community and employer perspectives on tertiery education – call for nominations
The Government is seeking nominations for Te Taumata Aronui, a group which will help develop tertiary schooling, including the reform of postsecondary schooling, from Māori community and company perspectives, Education Minister Chris Hipkins stated today.
We have heard through engagement and consultation about the Reform of Vocational Education and in the broader Education Conversation | Kōrero Mātauranga that Māori wish to be involved in the Crown’s function to redesign our schooling system so that it works better for Māori,” Chris Hipkins said.
“This is an opportunity for Māori and the Crown to work more closely with changes to the tertiary education program. This will also help to better recognise the needs of Māori communities and admit Māori are important companies with societal and economic goals,” Chris Hipkins said.
The operating name of the group is Te Taumata Aronui.....
See full article HERE
Treaty expert on Ihumātao battle: 'Crown playing dictator of iwi'
An expert on the Treaty of Waitangi has thrown his support behind protesters at Ihumātao, saying what is happening at the South Auckland site is a consequence of New Zealand's colonial past and the Crown's inability to treat Māori fairly.
Treaty academic Hemopereki Hoani Simon supports the protesters' fight and said if the iwi was compensated the true value of what they lost through the Treaty settlement, the land dispute at Ihumātao would not exist.
"Local iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki received a Treaty settlement worth $6.8 million. One of the major problems with Treaty settlement is that the amount received is about two cents in the dollar.
"What is truly owed to Te Kawerau a Maki is $340 million. It is therefore very easy to see why the iwi - following a failed attempt to get the land back - went down the route of agreeing to Fletcher's proposal, because the government in effect left them with next to nothing......
See full article HERE
Mussel spat: Ninety Mile iwi says no to mechanical harvesting to baby mussels, MPI seeks compromise
Changes are afoot for the way baby mussels (spat) are collected from Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē (Ninety Mile Beach).
"If it wasn't harvested it would die so there's not any real sustainability concern there."
However, he wants the permits to specify that spat can only be collected when it has naturally washed ashore.
Haami Piripi, chair of Te Rarawa, says a return to hand-harvesting would be more in line with cultural tikanga.
"Our iwi and and all the iwi associated with the beach have an aversion to this form of mechanical harvesting."....
See full article HERE
Articles:
Race-based Power and Influence
Such is the power of the seven Maori seats held by Labour, that in modern-day New Zealand even absurd ideas have every chance of shaping our future laws.
If they ever succeed in gaining half of the power through a ‘co-governance’ partnership arrangement, the tribal elite would control government decision-making in New Zealand. Under such a scenario representatives of the 15 percent of the population who identify as having Maori ancestry would rule all New Zealanders. ‘Power sharing’ would no doubt entail half of all taxpayer funding being allocated to Maori......
See full article HERE
A child’s ethnicity shouldn’t outweigh their safety
Oranga Tamariki has a duty to protect life. That is their first responsibility. They are New Zealand’s child care and protection agency. All other considerations are secondary, including ethnicity of child and potential caregiver.
Returning to Green co-leader Marama Davidson and her incendiary statement that “torture and abuse” at the hand of the state must stop.
If abuse at the ‘hand of family’ were to stop, Oranga Tamariki, the focus of all this recent venom, wouldn’t need to exist.
See full article HERE
Hokotehi Moriori Trust estimates there are between 5000 and 8000 people of Moriori descent, and it hopes to reconnect with many of them during the ratification process....
See full article HERE
Maori community and employer perspectives on tertiery education – call for nominations
The Government is seeking nominations for Te Taumata Aronui, a group which will help develop tertiary schooling, including the reform of postsecondary schooling, from Māori community and company perspectives, Education Minister Chris Hipkins stated today.
We have heard through engagement and consultation about the Reform of Vocational Education and in the broader Education Conversation | Kōrero Mātauranga that Māori wish to be involved in the Crown’s function to redesign our schooling system so that it works better for Māori,” Chris Hipkins said.
“This is an opportunity for Māori and the Crown to work more closely with changes to the tertiary education program. This will also help to better recognise the needs of Māori communities and admit Māori are important companies with societal and economic goals,” Chris Hipkins said.
The operating name of the group is Te Taumata Aronui.....
See full article HERE
Treaty expert on Ihumātao battle: 'Crown playing dictator of iwi'
An expert on the Treaty of Waitangi has thrown his support behind protesters at Ihumātao, saying what is happening at the South Auckland site is a consequence of New Zealand's colonial past and the Crown's inability to treat Māori fairly.
Treaty academic Hemopereki Hoani Simon supports the protesters' fight and said if the iwi was compensated the true value of what they lost through the Treaty settlement, the land dispute at Ihumātao would not exist.
"Local iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki received a Treaty settlement worth $6.8 million. One of the major problems with Treaty settlement is that the amount received is about two cents in the dollar.
"What is truly owed to Te Kawerau a Maki is $340 million. It is therefore very easy to see why the iwi - following a failed attempt to get the land back - went down the route of agreeing to Fletcher's proposal, because the government in effect left them with next to nothing......
See full article HERE
Mussel spat: Ninety Mile iwi says no to mechanical harvesting to baby mussels, MPI seeks compromise
Changes are afoot for the way baby mussels (spat) are collected from Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē (Ninety Mile Beach).
"If it wasn't harvested it would die so there's not any real sustainability concern there."
However, he wants the permits to specify that spat can only be collected when it has naturally washed ashore.
Haami Piripi, chair of Te Rarawa, says a return to hand-harvesting would be more in line with cultural tikanga.
"Our iwi and and all the iwi associated with the beach have an aversion to this form of mechanical harvesting."....
See full article HERE
Articles:
Race-based Power and Influence
Such is the power of the seven Maori seats held by Labour, that in modern-day New Zealand even absurd ideas have every chance of shaping our future laws.
If they ever succeed in gaining half of the power through a ‘co-governance’ partnership arrangement, the tribal elite would control government decision-making in New Zealand. Under such a scenario representatives of the 15 percent of the population who identify as having Maori ancestry would rule all New Zealanders. ‘Power sharing’ would no doubt entail half of all taxpayer funding being allocated to Maori......
See full article HERE
A child’s ethnicity shouldn’t outweigh their safety
Oranga Tamariki has a duty to protect life. That is their first responsibility. They are New Zealand’s child care and protection agency. All other considerations are secondary, including ethnicity of child and potential caregiver.
Returning to Green co-leader Marama Davidson and her incendiary statement that “torture and abuse” at the hand of the state must stop.
If abuse at the ‘hand of family’ were to stop, Oranga Tamariki, the focus of all this recent venom, wouldn’t need to exist.
See full article HERE
This Breaking Views Update monitors race relations in the media on a weekly basis. A summary of new material being added is emailed out during the week - to subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the mailout, please use the form at the top of the Breaking Views sidebar. If you would like to send Letters to the Editor in response to any of these articles, most media addresses can be found HERE.
Friday August 16, 2019
News:
Oranga Tamariki and state care of children has 'failed', says Minister
Minister for Children Tracey Martin has delivered a blistering verdict on New Zealand's failure to care for its most vulnerable children, saying "the system has failed".
She said New Zealand had failed to create intervention services to "walk alongside" whānau in need, and failed to adequately listen to Māori voices.
She said she wanted to see Māori, iwi and hapu involved in looking after children in care, the majority of which are Māori, but said some of the children are "so harmed" Māori groups would need assistance in how best to care for them.
Lawyer and activist Annette Sykes also addressed the audience .....
"The Crown has to find a way to honour its Treaty Obligations. . . the Crown has not got the answers, the answers are in our hands."....
See full article HERE
Māori landowners fight back after council claims they own $18m in rates
Meeting organiser Rueben Taipari said one of the questions landowners have is, "Is Māori land protected under Te Tiriti o Waitangi? Rating is a voluntary process and under Te Tiriti o Waitangi we really should have a discussion about how we should pay our rates."
Ms Downs said, "We need to look at historical origins of [the] issue and it really does originate from Te Tiriti o Waitangi, from 1840."
She believes both central and local government have equal obligations as treaty partners.......
See full article HERE
Road name a sign of change
At a glance, a small road in Kakanui being given its first name might not appear to be very newsworthy.
But local iwi hope the spelling of “Kakaunui Bay Road” could signal a change towards places being called by their tuturu (true/original) names.
The extra “u” in Kakaunui brings the pronunciation closer to what Kakanui was called by Maori when it existed as part of a seasonal trail.
The new road name – Kakaunui Bay Rd – was approved at a Waitaki District Council meeting on July 30.
See full article HERE
Tamihere wants Māori Statutory Board elections
Auckland mayoral candidate John Tamihere intends to make candidates for the Independent Māori Statutory Board stand for election.
He says the board is ineffective because the people appointed are not embedded in the community, and some even live outside the city.
"On any representation I'm going to have to say to our people off the Māori roll in Auckland you are going to have to stand and be accountable to our people every three years rather than be appointed behind closed doors in little rooms where dirty deals are done and we should not practice that kind of politics. Everything should be done out in the open," Mr Tamihere says.....
See full article HERE
Sky bringing Māori commentary to All Blacks and Black Ferns games
Fans tuning in to this weekend's major rugby games will get the unique opportunity to listen to their commentary in te reo Māori.
It is part of a push by broadcaster Sky to make their coverage more inclusive, and includes introducing subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and even Samoan, Tongan and Fijian options for games later this month......
See full article HERE
Two candidates have been elected unopposed to Waikato Regional Council, with the remaining 12 councillors to be decided by voters.
At the close of nominations at midday today (Friday 16 August) the number of candidates did not exceed the number of vacancies in the two Māori constituencies. That means Tipa Mahuta and Kataraina Hodge have been elected unopposed and regional council voting will therefore not occur in their constituencies. They have been contacted this afternoon.....
See full article HERE
Maori Council calls for a public service executive overhaul
The New Zealand Maori Council has called for an overhaul of the Public Services executive ranks as the Corrections debacle shows mis-management and incompetence at the highest level. Matthew Tukaki, Executive Director of the New Zealand Maori Council has said there have been a multitude of failures in recent years and the case of Corrections is not an isolated incident:.....
See full article HERE
Thursday August 15, 2019
News:
Government announces new home for Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi, the Women's Suffrage Petition and New Zealand's other most important historic documents look set to be moved to a new home, the Government has announced.
Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin on Wednesday unveiled plans to replace the ailing national archive in Wellington by 2024.
The current facility and the nearby National Library hold about $1.7 billion worth of the country's most precocious records, such as Katherine Mansfield's original work and the Declaration of Independence.
The archive is 50 years old and has been suffering.
It's leaking, needs major upgrades, earthquake strengthening and in 2017 stopped taking in new documents because it was bursting at the seams.....
See full article HERE
Rates pressure aims to shame
A far north Iwi leader says the Far North District Council's rating policy is designed to strike fear among Māori landowners, and it needs to change.
The council says there is $20 million in outstanding rates of Māori land....
See full article HERE
Polytech offering first health science diploma with a Māori worldview
A Rotorua-based polytechnic is trying to turn around the region's poor health outcomes by offering the first health science diploma with a Māori worldview.
"As soon as our kids exit whare kura or exit our Kura-a-Iwi they're expected to turn their whole worlds around into a te ao Pākehā perspective.
"So when you're looking at reasons why our kids drop out in first year at University and Polytech, that's why [it's] because the philosophy they've been learning in their whole life is completely different."
He thought it was important to have Māori doctors as it wasn't as easy for Māori to open up to non-Māori doctors.....
See full article HERE
Man calls out racism after airport security says tiripou weapon
A Māori man says he was left upset and frustrated after Aviation Security staff at Auckland Airport would not let him bring his walking stick onto the plane because they said it had Māori carvings and could be used as a weapon.
Piripi Winiata a consultant and Pāpā, no Ngāti Kahungunu and Rongomaiwahine, was gifted a tiripou when he graduated from a prestigious Māori language academy at the weekend.
But the 29-year-old and his son missed the flight after Aviation Security staff decided his new tiripou - a carved walking stick - was a risk to other passengers and the security person said she saw it as "mini-taiaha"......
See full article HERE
Soul option unfair to claimants
National's Māori spokesperson says the time has come for protesters to be cleared from Ihumātao.
Jo Hayes says the more that comes out about the history of the land, the more the arguments of the Save Our Unique Landscape Group fall short.
Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta has made it clear Waikato Tainui's has settled its raupatu claims over the confiscation of land, including that at Ihumātao, including a personal apology from the queen.
Ms Hayes says developer Fletcher has agreed to return waahi tapu and other surplus land to iwi, and it has earmarked affordable housing for iwi members.
"The longer the Prime Minister hesitates on what she is going to do, the more hope she puts into the protesters which is unfair because if she folds she undermines the treaty claims that have already gone through and there will be an upsurge in people coming back to relitigate or renegotiate their claims," she says.
Ms Hayes says giving in to Soul would put other private land at risk of occupation.
See full article HERE
Petition calls for PM to visit Ihumatao
A petition has been launched calling on the Prime Minister to visit Ihumatao, which hundreds of people have been occupying to oppose a new housing development.
It's been 18 days since protesters first invited Jacinda Ardern to visit the whenua in South Auckland.
In a video posted to social media, Ms Newton said if the Prime Minister didn't take up the invitation, protesters would march to her parliamentary office.
"If she doesn't take up our invitation on Thursday, 22 August, we will march from Ihumatao to her office in Mt Albert Auckland to hand deliver our new petition.....
See full article HERE
Iwi push for greater role in next Census
The Data Iwi Leaders Group says the failure of the 2018 Census to properly count Māori provides a unique opportunity to co-design better data solutions for the future.
He says it’s clear iwi cannot afford to solely rely on one data source, like the Census.
He says Stats NZ has promised to work more closely with Iwi Māori to co-design the next Census....
See full article HERE
Ngāti Kuri wants new model for Kermadec sanctuary
The chair of northernmost iwi Ngāti Kuri says new thinking is needed to resolve a stand off over creating a giant marine reserve around the Kermadec Islands
Harry Burkhardt says by trying to impose a complete ban on fishing on such a large part of New Zealand's Exclusive Econmic Zone, National ignored Māori philosophies of conservation and resource use.
Ngāti Kuri sees the Kermadecs as a puna ora with the ability to heal the wider ocean.....
See full article HERE
Articles:
Facing realities of colonisation
I will not dispute Cook's role in NZ history; nor will I disregard the fact that he was an extraordinary man.
An expert mapmaker and navigator, Cook left behind an impressive legacy of scientific and geographical knowledge. He helped pioneer new methods for warding off scurvy, was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, and correctly postulated a link among all the Pacific peoples, despite their being separated by great ocean stretches. The list goes on.
Rather than desperately trying to absolve Cook and his ilk of any wrongdoing, I believe we should face up to the realities of colonisation, including the historical trauma experienced by tangata whenua, and the structural discrimination of our society evident in the disproportionate negative representation of Maori in issues of education, health, housing, employment, social and justice, among others......
See full article HERE
Māori have been let down by census botch-up
EDITORIAL: Bungled, botched or butchered. Those are just three of the ways in which the notorious 2018 census has been described since a report into its shortcomings landed on Tuesday. All are accurate.
The results were much worse than merely "mixed" for Māori. The response from the Māori community was 68.2 per cent, which means almost a third of the Māori population missed out. That figure is 20 percentage points below the 2013 response. Responses were also much lower than targeted in Pasifika, Asian and younger communities.
The absence of reliable Māori data has been described as an impediment on self-determination and progress that will have an impact for up to a decade.....
See full article HERE
Wednesday August 14, 2019
News:
Iwi forging closer relationship with Stats NZ
Iwi forging closer relationship with Stats NZ over Mori data solutions The Data Iwi Leaders Group supports the findings of an independent review into the 2018 New Zealand Census but says its failings provide a unique opportunity to co-design …Iwi forging closer relationship with Stats NZ over Māori data solutions
The Data Iwi Leaders Group supports the findings of an independent review into the 2018 New Zealand Census – but says its failings provide a unique opportunity to co-design better data solutions for the future.
As a result, the Data Iwi Leaders Group – a subset of the National Iwi Chairs Forum – has been liaising with Stats NZ to develop solutions to remediate some of the data gaps.
“Ultimately, we hope that the recommendations are taken on board by Stats NZ and the whole of Government, and that iwi are involved in a much greater level in key Government data initiatives as Treaty partners.”......
News:
'Metropolitan-based power culture' targeting fishing - Jones
The Minister for Regional Economic Development has launched a stinging attack on urban liberals, accusing them of trying to take the fishing industry down.
Mr Jones said it was not just the fishing industry that was threatened, Māori who had invested much of their economic heritage in the business were threatened too.
Minister for Children Tracey Martin has delivered a blistering verdict on New Zealand's failure to care for its most vulnerable children, saying "the system has failed".
She said New Zealand had failed to create intervention services to "walk alongside" whānau in need, and failed to adequately listen to Māori voices.
"Nothing will change unless Māoridom gets the chance to design it [new systems of state care]."
She said she wanted to see Māori, iwi and hapu involved in looking after children in care, the majority of which are Māori, but said some of the children are "so harmed" Māori groups would need assistance in how best to care for them.
Lawyer and activist Annette Sykes also addressed the audience .....
"The Crown has to find a way to honour its Treaty Obligations. . . the Crown has not got the answers, the answers are in our hands."....
See full article HERE
Māori landowners fight back after council claims they own $18m in rates
Meeting organiser Rueben Taipari said one of the questions landowners have is, "Is Māori land protected under Te Tiriti o Waitangi? Rating is a voluntary process and under Te Tiriti o Waitangi we really should have a discussion about how we should pay our rates."
Ms Downs said, "We need to look at historical origins of [the] issue and it really does originate from Te Tiriti o Waitangi, from 1840."
She believes both central and local government have equal obligations as treaty partners.......
See full article HERE
Road name a sign of change
At a glance, a small road in Kakanui being given its first name might not appear to be very newsworthy.
But local iwi hope the spelling of “Kakaunui Bay Road” could signal a change towards places being called by their tuturu (true/original) names.
The extra “u” in Kakaunui brings the pronunciation closer to what Kakanui was called by Maori when it existed as part of a seasonal trail.
The new road name – Kakaunui Bay Rd – was approved at a Waitaki District Council meeting on July 30.
See full article HERE
Tamihere wants Māori Statutory Board elections
Auckland mayoral candidate John Tamihere intends to make candidates for the Independent Māori Statutory Board stand for election.
He says the board is ineffective because the people appointed are not embedded in the community, and some even live outside the city.
"On any representation I'm going to have to say to our people off the Māori roll in Auckland you are going to have to stand and be accountable to our people every three years rather than be appointed behind closed doors in little rooms where dirty deals are done and we should not practice that kind of politics. Everything should be done out in the open," Mr Tamihere says.....
See full article HERE
Sky bringing Māori commentary to All Blacks and Black Ferns games
Fans tuning in to this weekend's major rugby games will get the unique opportunity to listen to their commentary in te reo Māori.
It is part of a push by broadcaster Sky to make their coverage more inclusive, and includes introducing subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and even Samoan, Tongan and Fijian options for games later this month......
See full article HERE
Two candidates have been elected unopposed to Waikato Regional Council, with the remaining 12 councillors to be decided by voters.
At the close of nominations at midday today (Friday 16 August) the number of candidates did not exceed the number of vacancies in the two Māori constituencies. That means Tipa Mahuta and Kataraina Hodge have been elected unopposed and regional council voting will therefore not occur in their constituencies. They have been contacted this afternoon.....
See full article HERE
Maori Council calls for a public service executive overhaul
The New Zealand Maori Council has called for an overhaul of the Public Services executive ranks as the Corrections debacle shows mis-management and incompetence at the highest level. Matthew Tukaki, Executive Director of the New Zealand Maori Council has said there have been a multitude of failures in recent years and the case of Corrections is not an isolated incident:.....
See full article HERE
Thursday August 15, 2019
News:
Government announces new home for Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi, the Women's Suffrage Petition and New Zealand's other most important historic documents look set to be moved to a new home, the Government has announced.
Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin on Wednesday unveiled plans to replace the ailing national archive in Wellington by 2024.
The current facility and the nearby National Library hold about $1.7 billion worth of the country's most precocious records, such as Katherine Mansfield's original work and the Declaration of Independence.
The archive is 50 years old and has been suffering.
It's leaking, needs major upgrades, earthquake strengthening and in 2017 stopped taking in new documents because it was bursting at the seams.....
See full article HERE
Rates pressure aims to shame
A far north Iwi leader says the Far North District Council's rating policy is designed to strike fear among Māori landowners, and it needs to change.
The council says there is $20 million in outstanding rates of Māori land....
See full article HERE
Polytech offering first health science diploma with a Māori worldview
A Rotorua-based polytechnic is trying to turn around the region's poor health outcomes by offering the first health science diploma with a Māori worldview.
"As soon as our kids exit whare kura or exit our Kura-a-Iwi they're expected to turn their whole worlds around into a te ao Pākehā perspective.
"So when you're looking at reasons why our kids drop out in first year at University and Polytech, that's why [it's] because the philosophy they've been learning in their whole life is completely different."
He thought it was important to have Māori doctors as it wasn't as easy for Māori to open up to non-Māori doctors.....
See full article HERE
Man calls out racism after airport security says tiripou weapon
A Māori man says he was left upset and frustrated after Aviation Security staff at Auckland Airport would not let him bring his walking stick onto the plane because they said it had Māori carvings and could be used as a weapon.
Piripi Winiata a consultant and Pāpā, no Ngāti Kahungunu and Rongomaiwahine, was gifted a tiripou when he graduated from a prestigious Māori language academy at the weekend.
But the 29-year-old and his son missed the flight after Aviation Security staff decided his new tiripou - a carved walking stick - was a risk to other passengers and the security person said she saw it as "mini-taiaha"......
See full article HERE
Soul option unfair to claimants
National's Māori spokesperson says the time has come for protesters to be cleared from Ihumātao.
Jo Hayes says the more that comes out about the history of the land, the more the arguments of the Save Our Unique Landscape Group fall short.
Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta has made it clear Waikato Tainui's has settled its raupatu claims over the confiscation of land, including that at Ihumātao, including a personal apology from the queen.
Ms Hayes says developer Fletcher has agreed to return waahi tapu and other surplus land to iwi, and it has earmarked affordable housing for iwi members.
"The longer the Prime Minister hesitates on what she is going to do, the more hope she puts into the protesters which is unfair because if she folds she undermines the treaty claims that have already gone through and there will be an upsurge in people coming back to relitigate or renegotiate their claims," she says.
Ms Hayes says giving in to Soul would put other private land at risk of occupation.
See full article HERE
Petition calls for PM to visit Ihumatao
A petition has been launched calling on the Prime Minister to visit Ihumatao, which hundreds of people have been occupying to oppose a new housing development.
It's been 18 days since protesters first invited Jacinda Ardern to visit the whenua in South Auckland.
In a video posted to social media, Ms Newton said if the Prime Minister didn't take up the invitation, protesters would march to her parliamentary office.
"If she doesn't take up our invitation on Thursday, 22 August, we will march from Ihumatao to her office in Mt Albert Auckland to hand deliver our new petition.....
See full article HERE
Iwi push for greater role in next Census
The Data Iwi Leaders Group says the failure of the 2018 Census to properly count Māori provides a unique opportunity to co-design better data solutions for the future.
He says it’s clear iwi cannot afford to solely rely on one data source, like the Census.
He says Stats NZ has promised to work more closely with Iwi Māori to co-design the next Census....
See full article HERE
Ngāti Kuri wants new model for Kermadec sanctuary
The chair of northernmost iwi Ngāti Kuri says new thinking is needed to resolve a stand off over creating a giant marine reserve around the Kermadec Islands
Harry Burkhardt says by trying to impose a complete ban on fishing on such a large part of New Zealand's Exclusive Econmic Zone, National ignored Māori philosophies of conservation and resource use.
Ngāti Kuri sees the Kermadecs as a puna ora with the ability to heal the wider ocean.....
See full article HERE
Articles:
Facing realities of colonisation
I will not dispute Cook's role in NZ history; nor will I disregard the fact that he was an extraordinary man.
An expert mapmaker and navigator, Cook left behind an impressive legacy of scientific and geographical knowledge. He helped pioneer new methods for warding off scurvy, was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, and correctly postulated a link among all the Pacific peoples, despite their being separated by great ocean stretches. The list goes on.
Rather than desperately trying to absolve Cook and his ilk of any wrongdoing, I believe we should face up to the realities of colonisation, including the historical trauma experienced by tangata whenua, and the structural discrimination of our society evident in the disproportionate negative representation of Maori in issues of education, health, housing, employment, social and justice, among others......
See full article HERE
Māori have been let down by census botch-up
EDITORIAL: Bungled, botched or butchered. Those are just three of the ways in which the notorious 2018 census has been described since a report into its shortcomings landed on Tuesday. All are accurate.
The results were much worse than merely "mixed" for Māori. The response from the Māori community was 68.2 per cent, which means almost a third of the Māori population missed out. That figure is 20 percentage points below the 2013 response. Responses were also much lower than targeted in Pasifika, Asian and younger communities.
The absence of reliable Māori data has been described as an impediment on self-determination and progress that will have an impact for up to a decade.....
See full article HERE
Wednesday August 14, 2019
News:
Iwi forging closer relationship with Stats NZ
Iwi forging closer relationship with Stats NZ over Mori data solutions The Data Iwi Leaders Group supports the findings of an independent review into the 2018 New Zealand Census but says its failings provide a unique opportunity to co-design …Iwi forging closer relationship with Stats NZ over Māori data solutions
The Data Iwi Leaders Group supports the findings of an independent review into the 2018 New Zealand Census – but says its failings provide a unique opportunity to co-design better data solutions for the future.
As a result, the Data Iwi Leaders Group – a subset of the National Iwi Chairs Forum – has been liaising with Stats NZ to develop solutions to remediate some of the data gaps.
“Ultimately, we hope that the recommendations are taken on board by Stats NZ and the whole of Government, and that iwi are involved in a much greater level in key Government data initiatives as Treaty partners.”......
See full article HERE
'They didn't listen' - Iwi leader on botched census
The country's biggest iwi says the botched 2018 Census has left Māori without accurate data which will affect how much government funding iwi can get.
I mean they didn't listen, the big thing is they didn't listen to Māori
Stats NZ is confident it has plugged most of the data gaps, including Māori electorates, using other sources, such as births and tax information......
See full article HERE
New Plymouth council agrees to pay for maintenance of Māori urupa
The council this afternoon broke with convention and agreed to make a contestable fund of $50,000 a year available for the upkeep of 43 urupa on Māori freehold or reservation land.
A further 30 urupa in the district on private land are excluded.
Te Atiawa iwi member Peter Moeahu applauded the council for looking beyond the Burials and Cremations Act.
"My view is that Section 3 of the Act is racist in its intent because it specifically excludes Māori from council resources.
"I also believe it is contrary to the Human Rights Act because it discriminates against Māori."
The new $50,000 fund would be contestable and some Māori had signalled to council they were happy to look over their own urupa.
Councillor Murray Chong worried about the cost of the move.
"We are setting a precedent here. It might only be $50,000 now, but where does it stop.
Mr Moeahu said New Plymouth showing the way forward for other councils around the country.....
See full article HERE
A rāhui has been placed by local iwi on the Tukituki River and beaches around Haumoana as a result.
The rāhui will last for a week, meaning whitebaiting on the river and river mouth will be off limits for the first five days of the season.....
See full article HERE
Historic Wanganui complex bought by iwi/council partnership for aviation training
The deal became final on August 9. The buyers are an as-yet unnamed partnership between Te Ngakinga o Whanganui, the investment arm of Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui Trust, and Wanganui District Council Holdings Ltd (Holdings).
Holdings chairwoman Annette Main liked that the sale and partnership cements the relationship between council and iwi, and that Mayor Hamish McDouall and the council had confidence in it.....
See full article HERE
Poor results for Māori, Pasifika leads to funding cuts for education providers
A wānanga and a university were among 20 tertiary institutions threatened with $9 million in funding cuts because of their poor results for Māori and Pasifika students, the Tertiary Education Commission says.
The penalties were part of the commission's plans to lift Māori and Pasifika achievement rates to the same level as other groups by 2022.....
See full article HERE
Ihumātao protest: Former landowner the Wallace family speaks out against stand-off
Ihumātao's former owner has spoken out against a bitter stand-off happening on the land.
Descendants of Gavin Wallace, granted the land in the 1860s after it was confiscated from Māori in the Waikato Invasion, have so far kept quiet as occupiers try to stop Fletcher Building from breaking ground on a housing development.
Contacted by Stuff, Wallace's great grandson, who's also a director of the company that sold the land to Fletcher Building, said he hoped the development would go ahead.....
See full article HERE
Northland groups get $1.5m of grants from Foundation North
The largest single grant - $500,000 - went to the Mokau Marae Trust towards the rebuilding of its wharenui at Mokau, 46km north of Whangārei. The fire that destroyed the historic Te Uri o Hikihiki wharenui was believed to have been caused by children playing with a lighter.
Taiharuru Marae Inc received the next largest grant, $499,919. Taiharuru Marae has consent to build a marae complex on a 10.5ha block of land at Taiharuru Rd, about 30km northeast of Whangārei. The site is legally a Maori reservation, set aside for the purpose of hui, huimate and religious activities for the common use and benefit of Te Waiariki me Ngati Korora Hapu......
See full article HERE
Murder justification for human rights and treaty breach
National's Māori spokesperson says the party got it right with a 2010 law change that took away the voting rights of all prisoners, and she wouldn't want to see it changed.
Jo Hayes says people lose a lot of rights when they are sentenced to prison.
"Everybody will say about the human rights thing and I'm hearing that but at the end of the day some of those prisoners are in there for heinous crimes against other humans, they took the right of other humans to live, for some of them, to continue on with their lives, they took that right away so I don't think they should be allowed to vote. If you go to prison, you forfeit that right," she says....
See full article HERE
Articles:
To deal with Ihumātao, Jacinda Ardern must heed lessons from history
A short history lesson. On May 25, 1978, as an aspiring young journalist, I stood on Bastion Point and watched 800 police and army personnel forcibly remove Māori occupiers, demolish buildings, destroy their gardens and arrest 220 people. It was an incredibly sad and moving sight.
A decade later, the government returned the land to Ngati Whatua, paying them compensation in a Treaty of Waitangi settlement.
Flash forward a few more decades and we have Ihumātao, not far from Auckland Airport, bordering the Ōtuataua Stonefields reserve, which displays evidence of Māori habitation dating back to the 14th century.
Another short history lesson. In 2004, Prime Minister Helen Clark made a rare misstep: she headed off a Treaty claim by vesting in the Crown the seabed and foreshore of New Zealand. That resulted in the birth of the Māori Party....
See full article HERE
'They didn't listen' - Iwi leader on botched census
The country's biggest iwi says the botched 2018 Census has left Māori without accurate data which will affect how much government funding iwi can get.
I mean they didn't listen, the big thing is they didn't listen to Māori
Stats NZ is confident it has plugged most of the data gaps, including Māori electorates, using other sources, such as births and tax information......
See full article HERE
New Plymouth council agrees to pay for maintenance of Māori urupa
The council this afternoon broke with convention and agreed to make a contestable fund of $50,000 a year available for the upkeep of 43 urupa on Māori freehold or reservation land.
A further 30 urupa in the district on private land are excluded.
Te Atiawa iwi member Peter Moeahu applauded the council for looking beyond the Burials and Cremations Act.
"My view is that Section 3 of the Act is racist in its intent because it specifically excludes Māori from council resources.
"I also believe it is contrary to the Human Rights Act because it discriminates against Māori."
The new $50,000 fund would be contestable and some Māori had signalled to council they were happy to look over their own urupa.
Councillor Murray Chong worried about the cost of the move.
"We are setting a precedent here. It might only be $50,000 now, but where does it stop.
Mr Moeahu said New Plymouth showing the way forward for other councils around the country.....
See full article HERE
A rāhui has been placed by local iwi on the Tukituki River and beaches around Haumoana as a result.
The rāhui will last for a week, meaning whitebaiting on the river and river mouth will be off limits for the first five days of the season.....
See full article HERE
Historic Wanganui complex bought by iwi/council partnership for aviation training
The deal became final on August 9. The buyers are an as-yet unnamed partnership between Te Ngakinga o Whanganui, the investment arm of Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui Trust, and Wanganui District Council Holdings Ltd (Holdings).
Holdings chairwoman Annette Main liked that the sale and partnership cements the relationship between council and iwi, and that Mayor Hamish McDouall and the council had confidence in it.....
See full article HERE
Poor results for Māori, Pasifika leads to funding cuts for education providers
A wānanga and a university were among 20 tertiary institutions threatened with $9 million in funding cuts because of their poor results for Māori and Pasifika students, the Tertiary Education Commission says.
The penalties were part of the commission's plans to lift Māori and Pasifika achievement rates to the same level as other groups by 2022.....
See full article HERE
Ihumātao protest: Former landowner the Wallace family speaks out against stand-off
Ihumātao's former owner has spoken out against a bitter stand-off happening on the land.
Descendants of Gavin Wallace, granted the land in the 1860s after it was confiscated from Māori in the Waikato Invasion, have so far kept quiet as occupiers try to stop Fletcher Building from breaking ground on a housing development.
Contacted by Stuff, Wallace's great grandson, who's also a director of the company that sold the land to Fletcher Building, said he hoped the development would go ahead.....
See full article HERE
Northland groups get $1.5m of grants from Foundation North
The largest single grant - $500,000 - went to the Mokau Marae Trust towards the rebuilding of its wharenui at Mokau, 46km north of Whangārei. The fire that destroyed the historic Te Uri o Hikihiki wharenui was believed to have been caused by children playing with a lighter.
Taiharuru Marae Inc received the next largest grant, $499,919. Taiharuru Marae has consent to build a marae complex on a 10.5ha block of land at Taiharuru Rd, about 30km northeast of Whangārei. The site is legally a Maori reservation, set aside for the purpose of hui, huimate and religious activities for the common use and benefit of Te Waiariki me Ngati Korora Hapu......
See full article HERE
Murder justification for human rights and treaty breach
National's Māori spokesperson says the party got it right with a 2010 law change that took away the voting rights of all prisoners, and she wouldn't want to see it changed.
Jo Hayes says people lose a lot of rights when they are sentenced to prison.
"Everybody will say about the human rights thing and I'm hearing that but at the end of the day some of those prisoners are in there for heinous crimes against other humans, they took the right of other humans to live, for some of them, to continue on with their lives, they took that right away so I don't think they should be allowed to vote. If you go to prison, you forfeit that right," she says....
See full article HERE
Articles:
To deal with Ihumātao, Jacinda Ardern must heed lessons from history
A short history lesson. On May 25, 1978, as an aspiring young journalist, I stood on Bastion Point and watched 800 police and army personnel forcibly remove Māori occupiers, demolish buildings, destroy their gardens and arrest 220 people. It was an incredibly sad and moving sight.
A decade later, the government returned the land to Ngati Whatua, paying them compensation in a Treaty of Waitangi settlement.
Flash forward a few more decades and we have Ihumātao, not far from Auckland Airport, bordering the Ōtuataua Stonefields reserve, which displays evidence of Māori habitation dating back to the 14th century.
Another short history lesson. In 2004, Prime Minister Helen Clark made a rare misstep: she headed off a Treaty claim by vesting in the Crown the seabed and foreshore of New Zealand. That resulted in the birth of the Māori Party....
See full article HERE
Tuesday August 13, 2019
News:
'Metropolitan-based power culture' targeting fishing - Jones
The Minister for Regional Economic Development has launched a stinging attack on urban liberals, accusing them of trying to take the fishing industry down.
Mr Jones said it was not just the fishing industry that was threatened, Māori who had invested much of their economic heritage in the business were threatened too.
"Those of us such as me as a Māori, who have our legacy interests via the treaty in the fishing industry, need to gird our loins and protect ourselves," Mr Jones said.....
See full article HERE
Te Rarawa growing Iwi wealth
The chair of Te Rarawa's commercial arm says the purchase of Kaitaia-based Bells Produce will accelerate the iwi's move into horticulture.
Te Rarawa is working on a 10 year development plan for the business, including expanding its people's involvement in the workforce.....
See full article HERE
Exclusive top Māori language academy comes to an end
Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo Māori trained some of the nation's best Māori orators and broadcasters to reach the pinnacle of the Māori language.
Professor Pou Temara led the course alongside Sir Timoti Karetu and the late Dr Wharehuia Milroy, who died in May.....
See full article HERE
Arrests of young Maori are on the rise
Last year, more than 37 hundred people aged 15 or younger, were arrested.
73 percent were Maori - an increase from 68 percent in 2014.
Senior Sergeant Simon King says they're training staff to understand the reasons behind young Maori offending.....
See full article HERE
Ihumaatao maunga at risk from protectors
The number of people heading out to protect Ihumaatao is stressing the ancient landscape.
A raahui has been placed on Puketaapapa,maunga near the site which Fletcher Housing has agreed to return to iwi as part of its development......
See full article HERE
Protecting Ihumātao: Press Release from Ngā Aho, Māori Design Professionals Network
Ngā Aho asserts the need for cultural landscapes and housing solutions that are ‘just’ for all whānau, hapū and iwi and are embedded in meaningful Treaty relationships. Planning regulatory tools and the desire to increase housing availability in Tāmaki Makaurau, (Auckland) have led to ongoing injustices for mana whenua at Ihumātao. A Cultural Landscape Assessment commissioned by SOUL and conducted by members of Ngā Aho asserts that the proposed Fletchers development will sever the connection between the tupuna maunga and the longstanding papakainga of Ihumātao. This outcome is inconsistent with the Te Aranga Māori Design Principles (Te Aranga Principles) which Mana Whenua and Nga Aho practitioners developed, and which are now widely accepted as an authoritative guide to design development embracing matauranga Maori values.....
See full article HERE
Human Rights Commission backs Waitangi Tribunal call to allow prisoner voting.
Chief Commissioner Paul Hunt says prison is about rehabilitation and reengagement, not disenfranchisement.
The Tribunal’s findings and recommendations echo the Commission’s submissions to the Urgent Inquiry in May, says Mr Hunt.
“We see that the law disproportionately affects Māori and this not only breaches Māori rights under Te Tiriti but also raises concerns under our international human rights obligations.”....
See full article HERE
Racist mindset behind vote strip
One of the claimants against a law stopping prisoners from voting says the National government knew it was flawed when it forced it through in 2010.
The Waitangi Tribunal has found the amendment to the Electoral Act was in breach of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, including for the way Māori are now 11 times more likely to be removed from the electoral roll than non-Māori - and once off they are unlikely to ever vote again.
Donna Awatere Huata says when the bill was formulated, the advice from the Human Rights Commission, United Nations representatives and others advised it was in breach of the Human Rights Act.....
See full article HERE
Mayoral candidate hits back at racist claims
Margaret Murray-Benge says her character has been poorly represented in the media in the last couple of days.
“Words have been twisted to make it appear that I do not support nor care for our local Maori community—which could not be further away from the truth.
Margaret’s comments follow a story recently published by Stuff with the headline “Racist undertones in submissions on prospects of land being gifted back to Tauranga iwi”.
She says in the context of ratepayer money and council owned properties, there will be debate about where ownership should sit and how to best manage properties for everybody in the community to enjoy.
“When I have addressed these issues in the past, and when I will need to in the future, I do so with a heart of what I feel is the best outcome for everybody involved. We are all in this together.”....
See full article HERE
Bringing Māori ingenuity to the forefront of ACC
We’ve recently completed a pilot to explore how our Whāia Te Tika strategy can be implemented in our branches to create better outcomes for our Māori clients.
Kaupapa Māori principles have been integrated into the pilot to help set the tone of what we want to achieve. These principles help to encourage staff participation, engagement, curiosity, learning, and genuine application....
See full article HERE
'Virtually landless': Moriori one step closer to justice after initialling deed of settlement with Crown
One of New Zealand's most stigmatised and marginalised tribes, the Moriori, are a step closer to justice after completing negotiations with the Crown.
The redress included a Crown apology, agreed historical account and cultural and commercial redress for historical breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1842.
The settlement package included $18 million in financial redress and the transfer of sites of significance to Moriori as cultural redress.
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little said the package would provide groundwork for the cultural, social and economic future of Moriori.....
See full article HERE
Articles:
Partnerships with iwi are a priority
So what is a partnership? There are a number of definitions and varying themes to what partnership means, but “to be in partnership” invokes notions of equal participation. A more precise definition could be “a legal relation existing between two or more persons contractually associated or a relationship resembling a legal partnership and usually involving close co-operation between parties having specified and joint rights and responsibilities”.
The Treaty signified a partnership between indigenous peoples and new European settlers, and each partner had to act towards the other “with the utmost good faith which is the characteristic obligation of partnership”. The obligations of partnership include the duty to consult Maori and to obtain the full, free and informed consent of the correct right holders in any transaction for their land and other taonga or treasured possessions.....
See full article HERE
Losing the right to vote – racism in the criminal justice system
Underpinning the Tribunal’s findings is a comprehensive understanding that the treatment of prisoners is not narrowly confined to prisoners – nor to their time in prison. Instead it reverberates throughout society with significant ramifications for prisoners’ families and communities. This was clear from the revelation that removing people from the electoral roll while they are in prison becomes, for many, a permanent removal.
The Tribunal described this as “a de facto permanent disqualification” (p. 8) and they found that “disenfranchising Māori prisoners has continued to impact on the individual following release from prison and that impact extends beyond the individual to their whānau and their community” (p. 34). This disenfranchisment can also undermine the rehabilitation of ex-prisoners to wider NZ society. As Carmen Hetaraka, one of the claimants, put it:....
See full article HERE
Prisoner voting: the legal case advances; public sentiment not so much
EDITORIAL: New Zealanders really need to work out whether the Bill of Rights is exactly that, or really more of a liberal wishlist, the functional authority of which depends greatly on which party is in power, and what the prevailing popular sentiment might be.
There are good reasons to reassess the ban on prisoners voting, though it's debatable whether the Waitangi Tribunal has advanced the cause all that much, politically anyway, by highlighting issues of racial equality.
The tribunal has unsurprisingly joined the calls for reform, saying the law has disproportionately hurt Māori - because they're banged up in such greater numbers - and was passed without due regard for the Crown's Treaty of Waitangi provisions.
The tribunal also talks of such a change as not only corrective, but positive. A way of empowering Māori. However, upholding or limiting the ability to vote is a fundamental matter of human rights, not a rehabilitational aid.....
See full article HERE
'We are already home': Ihumātao group responds to Simon Bridges' comments
Those protesting against a housing development at Ihumātao have provided a blunt response to National Party leader Simon Bridges: "We are already home."
Bridges stoked the ire of many after criticising Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for "getting involved" in the situation and insisting she tell the "protesters to go home".
Save Our Unique Landscape co-founder and mana whenua Qiane Matata-Sipu told the Herald they were "already home".
"Well, we are home, there is nowhere really that I can or would go.
"I also don't really have much time for him anyway, given the National government created the Special Housing Area (SHA) law that got us into this in the first place."....
See full article HERE
Monday August 12, 2019
News:
Waitangi Tribunal calls for urgent law change to allow prisoners to vote in 2020 election
The Waitangi Tribunal is urging the Government to overturn the prisoner voting ban, with a mind to empowering Māori.
Voting rights for New Zealand prisoners have varied significantly through history.
The most recent law change, enacted in 2010, removed their right to register and vote in elections.
See full Article HERE
Restoring prisoners' right to vote still not a priority - Andrew Little
Taking away prisoners' rights to vote was part of a "fascist" culture the National-led Government fostered against criminals, Justice Minister Andrew Little said on Monday.
His comments come in the wake of a new Waitangi Tribunal report which says people behind bars should be allowed to vote because the Electoral Act is inconsistent with the Treaty.
Prisoners' rights to vote were revoked in 2010 by the National-led Government. Before then, prisoners serving sentences under three years - the length of a parliamentary term - were allowed to vote.
Little said while it's not a priority, the combined impact of the Supreme Court ruling and the tribunal's report means something has to be done.
"At some point we are going to have to address it... My view is there is something here I need to at least put in front of Cabinet, and Cabinet can decide what the next step can be."....
See full Article HERE
‘Political Demise’ – allowing prisoners to vote
The Waitangi Tribunal report released today, found that the 2010 law change was inconsistent with Treaty principles and led to significant prejudice against Māori.
SST National Spokesperson Jess McVicar says “We cannot forget that 71% of prisoners are incarcerated for homicide or other violent crime. They are in prison as punishment for their offending, to keep society safe from them and to try and rehabilitate them. The Victims of homicide do not get the right to ever vote again, whereas their offender does - when they are released!”
Jess says voting will not assist in their possible rehabilitation, and it will not assist the survivors in their healing process.
Jess believes it will see the political demise of the Government if they allow prisoners to vote, and would also cement the concerns that our system has become overly offender friendly.
“I know there is an over-representation of Maori in prison, that is undeniable! But that is for no reason other than they committed a crime, and if they have been incarcerated for longer than the voting period, then chances are it is for a serious crime.”....
See full Article HERE
Prison vote ban breached treaty
The Waitangi Tribunal has found a law change that took the vote away from prisoners breaches the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
One of the consequences of the section was an increase in the already disproportionate removal of Māori from the electoral roll.
The tribunal recommended the legislation is amended urgently to remove the disqualification of all prisoners from voting, irrespective of sentence; and that the Crown start a process immediately to enable and encourage all sentenced prisoners and all released prisoners to be enrolled in time for the next general election in 2020.
It also wants to see a process to ensure Crown officials provide properly informed advice on the likely impact that any Bill, including members' Bills, will have on the Crown's Treaty of Waitangi obligations.....
See full Article HERE
'I'm not racist': Hone Harawira defends comments on police at Ihumātao as Simon Bridges labels them 'disgusting'
Hone Harawira is defending comments he made about police at Ihumātao, which Simon Bridges has labelled "racist" and "disgusting".
Harawira justified his comments made last week, in which he said "get those white f**kers off that front line", telling Magic Talk he felt there was a need for more of a Māori presence.
The former Maori Party MP said he reached out to deputy police commissioner Wally Hauhama, asking him to replace the police officers at Ihumātao with Māori liaison officers.
He said the Māori liaison officers "don't run around in police uniform". He said they "have their own relaxed style of dress" and are identifiable by the badge they wear.
"Some years ago now, Wally Haumaha had frontline police drawn from Waitangi and replaced by Maori liaison officers, and things have been relatively peaceful ever since," Harawira said.....
See full Article HERE
If Simon Bridges was Prime Minister: 'I would do three things' to fix Ihumātao standoff
If Simon Bridges was Prime Minister, he says he would back police at Ihumātao, tell the protesters to go home, and would never have got involved like Jacinda Ardern did.
He said he would have handled things differently if he was the Prime Minister, telling Magic Talk he feels Ardern has not been consistent enough in her stance on the matter......
See full Article HERE
Factbox: History of recent protests by Māori in New Zealand
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of indigenous Māori are protesting in New Zealand, demanding land rights and more reforms for the community, in the highest profile grassroot movements in over a decade.
Here are some key Māori protests in New Zealand in recent history.....
See full Article HERE
In New Zealand, young Māori women lead the battle for indigenous rights
AUCKLAND/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Five years ago, law graduate Pania Newton and her cousins got together around a kitchen table and agreed to do everything in their power to prevent a housing development on a south Auckland site considered sacred by local Māori.
Newton, now 29, is today leading thousands of protesters occupying the land at Ihumātao, one of a number of grassroots movements spearheaded by young, educated and tech-savvy Māori women.....
See full Article HERE
New Zealand's indigenous Maori protest over 'stolen children'
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of Maori people protested across New Zealand on Tuesday calling for an end to the practice of taking at-risk children away from their families, as tensions grow between the indigenous community and the government.
Children facing harm have been moved into state care for decades despite criticism from many Maori people, who believe the process is racially skewed and a legacy of colonization. Most of the children taken into state care are Maori....
See full Article HERE
Palmerston whānau ora scheme to expand
A Palmerston North programme that works with Housing New Zealand tenants had been given $4.6 million over the next two years to expand its operations.
Kainga Whānau Ora is led by a group of both iwi and Māori community organisaitons, Te Tihi o Ruahine Whānau Ora Alliance, and supported by a governance group of fifteen agencies and organisations including the Social Investment Agency, Ministry of Social Development and Police.
Spokesperson Tawhiti Kunaiti says Kainga Whānau Ora ensures the houses are structurally safe, warm and dry, and that whānau have pathways to education, training and other services.....
See full Article HERE
Articles:
Andrew Dickens: Finally we are seeing the full story around Oranga Tamariki uplifts
One social worker on the programme said that social workers are accused of destroying families. But, she says, families are already destroyed when we get there.
Another said that if Maori really what to improve the situation for vulnerable kids then they should direct their anger towards the real cause of child abuse which he said was the 3 Ps: poverty piss and P not Oranga Tamariki
The media on this has all been one sided from Melanie Reid's documentary which purposefully left out half the story and then the coverage of all the protests. The squeaky wheel of the protesters has been heard far too much on this issue as if we forgot that there’s two sides to every story......
See full Article HERE
Ihumātao: NZ breaching human rights obligations
In March this year, the leading UN human rights watchdogs on Indigenous peoples’ rights and housing urged New Zealand “that all necessary interim measures be taken to halt the alleged violations and prevent their re-occurrence”. This means the UN has asked the Government to stop the development of Ihumātao. Until it does so, New Zealand is in breach of its international human rights responsibilties.....
See full Article HERE
Sunday August 11, 2019
News:
Nanaia Mahuta calls out National and Māori Party over rezoning of Ihumātao
Mahuta has been working behind the scenes to help facilitate a resolution, and was critical of the decision to rezone Ihumātao as a Special Housing Area.
The Special Housing Area legislation was put forward under National and supported by the Māori Party, but Labour, the Greens and New Zealand First voted against it.
She says the rezoning of Ihumātao "didn't go through consultation process you would expect"......
See full article HERE
Home detention for manslaughter of Whangārei homeless man Eddie
A man who killed a homeless man in Whangārei with a single punch has been sentenced to eight months' home detention for manslaughter.
Justice Gault said Nepia was also genuinely remorseful for the death and had committed to doing a Man Alive intensive anti-violence course. He was also committed to being a good father and partner.
He said Nepia's cultural circumstances, which included the negative effects of colonialism, were contributing factors that needed to be taken into consideration.......
See full article HERE
Tell them to go home, Prime Minister
By issuing a halt to home building the Prime Minister’s interference at Ihumātao has called into question her commitment to full and final Treaty of Waitangi settlements. She now has no choice but to sort it out, Leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges says.
“The Prime Minister has got involved here where she shouldn’t have and in doing so is setting an appalling precedent. She is rewarding protestors and runs the risk of reopening full and final settlements which is incredibly dangerous and expensive.....
See full article HERE
Colonisation and old law behind appalling Maori child state welfare - NZNO
Colonisation and the legacy of archaic British law were the starting points for our modern child welfare system that is inherently racist and disadvantages Maori in particular, the Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference was told today.
Midwife and Maori health advocate Jean Te Huia took conference attendees on an historical journey from colonisation through to the present day about child welfare law and its impact on Maori.
She said early New Zealand simply adopted England’s poor and vagrancy laws which saw many parents locked away and their children becoming wards of the state. This systemic approach was applied mostly to indigenous populations in New Zealand, Canada and Australia and has continued into the modern era.....
See full article HERE
Hobson's Pledge tries to roll Tauranga land return
A Tauranga Māori historian says the council needs to stand up to a campaign by Don Brash's Hobson's Pledge group trying to overturn a decision to return a block of land to Māori.
Buddy Mikaere says the council had agreed to return a section next to the historic Elms Mission Station on Te Papa peninsula to a trust representing Ngāti Tapu and his own Ngāi Tamarāwaho hapū.
But with elections looming, some councillors called for the proposal to go out for public submissions, and after initial strong support Hobson's Pledge sent out a call for it to be opposed.....
See full article HERE
Ihumātao's 8-year-old Māori warden
Korus Tawha is eight - and the youngest Māori warden at Ihumātao.
Every day after school Korus volunteers at the protest site, working until 10pm.
"I take care of my whānau, I take care of the Māori wardens - walk around and get them drinks; direct traffic on the road," he told Te Karere.
See full article HERE
Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples critical to language
The two complementary strategies that give effect to this active partnership—the Maihi Māori and Maihi Karauna – work together to ensure that te reo is a thriving, living language, and a normal part of New Zealand culture and society.
This will culminate in a national summit which will put the spotlight on te reo Māori as part of the UNESCO 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages,” says Minister Mahuta.....
See full article HERE
Winston Peters calls for Māoridom to change to end Oranga Tamariki uplifts
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says Māoridom must address issues of abuse towards children and women instead of accusing Oranga Tamariki of institutional racism.
"Oranga Tamariki is being accused of institutional racism for uplifting Māori children from their parents. Social workers are being harassed and threatened," he said.
"The children uplifted from these circumstances are being called 'New Zealand's own stolen generation'. That is an insult to the Aboriginal Australian experience. An utter and total insult."
But while Peters said "the odd [uplift] went wrong", Māori children aren't just randomly pulled from their families.
"The facts are that these children are being uplifted because they face perilous dangerous situations.
See full article HERE
More re-offending but less harm from marae-based justice scheme
A report, 'Iwi community justice panels reduce harm from re-offending', was published last month in the NZ Journal of Social Sciences.
It found 74 per cent of panel participants went on to commit another crime, compared to 60 per cent of a control group (matched by age, gender, ethnicity, prior history of offending and location). The participants also had significantly more post-panel offences.
The research says the result would be interpreted as a failure of the panels.
The study concludes iwi panels are therefore an effective alternative justice resolution process, because they reduce the harm caused by reoffending.
"You can't just look at how much they're offending but the type of offending they're undertaking. It's a big change.".......
See full article HERE
Northland avocado growers seek urgent appeal hearing
A group of avocado growers granted consents to draw water from the largest wetland in Northland is seeking an urgent court hearing to challenge an appeal against the consent.
Commissioners appointed by the Northland Regional Council last year granted consents to the group, with a raft of conditions, to take around 2 million cubic metres of water
annually from the Aupouri aquifer to nourish 600ha of new avocado orchards at Houhora, Motutangi and Waiharara.
Burgoyne represents the Te Taumatua Ngati Kuri Research Unit based in Mangonui and is seeking to overturn NRC's decision to grant the consents by relying on issues relating to the Treaty of Waitangi and the Regional Policy Statement....
See full article HERE
Articles:
Ihumātao and the anatomy of a protest in 2019
When asked what comes next, O'Connell Rapira pauses. "The Treaty was never meant to be settled, it was meant to be honoured as an agreement between the Crown and Māori.
"In terms of where this is all going, I think it's a necessary generational shift in the disruption of the status quo thus far in the Treaty relationship. Today's young Māori are saying, 'Actually, full and final settlement isn't good enough. We need to move beyond that'."....
See full article HERE
Let's direct our anger to the real cause of child abuse, not the social workers
Now, social workers are being slammed for doing exactly what they were told to do.
They have been accused of racism, because Māori children are over represented in the state care system.
But we also know that Māori kids are more at risk of harm. Between 2009 and 2015, Māori children were three times more likely than non-Māori to be killed by abuse or neglect.
Oranga Tamariki has been accused of severing the link between Māori children and their whakapapa. But the truth is, 79 per cent of Māori children in state care have been placed within their own whānau or iwi, or with Māori caregivers.
The state care system is still failing Māori. Institutional racism, and the dark legacy of colonisation, are woven through it.
But it's incredibly pessimistic to suggest that the state will never be able to do right by tangata whenua.
Last week, I interviewed Māori social workers who are proud to work for Oranga Tamariki.
They are developing new models of care, built on tikanga Māori , to support vulnerable children and reunite them – safely – with their whanau.
The ministry has partnered with iwi, including Ngāi Tahu and Waikato-Tainui, to allow children from those iwi to be diverted away from the state-run system.
Tūhoe will sign a landmark agreement with Oranga Tamariki next week – a strong sign that some iwi leaders believe there is a way forward.....
See full article HERE
...
Te Rarawa growing Iwi wealth
The chair of Te Rarawa's commercial arm says the purchase of Kaitaia-based Bells Produce will accelerate the iwi's move into horticulture.
Te Rarawa is working on a 10 year development plan for the business, including expanding its people's involvement in the workforce.....
See full article HERE
Exclusive top Māori language academy comes to an end
Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo Māori trained some of the nation's best Māori orators and broadcasters to reach the pinnacle of the Māori language.
Professor Pou Temara led the course alongside Sir Timoti Karetu and the late Dr Wharehuia Milroy, who died in May.....
See full article HERE
Arrests of young Maori are on the rise
Last year, more than 37 hundred people aged 15 or younger, were arrested.
73 percent were Maori - an increase from 68 percent in 2014.
Senior Sergeant Simon King says they're training staff to understand the reasons behind young Maori offending.....
See full article HERE
Ihumaatao maunga at risk from protectors
The number of people heading out to protect Ihumaatao is stressing the ancient landscape.
A raahui has been placed on Puketaapapa,maunga near the site which Fletcher Housing has agreed to return to iwi as part of its development......
See full article HERE
Protecting Ihumātao: Press Release from Ngā Aho, Māori Design Professionals Network
Ngā Aho asserts the need for cultural landscapes and housing solutions that are ‘just’ for all whānau, hapū and iwi and are embedded in meaningful Treaty relationships. Planning regulatory tools and the desire to increase housing availability in Tāmaki Makaurau, (Auckland) have led to ongoing injustices for mana whenua at Ihumātao. A Cultural Landscape Assessment commissioned by SOUL and conducted by members of Ngā Aho asserts that the proposed Fletchers development will sever the connection between the tupuna maunga and the longstanding papakainga of Ihumātao. This outcome is inconsistent with the Te Aranga Māori Design Principles (Te Aranga Principles) which Mana Whenua and Nga Aho practitioners developed, and which are now widely accepted as an authoritative guide to design development embracing matauranga Maori values.....
See full article HERE
Human Rights Commission backs Waitangi Tribunal call to allow prisoner voting.
Chief Commissioner Paul Hunt says prison is about rehabilitation and reengagement, not disenfranchisement.
The Tribunal’s findings and recommendations echo the Commission’s submissions to the Urgent Inquiry in May, says Mr Hunt.
“We see that the law disproportionately affects Māori and this not only breaches Māori rights under Te Tiriti but also raises concerns under our international human rights obligations.”....
See full article HERE
Racist mindset behind vote strip
One of the claimants against a law stopping prisoners from voting says the National government knew it was flawed when it forced it through in 2010.
The Waitangi Tribunal has found the amendment to the Electoral Act was in breach of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, including for the way Māori are now 11 times more likely to be removed from the electoral roll than non-Māori - and once off they are unlikely to ever vote again.
Donna Awatere Huata says when the bill was formulated, the advice from the Human Rights Commission, United Nations representatives and others advised it was in breach of the Human Rights Act.....
See full article HERE
Mayoral candidate hits back at racist claims
Margaret Murray-Benge says her character has been poorly represented in the media in the last couple of days.
“Words have been twisted to make it appear that I do not support nor care for our local Maori community—which could not be further away from the truth.
Margaret’s comments follow a story recently published by Stuff with the headline “Racist undertones in submissions on prospects of land being gifted back to Tauranga iwi”.
She says in the context of ratepayer money and council owned properties, there will be debate about where ownership should sit and how to best manage properties for everybody in the community to enjoy.
“When I have addressed these issues in the past, and when I will need to in the future, I do so with a heart of what I feel is the best outcome for everybody involved. We are all in this together.”....
See full article HERE
Bringing Māori ingenuity to the forefront of ACC
We’ve recently completed a pilot to explore how our Whāia Te Tika strategy can be implemented in our branches to create better outcomes for our Māori clients.
Kaupapa Māori principles have been integrated into the pilot to help set the tone of what we want to achieve. These principles help to encourage staff participation, engagement, curiosity, learning, and genuine application....
See full article HERE
'Virtually landless': Moriori one step closer to justice after initialling deed of settlement with Crown
One of New Zealand's most stigmatised and marginalised tribes, the Moriori, are a step closer to justice after completing negotiations with the Crown.
The redress included a Crown apology, agreed historical account and cultural and commercial redress for historical breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1842.
The settlement package included $18 million in financial redress and the transfer of sites of significance to Moriori as cultural redress.
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little said the package would provide groundwork for the cultural, social and economic future of Moriori.....
See full article HERE
Articles:
Partnerships with iwi are a priority
So what is a partnership? There are a number of definitions and varying themes to what partnership means, but “to be in partnership” invokes notions of equal participation. A more precise definition could be “a legal relation existing between two or more persons contractually associated or a relationship resembling a legal partnership and usually involving close co-operation between parties having specified and joint rights and responsibilities”.
The Treaty signified a partnership between indigenous peoples and new European settlers, and each partner had to act towards the other “with the utmost good faith which is the characteristic obligation of partnership”. The obligations of partnership include the duty to consult Maori and to obtain the full, free and informed consent of the correct right holders in any transaction for their land and other taonga or treasured possessions.....
See full article HERE
Losing the right to vote – racism in the criminal justice system
Underpinning the Tribunal’s findings is a comprehensive understanding that the treatment of prisoners is not narrowly confined to prisoners – nor to their time in prison. Instead it reverberates throughout society with significant ramifications for prisoners’ families and communities. This was clear from the revelation that removing people from the electoral roll while they are in prison becomes, for many, a permanent removal.
The Tribunal described this as “a de facto permanent disqualification” (p. 8) and they found that “disenfranchising Māori prisoners has continued to impact on the individual following release from prison and that impact extends beyond the individual to their whānau and their community” (p. 34). This disenfranchisment can also undermine the rehabilitation of ex-prisoners to wider NZ society. As Carmen Hetaraka, one of the claimants, put it:....
See full article HERE
Prisoner voting: the legal case advances; public sentiment not so much
EDITORIAL: New Zealanders really need to work out whether the Bill of Rights is exactly that, or really more of a liberal wishlist, the functional authority of which depends greatly on which party is in power, and what the prevailing popular sentiment might be.
There are good reasons to reassess the ban on prisoners voting, though it's debatable whether the Waitangi Tribunal has advanced the cause all that much, politically anyway, by highlighting issues of racial equality.
The tribunal has unsurprisingly joined the calls for reform, saying the law has disproportionately hurt Māori - because they're banged up in such greater numbers - and was passed without due regard for the Crown's Treaty of Waitangi provisions.
The tribunal also talks of such a change as not only corrective, but positive. A way of empowering Māori. However, upholding or limiting the ability to vote is a fundamental matter of human rights, not a rehabilitational aid.....
See full article HERE
'We are already home': Ihumātao group responds to Simon Bridges' comments
Those protesting against a housing development at Ihumātao have provided a blunt response to National Party leader Simon Bridges: "We are already home."
Bridges stoked the ire of many after criticising Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for "getting involved" in the situation and insisting she tell the "protesters to go home".
Save Our Unique Landscape co-founder and mana whenua Qiane Matata-Sipu told the Herald they were "already home".
"Well, we are home, there is nowhere really that I can or would go.
"I also don't really have much time for him anyway, given the National government created the Special Housing Area (SHA) law that got us into this in the first place."....
See full article HERE
Monday August 12, 2019
News:
Waitangi Tribunal calls for urgent law change to allow prisoners to vote in 2020 election
The Waitangi Tribunal is urging the Government to overturn the prisoner voting ban, with a mind to empowering Māori.
Voting rights for New Zealand prisoners have varied significantly through history.
The most recent law change, enacted in 2010, removed their right to register and vote in elections.
See full Article HERE
Restoring prisoners' right to vote still not a priority - Andrew Little
Taking away prisoners' rights to vote was part of a "fascist" culture the National-led Government fostered against criminals, Justice Minister Andrew Little said on Monday.
His comments come in the wake of a new Waitangi Tribunal report which says people behind bars should be allowed to vote because the Electoral Act is inconsistent with the Treaty.
Prisoners' rights to vote were revoked in 2010 by the National-led Government. Before then, prisoners serving sentences under three years - the length of a parliamentary term - were allowed to vote.
Little said while it's not a priority, the combined impact of the Supreme Court ruling and the tribunal's report means something has to be done.
"At some point we are going to have to address it... My view is there is something here I need to at least put in front of Cabinet, and Cabinet can decide what the next step can be."....
See full Article HERE
‘Political Demise’ – allowing prisoners to vote
The Waitangi Tribunal report released today, found that the 2010 law change was inconsistent with Treaty principles and led to significant prejudice against Māori.
SST National Spokesperson Jess McVicar says “We cannot forget that 71% of prisoners are incarcerated for homicide or other violent crime. They are in prison as punishment for their offending, to keep society safe from them and to try and rehabilitate them. The Victims of homicide do not get the right to ever vote again, whereas their offender does - when they are released!”
Jess says voting will not assist in their possible rehabilitation, and it will not assist the survivors in their healing process.
Jess believes it will see the political demise of the Government if they allow prisoners to vote, and would also cement the concerns that our system has become overly offender friendly.
“I know there is an over-representation of Maori in prison, that is undeniable! But that is for no reason other than they committed a crime, and if they have been incarcerated for longer than the voting period, then chances are it is for a serious crime.”....
See full Article HERE
Prison vote ban breached treaty
The Waitangi Tribunal has found a law change that took the vote away from prisoners breaches the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
One of the consequences of the section was an increase in the already disproportionate removal of Māori from the electoral roll.
The tribunal recommended the legislation is amended urgently to remove the disqualification of all prisoners from voting, irrespective of sentence; and that the Crown start a process immediately to enable and encourage all sentenced prisoners and all released prisoners to be enrolled in time for the next general election in 2020.
It also wants to see a process to ensure Crown officials provide properly informed advice on the likely impact that any Bill, including members' Bills, will have on the Crown's Treaty of Waitangi obligations.....
See full Article HERE
'I'm not racist': Hone Harawira defends comments on police at Ihumātao as Simon Bridges labels them 'disgusting'
Hone Harawira is defending comments he made about police at Ihumātao, which Simon Bridges has labelled "racist" and "disgusting".
Harawira justified his comments made last week, in which he said "get those white f**kers off that front line", telling Magic Talk he felt there was a need for more of a Māori presence.
The former Maori Party MP said he reached out to deputy police commissioner Wally Hauhama, asking him to replace the police officers at Ihumātao with Māori liaison officers.
He said the Māori liaison officers "don't run around in police uniform". He said they "have their own relaxed style of dress" and are identifiable by the badge they wear.
"Some years ago now, Wally Haumaha had frontline police drawn from Waitangi and replaced by Maori liaison officers, and things have been relatively peaceful ever since," Harawira said.....
See full Article HERE
If Simon Bridges was Prime Minister: 'I would do three things' to fix Ihumātao standoff
If Simon Bridges was Prime Minister, he says he would back police at Ihumātao, tell the protesters to go home, and would never have got involved like Jacinda Ardern did.
He said he would have handled things differently if he was the Prime Minister, telling Magic Talk he feels Ardern has not been consistent enough in her stance on the matter......
See full Article HERE
Factbox: History of recent protests by Māori in New Zealand
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of indigenous Māori are protesting in New Zealand, demanding land rights and more reforms for the community, in the highest profile grassroot movements in over a decade.
Here are some key Māori protests in New Zealand in recent history.....
See full Article HERE
In New Zealand, young Māori women lead the battle for indigenous rights
AUCKLAND/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Five years ago, law graduate Pania Newton and her cousins got together around a kitchen table and agreed to do everything in their power to prevent a housing development on a south Auckland site considered sacred by local Māori.
Newton, now 29, is today leading thousands of protesters occupying the land at Ihumātao, one of a number of grassroots movements spearheaded by young, educated and tech-savvy Māori women.....
See full Article HERE
New Zealand's indigenous Maori protest over 'stolen children'
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of Maori people protested across New Zealand on Tuesday calling for an end to the practice of taking at-risk children away from their families, as tensions grow between the indigenous community and the government.
Children facing harm have been moved into state care for decades despite criticism from many Maori people, who believe the process is racially skewed and a legacy of colonization. Most of the children taken into state care are Maori....
See full Article HERE
Palmerston whānau ora scheme to expand
A Palmerston North programme that works with Housing New Zealand tenants had been given $4.6 million over the next two years to expand its operations.
Kainga Whānau Ora is led by a group of both iwi and Māori community organisaitons, Te Tihi o Ruahine Whānau Ora Alliance, and supported by a governance group of fifteen agencies and organisations including the Social Investment Agency, Ministry of Social Development and Police.
Spokesperson Tawhiti Kunaiti says Kainga Whānau Ora ensures the houses are structurally safe, warm and dry, and that whānau have pathways to education, training and other services.....
See full Article HERE
Articles:
Andrew Dickens: Finally we are seeing the full story around Oranga Tamariki uplifts
One social worker on the programme said that social workers are accused of destroying families. But, she says, families are already destroyed when we get there.
Another said that if Maori really what to improve the situation for vulnerable kids then they should direct their anger towards the real cause of child abuse which he said was the 3 Ps: poverty piss and P not Oranga Tamariki
The media on this has all been one sided from Melanie Reid's documentary which purposefully left out half the story and then the coverage of all the protests. The squeaky wheel of the protesters has been heard far too much on this issue as if we forgot that there’s two sides to every story......
See full Article HERE
Ihumātao: NZ breaching human rights obligations
In March this year, the leading UN human rights watchdogs on Indigenous peoples’ rights and housing urged New Zealand “that all necessary interim measures be taken to halt the alleged violations and prevent their re-occurrence”. This means the UN has asked the Government to stop the development of Ihumātao. Until it does so, New Zealand is in breach of its international human rights responsibilties.....
See full Article HERE
Sunday August 11, 2019
News:
Nanaia Mahuta calls out National and Māori Party over rezoning of Ihumātao
Mahuta has been working behind the scenes to help facilitate a resolution, and was critical of the decision to rezone Ihumātao as a Special Housing Area.
The Special Housing Area legislation was put forward under National and supported by the Māori Party, but Labour, the Greens and New Zealand First voted against it.
She says the rezoning of Ihumātao "didn't go through consultation process you would expect"......
See full article HERE
Home detention for manslaughter of Whangārei homeless man Eddie
A man who killed a homeless man in Whangārei with a single punch has been sentenced to eight months' home detention for manslaughter.
Justice Gault said Nepia was also genuinely remorseful for the death and had committed to doing a Man Alive intensive anti-violence course. He was also committed to being a good father and partner.
He said Nepia's cultural circumstances, which included the negative effects of colonialism, were contributing factors that needed to be taken into consideration.......
See full article HERE
Tell them to go home, Prime Minister
By issuing a halt to home building the Prime Minister’s interference at Ihumātao has called into question her commitment to full and final Treaty of Waitangi settlements. She now has no choice but to sort it out, Leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges says.
“The Prime Minister has got involved here where she shouldn’t have and in doing so is setting an appalling precedent. She is rewarding protestors and runs the risk of reopening full and final settlements which is incredibly dangerous and expensive.....
See full article HERE
Colonisation and old law behind appalling Maori child state welfare - NZNO
Colonisation and the legacy of archaic British law were the starting points for our modern child welfare system that is inherently racist and disadvantages Maori in particular, the Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference was told today.
Midwife and Maori health advocate Jean Te Huia took conference attendees on an historical journey from colonisation through to the present day about child welfare law and its impact on Maori.
She said early New Zealand simply adopted England’s poor and vagrancy laws which saw many parents locked away and their children becoming wards of the state. This systemic approach was applied mostly to indigenous populations in New Zealand, Canada and Australia and has continued into the modern era.....
See full article HERE
Hobson's Pledge tries to roll Tauranga land return
A Tauranga Māori historian says the council needs to stand up to a campaign by Don Brash's Hobson's Pledge group trying to overturn a decision to return a block of land to Māori.
Buddy Mikaere says the council had agreed to return a section next to the historic Elms Mission Station on Te Papa peninsula to a trust representing Ngāti Tapu and his own Ngāi Tamarāwaho hapū.
But with elections looming, some councillors called for the proposal to go out for public submissions, and after initial strong support Hobson's Pledge sent out a call for it to be opposed.....
See full article HERE
Ihumātao's 8-year-old Māori warden
Korus Tawha is eight - and the youngest Māori warden at Ihumātao.
Every day after school Korus volunteers at the protest site, working until 10pm.
"I take care of my whānau, I take care of the Māori wardens - walk around and get them drinks; direct traffic on the road," he told Te Karere.
See full article HERE
Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples critical to language
The two complementary strategies that give effect to this active partnership—the Maihi Māori and Maihi Karauna – work together to ensure that te reo is a thriving, living language, and a normal part of New Zealand culture and society.
This will culminate in a national summit which will put the spotlight on te reo Māori as part of the UNESCO 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages,” says Minister Mahuta.....
See full article HERE
Winston Peters calls for Māoridom to change to end Oranga Tamariki uplifts
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says Māoridom must address issues of abuse towards children and women instead of accusing Oranga Tamariki of institutional racism.
"Oranga Tamariki is being accused of institutional racism for uplifting Māori children from their parents. Social workers are being harassed and threatened," he said.
"The children uplifted from these circumstances are being called 'New Zealand's own stolen generation'. That is an insult to the Aboriginal Australian experience. An utter and total insult."
But while Peters said "the odd [uplift] went wrong", Māori children aren't just randomly pulled from their families.
"The facts are that these children are being uplifted because they face perilous dangerous situations.
See full article HERE
More re-offending but less harm from marae-based justice scheme
A report, 'Iwi community justice panels reduce harm from re-offending', was published last month in the NZ Journal of Social Sciences.
It found 74 per cent of panel participants went on to commit another crime, compared to 60 per cent of a control group (matched by age, gender, ethnicity, prior history of offending and location). The participants also had significantly more post-panel offences.
The research says the result would be interpreted as a failure of the panels.
The study concludes iwi panels are therefore an effective alternative justice resolution process, because they reduce the harm caused by reoffending.
"You can't just look at how much they're offending but the type of offending they're undertaking. It's a big change.".......
See full article HERE
Northland avocado growers seek urgent appeal hearing
A group of avocado growers granted consents to draw water from the largest wetland in Northland is seeking an urgent court hearing to challenge an appeal against the consent.
Commissioners appointed by the Northland Regional Council last year granted consents to the group, with a raft of conditions, to take around 2 million cubic metres of water
annually from the Aupouri aquifer to nourish 600ha of new avocado orchards at Houhora, Motutangi and Waiharara.
Burgoyne represents the Te Taumatua Ngati Kuri Research Unit based in Mangonui and is seeking to overturn NRC's decision to grant the consents by relying on issues relating to the Treaty of Waitangi and the Regional Policy Statement....
See full article HERE
Articles:
Ihumātao and the anatomy of a protest in 2019
When asked what comes next, O'Connell Rapira pauses. "The Treaty was never meant to be settled, it was meant to be honoured as an agreement between the Crown and Māori.
"In terms of where this is all going, I think it's a necessary generational shift in the disruption of the status quo thus far in the Treaty relationship. Today's young Māori are saying, 'Actually, full and final settlement isn't good enough. We need to move beyond that'."....
See full article HERE
Let's direct our anger to the real cause of child abuse, not the social workers
Now, social workers are being slammed for doing exactly what they were told to do.
They have been accused of racism, because Māori children are over represented in the state care system.
But we also know that Māori kids are more at risk of harm. Between 2009 and 2015, Māori children were three times more likely than non-Māori to be killed by abuse or neglect.
Oranga Tamariki has been accused of severing the link between Māori children and their whakapapa. But the truth is, 79 per cent of Māori children in state care have been placed within their own whānau or iwi, or with Māori caregivers.
The state care system is still failing Māori. Institutional racism, and the dark legacy of colonisation, are woven through it.
But it's incredibly pessimistic to suggest that the state will never be able to do right by tangata whenua.
Last week, I interviewed Māori social workers who are proud to work for Oranga Tamariki.
They are developing new models of care, built on tikanga Māori , to support vulnerable children and reunite them – safely – with their whanau.
The ministry has partnered with iwi, including Ngāi Tahu and Waikato-Tainui, to allow children from those iwi to be diverted away from the state-run system.
Tūhoe will sign a landmark agreement with Oranga Tamariki next week – a strong sign that some iwi leaders believe there is a way forward.....
See full article HERE
...
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