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Saturday, September 21, 2019

Breaking Views Update: Week of 15.09.19







Saturday September 21, 2019

News:
Finance Minister Grant Robertson meets with Fletchers about Ihumātao
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has met with Fletcher Building as the Government tries to end the impasse at Ihumātao.

The Herald has confirmed the building company and Robertson met in the Beehive on Friday to discuss the situation.

"The conversation was part of the Government supporting finding a resolution on the future of Ihumātao," a spokeswoman for Robertson's office said.

"Fletchers asked to meet with the minister."

The minister declined to discuss any further details and the company has yet to reply to requests for comment.......
See full article HERE

Māori curriculum guide set for revamp
Education Minister Chris Hipkins has announced reviews of both the reo Māori learning framework and the way the national curriculum is set.

He says Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, which guides learning through te reo Māori, needs to be reviewed to more strongly reflect te ao Māori approaches to education used in kura......
See full article HERE

Māori history in Wairau marked with new highwayside sculpture in Blenheim
A new sculpture will soon greet people arriving in Blenheim on the town's main highway.

The work of steel and bronze, designed by master carver Heemi Te Peeti, is named Te Tauihu o te Waka-a-Māui, which means the prow of the waka (canoe) of Māui.

The sculpture will stand on the grassed area owned by Rangitāne in front of the Blenheim Railway Station, on the corner of Grove Rd, or State Highway 1, and Dillons Point Rd......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Whanganui official spelling in place for 10 years but still some resistance

None have a sole claim on our story

A momentous NZ milestone

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 September 20, 2019

News:
Waikato-Tainui relativity adjustmentAn adjustment payment has been made to Waikato-Tainui under the relativity mechanism in their 1995 Treaty of Waitangi settlement, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little announced today.

Waikato-Tainui have received $95,000 to ensure the value of their Treaty settlement maintains its relative size compared with the total value of all Treaty of Waitangi settlements to date......
See full article HERE

Ngāti Hinerangi settlement has first reading in parliament
Under the Settlements Act of 1863 the Crown confiscated 100,000 hectares of land in Tauranga, including areas within the Ngāti Hinerangi rohe.

Four years later, government forces invaded several Māori villages in Tauranga, destroying crops and homes, to punish those who opposed the land confiscation.

Ngāti Hinerangi is set to receive an apology, as outlined by the government's deed of settlement document.

The iwi will receive $8 million dollars and five properties that include land occupied by Manuwaru School and the Matamata police station.

It will also enter a co-governance arrangement over the upper part of the Waihou and Piako catchments......
See full article HERE

Fishing community reacts to Motiti marine reserve
Apprehension is building in the Bay of Plenty fishing community about whether a number of popular offshore reefs will be permanently closed.

A long-running legal battle led by the Motiti Rohe Moana Trust and supported by Forest and Bird has reached the Court of Appeal, with a decision still pending on whether or not the Resource Management Act should be used to restrict access to a number of reefs surrounding Motiti Island including Ō karapu Reef, Otāiti (Astrolabe Reef), Schooner rocks, Brewers Shole, Plate Island and Tokoroa Shoals.

The dispute has received little publicity until now and many fishermen have only recently become aware of the possible reef closures – sparking anger and confusion as to what the long-term implications might be for New Zealand’s entire coastline......
See full article HERE

Kura reo Māori language course for all abilities returns
Kura reo, a full immersion course in te reo Māori will be held for the second year on November 20, 2019.

“For the last few years, the desire to understand, learn and strengthen te reo Māori within Aotearoa has been at the forefront of many legal environments,” says Alana Thomas of Kaupare Law and Consultancy, the event's organiser.

Kura reo is a course for all abilities, from beginner to advanced, and caters for those interested in strengthening their understanding of te reo Māori within the law environment....
See full article HERE

Government announces $41 million for new classrooms in Wellington region
Education Minister Chris Hipkins said another $14m would go to two kura kaupapa schools for rebuilds and replacements.

"The funding will be used to replace four classrooms at Te Kura-a-iwi o Whakatupuranga Rua Mano [in Ōtaki] and will completely rebuild Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna [Wellington]."....
See full article HERE

Kaupapa Māori project to increase rights of children in state care
A major project to improve Māori children, whānau and iwi participation in child protection planning and decision-making has received close to $1 million in funding.

The collaborative three-year project to co-design and test a Kaupapa Māori protocol for enhancing meaningful participation by Māori children, whānau and iwi in child protection decision-making and services is being led by Professor Susan Kemp at the
University of Auckland.......
See full article HERE

Cook protest enters 5G phase
Iwi around Gisborne are assembling grievances to air when a replica of Captain Cook's ship the Endeavour sails in next month.

Marise Lant from Ngāti Porou says when the Endeavour arrives on October 8 it will be met with a protest that also covers issues such as the uplift of children by Oranga Tamariki, suicide, problem gambling, 1080 poison drops and the roll out of the 5G mobile data network, which she believes may have health implications that have not been discussed in public......
See full article HERE

Letter from the CE: Kia kaha te Reo Māori
Last week, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Māori language week, was an important reminder for us all that Te Reo Māori is a core part of who we are as New Zealanders, and what makes Aotearoa unique.

With this in mind, I am delighted to share Education New Zealand’s new Māori name: Manapou ki te Ao.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Ihumātao: Kate Sheppard House purchase sees renewed calls for Government help

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Government has made a mistake over Ihumātao

Ihumātao's fate still uncertain as mana whenua return to a stalemate with the Crown

Ihumātao: 'They owe mana whenua something'

Teaching NZ history could be the most important nation-building project of a generation

Thursday September 19, 2019

News:
Jacinda Ardern won't rule out Government purchasing Ihumātao after mana whenua breakthrough
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is refusing to rule out the Government purchasing Ihumātao as mana whenua urges it to enter into negotiations with Fletchers.

Since early August, the Kiingitanga has been acting as an intermediary between mana whenua with different views on what should be done with the disputed Māngere land, believed to be one of the country's earliest settlements.

Speaking from Japan, Ardern said she was "incredibly grateful" for the work Kiingitanga had facilitated but wouldn't say what action the Government would take.....
See full article HERE

Winston Peters questions mana whenua's 'collective decision' on Ihumātao
After weeks of discussions, mana whenua have come to a decision - that they want the government to negotiate with Fletcher Building to return the land at Ihumātao.

Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters told Morning Report all political parties in Parliament and iwi had accepted the Treaty of Waitangi settlements.

"That has consequences," he said.

As someone who had been involved in Māori land law way back in the '70s, he said it was fundamental to listen to those who had "kept the land warm down through the centuries and even today".

"Who has been keeping the land warm? Those are the people that we're going to listen to."......
See full article HERE

Fletcher seeks urgent talks on Ihumatao stalemate
Fletcher Building is "disappointed" no resolution emerged from talks brokered by the Kingitanga on the future of the company's delayed housing development at Ihumatao.

The process has effectively delivered a setback for the 480-home development by uniting previously opposing groups claiming mana whenua, or ancestral connection, to the Fletchers-owned land at the centre of the dispute. Auckland Council, which approved the development, values the land at $36 million.

"Six weeks ago the Prime Minister requested that Fletcher Building put a hold on our housing development to allow time for discussions between government and iwi to take place," the company says in short written statement that it says will be its only comment on the issue. "We have not been a party to those discussions and we are disappointed to see they have not produced a resolution......
See full article HERE

University puts te reo and Kīngitanga at the forefront
Kīngitanga Day, an annual event that recognises the University’s unique connection with the Kīngitanga and Waikato-Tainui, was celebrated across both Hamilton and Tauranga campuses and saw the convergence of key cultural influencers on university grounds.

“Our name acknowledges the tribal land on which the University’s Hamilton campus is located, as well as the wider Waikato region.

“Part of Kīngitanga Day this year was to not only acknowledge our cultural distinctiveness, but to embrace and share our culture, and all other cultures who share the campus with us.”

Guest lectures were also hosted by researcher and The Non Plastic Māori blogger Tina Ngata, as well as writer and historian Dr Vincent O’Malley......
See full article HERE

Māori board position stepping stone to power
Prestige, power and pūtea.

That's what comes with a seat on Auckland's Independent Māori Statutory Board, but there seem to be few takers.

The board includes seven seats for mana whenua and two for mātāwaka, or Māori living in Tāmaki Makaurau who come from other tribal areas,.....
See full article HERE

Ministry considering intervention at prestigious Maori boarding school Te Aute College
Prestigious Maori boarding school Te Aute College is facing tough times again, with the Ministry of Education considering intervening in the school.

The Te Aute Trust Board confirmed to Stuff it had requested assistance from the Ministry of Education over "increasing concern about the board of trustees' recent performance".

However, it has been dogged by problems in the past - including a bullying culture, rising debts and falling role numbers....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Teaching New Zealand history timely

It's way past time to reclaim and honour our own history

Barry Soper: Ihumātao - the lingering migraine for the Beehive

Why workers who are Pakeha benefit from positive action for Maori

Taranaki school is ahead of the game when it comes to teaching New Zealand's history

Te reo journey for school staff

Wednesday September 18, 2019

News:
Gisborne iwi refuse to hold pōwhiri for replica of Cook's ship EndeavourFour major iwi in the Tūranganui ā Kiwa region are refusing to hold a pōwhiri for a fleet of vessels, including a replica of Captain Cook's ship the Endeavour and the Navy, set to arrive in the city next month.

The refusal comes after far north iwi Ngāti Kahu recently banned the replica of the Endeavour from docking in Mangonui during its voyage.

Rongowhakaata Trust General Manager, Amohaere Houkamau, said in a statement iwi believed the descendants of colonialists who settled in the city should welcome the fleet instead.....
See full article HERE

Mana whenua reach decision on Ihumātao land
The Māori king, Kiingi Tūheitia, says mana whenua have finally reached consensus over what to do with Ihumātao - they want it back.

The announcement was made this morning, with Kiingi Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII saying he had successfully guided mana whenua of Ihumātao to a unified position.

"Mana whenua agree they want their land returned, so they can make decisions about its future," he said.

"Kiingitanga has conveyed the views of mana whenua to the government and urged it to negotiate with Fletchers for the return of Ihumātao to its rightful owners."

"Mana whenua agreed the return of the land is outside of the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process and therefore requires an innovative and modern solution that does not financially disadvantage iwi."
See full article HERE

Full and final treaty settlements must stay that way
The Government needs to immediately reject the call from iwi for it to negotiate with Fletchers over Ihumātao, Leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges says.

“Fletchers legally owns this land. If this settlement is brought into question then so will all other full and final Treaty of Waitangi settlements.

“The Prime Minister should never have waded into what was happening at Ihumātao by stopping the construction of much needed houses. Now she’s left the country with this situation still a mess because she got involved.....
See full article HERE

Senior Ministers, including Winston Peters, don't seem keen on an Ihumātao deal with the Crown
The Government appears to be unmoved by the Māori King's urging of the Crown to negotiate with Fletcher Building to "return Ihumātao to its rightful owners".

Speaking to media before question time today, Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters said it would have to be "one extraordinarily high benchmark" for the Government to get involved.

"And hitherto, we do not see that benchmark."

Finance Minister Grant Robertson confirmed in the House this afternoon that the Government has "absolutely no intention of reopening full and final [Treaty] settlements".

And senior NZ First Minister Shane Jones has told the Herald the Ihumātao land should be used for housing development......
See full article HERE

More action needed to reach million reo speaker target
The Maori Party says the Government's goal of one million Kiwis having basic conversations in te reo by 2040 is unrealistic if more is not done to increase reo acquisition.

President Che Wilson says Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori showed the language gaining more popularity, and it’s time to move the dial.

The Māori Party wants to see te reo Māori normalised for four weeks a year, one week each season......
See full article HERE

Māori, Pasifika teens suffer more ethnicity-related discrimination from teachers than peers - report
Māori and Pacifica teenagers are more likely to suffer ethnicity-related discrimination from their school teachers, an Education Ministry report indicates.

When asked if a teacher had "ever" treated them unfairly because of their ethnicity, the figures rose to 21.5 percent for Māori, 19.7 percent for "other Pacific", 18.9 percent for Indian students, and 8.6 percent for Pākehā students.....
See full article HERE

Opposition cooked up from misheard history
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones says a far north iwi is confusing its history in its objections to a replica of Captain Cook's ship calling in at Mangonui.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kahu chief executive Anahera Herbert-Graves says the iwi doesn't want the Endeavour in Mangonui because it was not consulted about the itinerary.

"They've got some good people in there but I think Anahera and Margaret (Mutu) have always had a fictitious account of history. In actual fact it was De Surville who took Ranginui who died off the coast of Peru so it wasn't Cook, it was the French who kidnapped the tūpuna from the beach of Tokerau so they've got the wrong nation. They've confused their history," Mr Jones says......
See full article HERE

NCEA attainment rates fall, Māori schools buck trend
The ministry's figures showed of Māori school-leavers 20.3 percent last year had no qualification, compared with 8.7 per cent of Pākehā school leavers and 14.5 per cent of Pasifika students.

Overall, 33,783 or 53.7 per cent of school-leavers last year had at least NCEA level 3, a drop of one per centage point.

The number of school-leavers with level 2 also fell, from 81.1 per cent to 79.4 per cent.

The ministry said Māori-medium schools bucked the trend and more of their Māori school leavers had qualifications than in previous years. Just 11.9 per cent left with no qualification, 80.2 per cent left with at least level 2 and 59.2 per cent had at least level 3.....
See full article HERE

Controversial gifting of million-dollar section to Maori Trust revisted by council
The controversial decision to gift a million-dollar section of land in Tauranga to a Māori Trust may be revoked and debated in council chambers, for the third time.

Tauranga City Council has taken steps towards revoking a decision made on September 10 to gift a section of land at 11 Mission Street, adjacent to The Elms historical building, to the Otamataha Trust.

A date for the extraordinary council meeting has not yet been decided.....
See full article HERE

Air New Zealand backs down on Kia Ora trademark bid
Air New Zealand will not actively pursue its trademark application for the Kia Ora magazine logo after consultation with Māori leaders.

The move sparked outcry from some who thought the airline was trying to claim the words and led to a call for Māori to boycott the airline.

Air NZ chief executive Christopher Luxon says that after consultation with iwi leaders and intellectual property law experts, it was clear the Government needs to undertake an urgent review of the rules governing the trade marking of words and phrases from the Māori language.....
See full article HERE

Statement about Air New Zealand Backdown
I am very pleased with Air New Zealand’s Decision to backdown and withdraw their application to trademark into a logo Kia Ora. I said at the time that it was an ill conceived idea and poorly thought out – more importantly it should never have been on the table. I’d also like to send a clear message to the so called advisors they consulted – of whom we do not know their names other than being touted as Iwi leaders – the vast majority of Maori have spoken and I suggest we do more listening of our people – the flax roots – who were dead against this idea.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Talking Point: Care needed in rewriting our history

Police 'came down hard': Waitangi Tribunal declines urgency for police prosecution claim

Māori psychology school pitched to counter shortage

Kate Hawkesby: We're going to teach NZ history - but which version?

Tuesday September 17, 2019

News:
Captain Cook replica banned from docking in Mangonui during commemoration
The far North iwi Ngāti Kahu has banned a replica of Captain Cook's ship the Endeavour from docking in Mangonui as part of a national commemoration marking 250 years since Cook's arrival in Aotearoa.

Ngāti Kahu chief executive, Anahera Herbert-Graves, said the Ministry of Culture and Heritage did not consult with the iwi before including the Mangonui area in the list of destinations for the voyage.

The three hapū were very strong in their opposition, they said no-way jose. I was instructed to let the Ministry know, which I did."

The Ministry of Culture and Heritage has since removed Mangonui from the programme.

Ms Herbert-Graves said Captain Cook never actually landed in the Ngāti Kahu rohe.

"Cook never came into our rohe, he sailed by, and apparently cast his eye to the port and said, 'oh, that's Doubtless Bay.' It's a fiction for him to 're-visit' us because he never came.

"He was a barbarian. Wherever he went, like most people of the time of imperial expansion, there were murders, there were abductions, there were rapes, and just a lot of bad outcomes for the indigenous people......
See full article HERE

Too many tamariki are being hospitalised with preventable injuries. Could mātauranga Māori be the answer?
There is plenty of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), and this knowledge has been a key focus of an ACC partnership with Safekids Aotearoa.

Safekids have been working to capture and share knowledge of te ao Māori approaches to child injury prevention. And importantly, to get this right, they needed advice from the right people.

So here’s the challenge I’ve set myself, my team at ACC, and in fact to all New Zealand Government organisations. We need to do a better job of keeping Māori tamariki safe. And I believe we’ll be in much stronger stead if we use mātauranga Māori to help deliver the right solutions, at the right time, in the right way. ....
See full article HERE

He whai mātauranga: Researching Māori taonga in UK museum collections
This scholarship is for Māori students of Museum and Heritage Studies with professional museum experience.

The scholarship enables Māori students to conduct research on taonga in UK museum collections and enhance the care of those taonga and foster engagement with descendant source communities in Aotearoa New Zealand, ie iwi, hapū and whānau related to those taonga.

* Applicants must be of Māori descent.....
See full article HERE

$38.5m boost for Otago researchers
Prof Merata Kawharu (Ngati Whatua, Ngapuhi) from the Centre of Sustainability, has been awarded $7,248,016 over five years for an initiative aimed at empowering Māori communities to respond to climate change.

This innovative research pioneers the development of marae-based and marae-led platforms and processes to help reduce carbon emissions in the community.

Prof Kawharu said the project will enable Maori communities to identify the issues and build from a community and culture values perspective to find solutions that help to lower carbon emissions that are cost-effective and help to restore the health of landscapes and communities......
See full article HERE

Articles:
The NZ history curriculum - a Trojan horse (By Elizabeth Rata)

'Fears' about Māori immersion schools proving unfounded

No senior Māori managers at 28 government bodies, Stuff survey finds

Why learing te reo Maori is important

Ihumātao | National Party Solutions | More Problematic than Helpful

Ihumātao protest: meet the 'protectors' still occupying the site


Monday September 16, 2019

News:
Millions of dollars promised to upgrade marae across AucklandAuckland Council has announced a $60 million programme to go towards improving the conditions of 32 marae across the region.

The Marae Infrastructure Programme will focus on the repair, maintenance and upgrade works to marae facilities, including wharenui (meeting houses), wharekai (dining halls) and wharepaku (toilets).


"This programme is unique not only in its focus of improving marae, but also in its strategic intent of enabling marae to be self-sustainable and thriving spaces within their communities," she said. "We want a partnership approach that leaves a legacy for generations to come."....
See full article HERE

Turi-Deaf Māori reclaiming their reo birthright
Although te reo Māori has been an official language in Aotearoa for 32 years, an estimated 3,000 turi Māori (deaf Māori) continue to fight for their Māori language rights.

Turner says, “It would be really nice to see our Māori people learning sign language. Also, there are some projects I'm involved in where we are incorporating kupu Māori in sign-language and having Māori hearing working alongside us to teach this. And, of course, we'd like to see trilingual sign language interpreters in the future.”.....
See full article HERE

Conservation Minister opens new visitor centre at Bushy Park Tarapuruhi
The new visitor centre features interactive displays, including real birds' nests and bones, and includes information on what the forest area means to iwi.

Last month Bushy Park adopted "Tarapuruhi" into its name, which means "a place of abundant bird life."....
See full article HERE

Principals give tick to history lessons
The president of the Principals Federation says principals are ready and waiting to ramp up teaching of New Zealand history in their schools.

Whetu Cormick says a lot of work has been done in the past few years to develop resources, including the Māori history Te Takinga of te Wā which many schools are using voluntarily.

The two year lead in gives time to train up teachers to deliver the new curriculum.......
See full article HERE

The power of tikanga Māori in rehabilitating young offenders
Tikanga Māori education is helping to rehabilitate young offenders, staff at a youth justice residence in Rotorua say.

Many have gang connections and almost all are rangatahi (young people) whose links to their Māori culture - tikanga Māori - have long been severed.

He said learning about Tikanga Māori could bring out a different side to the rangatahi, who would light up every time they were able to perform a haka or waiata.....
See full article HERE

Rua Kenana pardon unlocks history lessons
A Tuhoe leader says a pardon for Rua Kenana will allow the prophet's vision to be more widely shared and understood.

"So he will be remembered for saying to the people, hold on to the scripture. And his most famous saying was taken from the teachings of Solomon: Whakarongo e ngā tamariki, kaua e whakarērea tō mātauranga. Listen to me my children. Do not forsake your education. What he meant of course was our oral history education," Professor Black says.

That oral history can now be incorporated into the history that will be taught in schools.....
See full article HERE


Sunday September 15, 2019

News:
One million dollars for Te Ara Wai discovery centre in Te Awamutu
The kitty to build a museum acknowledging the New Zealand Wars has grown by $1 million.

Waipā mayor Jim Mylchreest warmly welcomed the donation from Trust Waikato, which will bring the Te Ara Wai museum, telling the history of the district, closer to fruition.


It will include detailed acknowledgement of the New Zealand Wars, their role in the district, and other social, cultural and natural changes spanning across the years. 

Council will still be contributing $7.2 million to the design and construction of the project, and hopes to gain further support from the Provincial Growth Fund and other organisations.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Insecurity of some white people hinders investment in Māori health, says oncologist George Laking

NZ will be a smarter and more thoughtful country for knowing its own history

Compulsory New Zealand history curriculum will 'open Pandora's box'

Being Kiwi: Racism often confused Pākehā woman raised in Māori family


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

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