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Saturday, April 18, 2020

Breaking Views Update: Week of 12.04.20







Saturday April 18, 2020

News:
More new qualifications for trainees in te ao Maori
Following on from the recent arrival of its new qualification in manaakitanga, Skills Active has launched two more programmes that focus on cultural competence in work settings.

The New Zealand Certificate in Tikanga (Mātauranga Māori) (Level 2) covers a basic understanding of Māori concepts and customs. The New Zealand Certificate in Māori Business and Management (Level 3) deepens understanding through added history and cultural components, further links to a workplace context, and participation in a noho marae (overnight marae stay).

Both qualifications are designed for trainees who work with Māori stakeholders and colleagues, or who deliver services to Māori clients.......
See full article HERE

Public Reserves Act trumps treaty settlement for tree huggers
The head of Honour the Maunga says the Tupuna Maunga Authority should not have removed the protest group’s tents from Ōwairaka-Mount Albert because they were on a public reserve.

The authority says group members were breaching the level 4 COVID-19 restrictions, but Anna Radford says the encampment had not been used since the lockdown.....
See full article HERE

King wants checkpoints gone
Northland MP Matt King has called on the police to uphold the law and shut down illegal road checkpoints.

Mr King said he had heard from a growing number of Northlanders who were feeling intimidated and harassed at illegal checkpoints that had been set up by "local vigilantes" across the Mid and Far North.

"We live under New Zealand law, and vigilante groups can't just make up their own rules, however well-intentioned," he said.

"Police must intervene and protect those who are just trying to go about their lawful business, including food shopping or moving to essential employment......
See full article HERE

Ihumatao marae struggle extended
The contest is critical in terms of leadership within Ihumātao, which has come under strain because of the occupation of land next to the village.

The actions of previous trustees in negotiating a deal with Fletcher Residential which would have returned land and secured the chance for iwi members to buy homes in the proposed special housing area led to challenges to the marae trust and the appointment of an interim trust chaired by Sir Wira Gardiner.....
See full article HERE

Doing Recovery Well A ‘once-in-a-generation Opportunity’ For Bay Of Plenty Region
Regional council Chair, Doug Leeder, says it’s vital that the plan incorporates input from central, regional and local government, iwi Māori partners, economic development agencies, industry and industry bodies and communities right across the Bay of Plenty region.

We also recognise the growth, strength and resilience of the region’s Māori economy.

Councillors at the meeting were also clear that the recovery plan would need to be co-developed alongside Iwi-Māori and will progress further work here to build and strengthen existing partnerships......
See full article HERE

Articles:
New developments regarding tribal claims for our coastline. 

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 April 17, 2020

News:
Submission Deadline Extended: Local Government (Rating Of Whenua Māori) Amendment BillThe Māori Affairs Committee has agreed to extend the submission deadline on the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill.

The original deadline was 17 April, and has now been extended by one month until midnight, 17 May.

The committee made this decision after receiving several requests from submitters to extend the deadline. They said that their ability to submit had changed in light of the current circumstances around Covid-19.

The Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill seeks to:.....
See full article HERE

Iwi radio stations hoping for rethink for Māori media
The iwi radio network hopes there will be a change in the way Māori media are resourced after the nationwide lockdown.

Jones told MPs the network's stations were now, more than ever, integral to getting the information to hard to reach communities - especially Māori communities who had a distrust of mainstream media.

"Iwi radio is very much an essential service. In times of crisis like this our people are very much connected with the communities that they belong to."

Jones also used it as an opportunity to highlight the underfunding and under-resourcing of iwi radio stations......
See full article HERE

120 Māori Community Health Workers To Be Deployed To Assist With COVID-19 Response
Dr Dale Bramley, Waitematā DHB CEO and Northern Region lead CEO for emergency planning, says the mission of this Ngā Kaimanaaki service is to ensure whānau are safe, protected and well in their homes and communities.

The first phase of the service, which is about to get underway, involves the Northern Region DHBs working with Māori health providers such as Te Whānau O Waipareira, Te Whare Tiaki Trust, Orakei Health and Ngāti Hine Health Trust, to employ 60 full-time equivalent kaimanaaki (which could be up to 120 people on a 0.5 FTE basis). With guidance from Māori clinical leadership, the kaimanaaki will engage with some of the most vulnerable whānau and communities across Auckland and Northland......
See full article HERE

Thursday April 16, 2020

News:
John Tamihere and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer selected as new Māori Party co-leadersThe Māori Party has announced John Tamihere and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer as its new co-leaders as it seeks to improve its support after failing to make it into Parliament in 2017.

The pair are both set to stand in the next election and Stuff understands their leadership bid was uncontested.

Tamihere was confirmed as the Māori Party's candidate for Tāmaki Makaurau at an event on March 7, challenging Labour MP Peeni Henare who currently holds the seat.

Ngarewa-Packer will stand in Te Tai Hauāuru, which is held by Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe. Under the party's constitution it has to choose two co-leaders - one woman and one man.....
See full article HERE

Recovery needs to avoid ethnic disparity
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says it’s essential Maori needs are factored into plans for the economic recovery.

The Government is working out what needs to be done to stimulate the economic activity once the country moves out of the Level 4 COVID-19 lockdown.

The Deputy Prime Minister says everyone has to be included.

“Our job is to ensure that this recovery does not have awful ethnic disparities to it........
See full article HERE

Deputy Police Commissioner expresses 'empathy' for iwi, but says fishing, hunting not allowed during lockdown
In a recent meeting with various Government agencies and community groups, Te Whānau-ā-Āpanui iwi expressed frustration over the lockdown rules, saying they unfairly disadvantaged Māori who rely on fishing and hunting as a primary source of food, particularly if they lived far from the closest supermarket.

Deputy Police Commissioner Wallace (Wally) Haumaha said he understood how the iwi felt, but that the rules had to be followed.

"I completely understand their position and have some empathy for those who traditionally depend on kai from the ngahere, moana and awa," Haumaha said.

"However, the restrictions under alert level 4 are clear in that hunting and dangerous water activities are not advisable under the Health Act Notice.".....
See full article HERE

Coronavirus pandemic sees iwi push pause on vote connected to $200m bypass project
After years of negotiation, north Taranaki iwi Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Tama agreed to a compensation package negotiated with the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and was due to put it to the vote of the wider iwi membership.

The outcome of voting was initially expected to be known by mid-April, but due to the alert level four lockdown, which came into effect on March 25, the process has stalled. Seventy-five per cent of voters have to agree to the deal for it to be formally accepted.

It will not progress until there is more certainty about being able to meet engagement and printing requirements under the Covid-19 restrictions.....
See full article HERE

Police order Hone Harawira's Covid-19 checkpoints to run correctly
Police have changed the way iwi-led coronavirus checkpoints are run, after a Kaikohe couple complained they were intimidated and stopped from buying groceries.

But a man who lives on a farm just outside Kaikohe said he and his wife were stopped from going into town to buy groceries on Easter Monday.

As well as feeling pressured by the situation, he was also concerned the checkpoints were not safe from Covid-19, with the volunteers leaning into people's cars and handing out flyers.

David said he initially did not want to wind down his window to speak with the checkpoint volunteers because of the coronavirus risk, then did not feel it was safe to give out his address to prove where he lived.

David ended up calling police, who talked with the volunteers, leading to changes in the way the checkpoint is now run......
See full article HERE

Mt Albert protesters' encampment removed during coronavirus lockdown
The Tūpuna Maunga Authority, a co-governance body comprising local iwi, Auckland Council and the Crown, said they had received reports protesters had been gathering on Mt Albert/Ōwairaka during the lockdown.

The 'Honour the Maunga' group have been protesting plans to replace exotic plants with native vegetation on the maunga since November 2019.

"The Authority was forced to take the responsible step of removing the encampment to eliminate the chance of further gatherings and activity not compliant with lockdown rules."

But the Honour the Maunga spokesperson Anna Radford says the camp has been "clearly unoccupied" since just before alert level 4 was enforced.

"Honour the Maunga's members all did the right thing and followed the Level 4 lockdown rules," she says.

"We are disappointed that the Authority cynically exploited the situation by conducting the clearly non-essential activity of sneaking in under the cover of darkness and taking absolutely everything from our base camp - tents, marquee, tables, chairs...the lot."....
See full article HERE

Government Spend Now Must Do ‘triple Duty’ For People, Planet And Prosperity
The pandemic, and our responses to it, are exposing deep structural injustices. The people most affected by the virus and the lockdown are the same groups who are most affected by climate change. We’re talking about Māori, families with the lowest incomes and the most precarious work, Pacific peoples, those with existing chronic health issues, and people with disabilities. Pandemic justice and climate justice are two sides of the same coin,” said Dr Macmillan.

“To successfully address ongoing injustice for iwi, hapū and whānau Māori, we need to challenge systems of colonisation and racism, and centralise the Articles of te Tiriti o Waitangi in our investment frameworks.”....
See full article HERE

Marae upgrades given council priority
Auckland Council has included marae upgrades on a list of 73 priority projects it hopes can get some of the funding the Government is allocating for infrastructure projects......
See full article HERE

Taitokerau Call On The Protection Of Traditional Fishing Needs
Te Kahu o Taonui which is a collective of Taitokerau Iwi Chairs and CEOs from Te Aupouri, Ngāti Kuri, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāpuhi, Kahukuraariki, Whangaroa, Ngāti Wai and Ngāti Whatua ki Kaipara have collectively acknowledged the Government has put a comprehensive ban on all non-essential fishing activities.

Te Kahu o Taonui understand these directives, however Ngāti Kahu Chair Margaret Mutu says “there is growing unease from Taitokerau about the Government's heavy handed and uncoordinated approach to the application of law, especially when it comes to interfering with the traditional fishing needs of our collective Iwi and whānau.

She notes that “Commercial fishing is deemed essential, while traditional fishing for subsistence has been wrongly lumped in with recreational fishing and is considered non-essential.

As a collective, we call on the Government to modify the current fishing restrictions and to class ‘customary’ fishing as ‘essential work’ with the proviso that it be limited to shore fishing and kaimoana gathering......
See full article HERE

Wednesday April 15, 2020

News:
The rise of cultural reports in the New Zealand criminal justice systemThe use of cultural reports in criminal sentencings has increased sharply, resulting in better outcomes for offenders but angering victims' advocates.

Figures provided under the Official Information Act show the number of cultural reports invoiced to the Ministry of Justice each month in 2019 increased from 12 in January to 57 in December.

The monthly cost of those rose from $18,789 in January to $102,204 in December.

Over the year there were 346 cultural reports funded by the Ministry, at a cost of $639,311.......
See full article HERE

Conservation minister affirms conservation board's right to meet – despite iwi boycott
The West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board is bringing in a facilitator to help resolve a stand-off with its Māori members.

Ngāi Tahu representatives are boycotting the board, claiming it is not giving Treaty principles and mana whenua their due respect .

Department of Conservation (DOC) western South Island director manager Mark Davies confirmed he cancelled the board's March meeting after the iwi asked him to due to a number of concerns they held......
See full article HERE

Police look beyond labels in gang response
Deputy Police Commissioner Wally Haumaha is working with gang and iwi leaders in an attempt to find a new way forward for marginalised groups as the country comes out of the lockdown.

He says the message is to see beyond labels and see people as whānau with whakapapa........
See full article HERE

Toitoi's force and Jacinda's crush on Hawke's Bay
After a six-year renovation the venue, now renamed Toitoi, had its life force unveiled in its new setting and rededicated by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in February.

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc Chairman, Ngahiwi Tomoana said the mauri stone was carved onsite at an exhibition called Te Mata in 2005.

The Prime Minister unveiled the mauri stone alongside kaumatua Jerry Hapuku and spoke about the long relationship she has with Hawke's Bay and its people.

"I was the bridesmaid at Jerry's son's wedding, so we know each other from many moons ago," she said......
See full article HERE

Māori TV's educational channel will run for 10 weeks
The new Māori-language educational television channel, launching tomorrow, will run for at least 10 weeks.

The new service will operate from 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday on Māori Television's Te Reo channel, in parallel with an English-language educational service fronted by Suzy Cato and others on TVNZ's 2+1 channel.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins said last week that the Government had signed contracts with TVNZ and Māori TV for "at least a month at this stage but we have the ability to extend that if we need to".

But Māori TV chief executive Shane Taurima has announced today that the Māori-language educational channel, dubbed Mauri Reo, Mauri Ora, will run "over a 10-week period" from tomorrow, the first day of the new school term......
See full article HERE

Maori Unemployment Could Rise Above 30% If Action Is Not Take Now – NZ Maori Council
The New Zealand Maori Council has urged the Government to work more with Maori small business and industry to develop a specific Maori approach to employment and business growth as Treasury Forecasts indicate a scenario where unemployment could hit past 26%. Matthew Tukaki, the Councils Executive Director told an online business briefing of its National Taskforce on Access to Industry and Employment that Maori unemployment is, under the Treasury scenario, to be above 30%.....
See full article HERE

Tuesday April 14, 2020

News:
Manawatū Gorge replacement highway raises issues and opportunities for iwiBuilding a new highway across the lower North Island has iwi worried about the impact on significant cultural sites, including the burial site of chiefs.

As part of the consent process, five iwi groups contributed cultural impact assessments.

Rangitāne o Manawatū said the highway would go through and beside wāhi tapū and sites of significance.

One of the most significant was Te Ahu a Turanga peak, where a group of Rangitāne chiefs and Turanga-i-mua - his father captained the Aotea waka to Aotearoa New Zealand from Hawaiki - were killed and buried.

"The wairua of these sites and wider area remains strong to this day and into the future, thus Rangitāne o Manawatū see the entire road corridor as a wāhi tapū."

The iwi was also worried about construction in the Ruahine Ranges and the impact on burial grounds and sites where placenta had been buried.

"Rangitāne believe that some of the resting places of their tupuna are going to be disturbed."......
See full article HERE

South Wairarapa District Council Maori Standing Committee Role and Profile
* Advise on tangata whenua and Maori interests in the Council’s major areas of activity

* Establish a method of consultation, which involves tangata whenua and iwi, on all matters relating to the district’s resources, and involving the district’s planning processes

* Advise on consultation processes with Maori in the district and assist in the development of consultation networks throughout the District

* Promote the development of processes within Council, which develop policy, processes and guidelines, based on the Treaty of Waitangi principles of participation, partnership and active protection
See full article HERE

Maori Disabled Suffer A Double Whammy As A Result Of District Health Board's Lack Of Care
“It’s a double whammy for us who are Maori and disabled. Maori are at greater risk of negative Covid-19 health impacts, Maori are already disproportionately represented amongst current inequities in access to high quality healthcare, and then Maori disabled are least likely to receive proper home help.”

Dr Hickey is the first Māori disabled woman to gain a PhD in law from Waikato University. Dr Hickey currently sits on the New Zealand Human Rights Review Tribunal and in 2018. She is also a claimant in the Wai 2575 Health and Services Inquiry currently before the Waitangi Tribunal.....
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Pakeha Re-colonisation of Te Reo Maori

Keeping the legacy of revered te reo advocate Dr Huirangi Waikerepuru alive

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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