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Saturday, May 30, 2020

Breaking Views Update: Week of 24.05.20







Saturday May 30, 2020

News:
Review Of Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park Management Plan To Restart

The Department of Conservation (DOC) and Ngāi Tahu in consultation with the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board have agreed to start a new review of the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park Management Plan.

The process for reviewing both the Aoraki/Mount Cook and the Westland Tai Poutini plans was paused while DOC and Ngāi Tahu worked through the wider implications of the Supreme Court’s decision on the Ngāi Tai ki Tamaki case.

DOC is required under Section 4 of the Conservation Act 1987 to give effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

“We will continue to work closely with our Treaty Partner throughout the review process,” DOC’s Director Planning, Permissions and Land Natasha Hayward says......
See full article HERE

Pork bones and pictures in Apanui COVID recovery plan
Eastern Bay of Plenty iwi Te Whanau a Apanui has packed up its border control, but it continues to marshal resources to help its whanau cope with the effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

Spokesperson Willie Te Aho is this weekend distributing 4 pallets of roasts and pork bones from a Ministry for Primary Industries programme to deal with an excess of pork built up through the lockdown.

Ten pallets were distributed earlier this week in Gisborne and the East Coast.......
See full article HERE

Vote to erect Endeavour replicas in Gisborne without iwi consultation stuns councillor
A decision to erect new replicas of the Endeavour in Gisborne without consulting local iwi has stunned and surprised one councillor who voted against the move.

Gisborne District Council's operations committee, which comprises all 14 councillors, on Thursday voted 11-3 in favour of installing the new replicas if a community group can raise sufficient funds for the poles strong enough to hold them.

The staff paper before the committee advised councillors that the decision was of high significance to local iwi.

"We felt consultation was needed. They're going to go on Rongowhakaata (local iwi) land. As a council we are beholden to do diligence around te tiriti," she said.....
See full article HERE

At war over South Waikato District Council spend local poster
During the meeting Daine raised cultural sensitivity concerns with the campaign which features billboards of a pointing Mayor Jenny Shattock encouraging local spending, reminiscent of the 1914 Lord Kitchener war recruitment poster.

He said although his comments were not directed at Bowden personally, the signs made him feel “a little bit uncomfortable”.

“I just think that the layout can be perceived as offensive in some cultures. It goes back to wartime and I ... don't quite agree [that this is] time to be pushing the war. Also in Māori culture pointing can actually be quite offensive,” he said.

Daine wanted to know if there had been consultation with other partners or iwi.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Democracy under threat

Maori myths and legends – exposing the outrages of Maori racial supremacism

Racial division in New Zealand is 'permanently built in

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 May 29, 2020

News:
Police allowed gang tangi
Police allowed dozens of people to gather for the tangi of a Black Power member in Dunedin during lockdown.
As many as 50 people waited in a car park outside a funeral home for the tangi on April 30, blocked roads and later gathered at a gang pad, documents released to the Otago Daily Times under the Official Information Act show.

Many had travelled from outside Dunedin for the event.

Despite the breaches, police said in an internal email ‘‘trying to stop it will only create a worse situation for all’’.......
See full article HERE

Decisions on the national direction for freshwater
Strengthen and clarify Te Mana o te Wai as the basis of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management Te Mana o te Wai is a concept from Te Ao Māori that provides a framework for freshwater management. It establishes a set of principles and obligations referring to the essential value of water and sustaining its health and wellbeing first before providing for human and other uses of water. Te Mana o te Wai is a fundamental concept that underpins the new NPS-FM. It clarifies how councils engage with tangata whenua and give effect to Te Mana o te Wai and the long-term vison for freshwater management.

Give greater recognition to the values Māori hold for freshwater To ensure the values Māori hold for freshwater are adequately recognised, the new NPS-FM includes a new compulsory value for mahinga kai. This requires regional councils to support tangata whenua to implement this value in their local context and reflect on the value they place on water.
See full article HERE

Waterways Plan Strengthens Tangata Whenua Considerations – But Rights Still Need Addressing
Giving greater strength to the mana of waterways and recognising mahinga kai (natural resources) as a key measure of freshwater health are positive inclusions in the Government’s new Action for Healthy Waterways Package, says Te Arawa Lakes Trust.

Both actions were sought by the Trust in submissions to the Crown, but the Trust says it is disappointed the new Package does not address the recognition of hapū and iwi rights and interests in freshwater......
See full article HERE

Māori are tired of working with Aussie banks - Ngahiwi Tomoana
Ngahiwi Tomoana of the Iwi Chairs Forum says Māori are getting tired of working with Australian banks, and are starting to reach out to establish relationships with other banks in other countries.

Sir Pita Sharples travelled to China as a Minister of the Government to develop relationships between the Chinese and Māori, and those ties are now bringing business ventures to the fore.

But it's not just China who Māori are reaching out to.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Racial division in New Zealand is 'permanently built in' 

Thursday May 28, 2020

News:
Far North councillor wants to strengthen Māori representation in decision making
Far North District Council is looking at dedicated wards to strengthen Māori participation in its local government decision making.
Māori wards are one option being considered along with Māori seats with voting rights on council committees.

FNDC councillor Moko Tepania (Te Rarawa/Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa) said robust debate was needed on what the council and its community wanted stronger Māori decision making to look like.

Tepania – in New Zealand's likely first bilingual council meeting agenda item report - said an appropriately resourced programme to review Māori representation should be implemented......
See full article HERE

New iwi-Crown partnership battling whānau harm in Far North has grown out of Covid-19 response
An iwi initiative has partnered up with a Government agency in response to whānau harm in the Far North in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Whiria Te Muka – a collaboration developed by the iwi chairs of Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri, NgāiTakoto, Te Rarawa and the NZ Police – and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) are progressing towards a more formalised partnership, after successfully working together during alert level 4......
See full article HERE

Maori tradies urged to seek PGF work
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones is keen to see Māori and Pacific tradespeople pick up more of the work generated by the Provincial Growth Fund.

It will provide work for local tradies and contractors while regular building and repair work is on hold, and it’s an opportunity to target Māori, Pasifika and other vulnerable workers......
See full article HERE

Todd Muller quizzed on Māori MP rankings, says nothing wrong with being white
National leader Todd Muller is defending the lack of Māori MPs on the party's frontbench, saying the party makes decisions based "on merit" rather than ethnicity.

Following the reveal of Muller's MP rankings on Monday, many identified the lack of Māori representation in the top spots of the party......
See full article HERE

Ātiawa Ki Whakarongotai Welcomes Tribunal Findings Against Development Of Local Urupā
WAI 1945 claimants, supported by Ātiawa kaumātua and Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai Charitable Trust, welcome the Waitangi Tribunal report on the Kārewarewa Urupā, and its findings that the systematic lack of Crown protection led to its development and desecration.

The damning report, released today, outlines that, despite being an historically significant burial site in Waikanae, a series of failings on the part of the Crown over more than 120 years prejudiced the iwi, leading to their loss of ownership and control of the urupā, the removal of its ‘Māori Cemetery’ designation, and ultimately the desecration of the urupā via the construction of a housing development on more than half of the urupā block. The report notes that the developers continue to attempt to progress further development today......
See full article HERE

Labour Boasts Illegal Roadblocks Were "Well Supported By Government"
Two Labour Members of Parliament have confirmed the claim by Democracy Action that the Government and Police condone illegal iwi roadblocks on public roads. Tamati Coffey (Labour – Waiariki) and Kiri Allan (Labour – List MP living in the East Coast) have stated that these roadblocks were “well supported” by the Government and that police “helped with the checkpoints”.

Debating on Newstalk ZB with National Iwi Chairs Forum spokesman Rahui Papa, who was critical of the alleged lack of Government support for iwi, the two MPs cited iwi checkpoints as a prime example of a “number of initiatives where Maori and the Government have partnered over COVID-19.”....
See full article HERE

Hamilton may help with Auckland water woes as shortage continues
Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate says the city looks likely to help Auckland with its looming water crisis, but any help would come with conditions to protect the river and Hamilton's long-term interests.

Southgate said the request from Watercare was discussed with councillors for the first time yesterday. No decision was reached and will not be until late June, earliest, when council will make a formal decision.

But staff had been directed to engage with Waikato-Tainui, Watercare and Waikato Regional Council to see how Hamilton could help ease Auckland's water woes.

Southgate said council supported iwi concerns around the health and wellbeing of the river and would consult closely with Waikato-Tainui before making any final decision......
See full article HERE

Māori and Pasifika given priority in elective surgery waitlists
Māori and Pasifika waiting for elective surgery have been placed at the top of wait lists in the Wellington region, in a move hoped to improve their access to healthcare.

A patient's ethnicity will be now taken into account for specialist treatments, along with their level of clinical urgency and the number of days they have been on a wait list......
See full article HERE

Wednesday May 27, 2020

News:
Ngāti Kuri pray for tourist respect
Country’s northernmost iwi wants the 300,000 people who visit Te Rerenga Wairua every year to treat it like a wāhi tapu.
Chair Harry Burkhardt says for Māori it’s a connection point pack to Taputapu Ātea, to Rapanui and Hawaiki.

"People are respectful of spiritual places and the ability for us to provide that appropriateness is part of this ongoing conversation. So if you go to India for example or when you go into a mosque or any of those places you take your shoes off, women put a scarf over the head. Those are the resets we want and for that place to be treated as wāhi tapu."....
See full article HERE

Information sharing with Māori and Pacific lawyers groups
An important aspect of the Law Society’s role is to increase diversity, belonging and inclusiveness in the legal community. As part of this mahi, the Law Society is committed to working with Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa and the Pacific Lawyers Association to support lawyers wishing to explore the support, services and representation these organisations offer.....
See full article HERE

Nelson artist threatened and criticised for exercising 'white privilege' with non-Māori moko painting
A Nelson artist has received verbal threats and online comments about setting her gallery on fire over a painting depicting non-Maori women with moko.

Nikki Romney said the painting, Taking Tikanga to the World, shows a globally diverse group of young women wearing non-traditional moko against the backdrop of a famous portrait by Charles Goldie.

Romney has been slammed on social media for the "disrespectful" work and said yesterday a man came into her gallery accusing her of being a "f****** racist Pākehā" and threatened to bring her gallery down......
See full article HERE

More on the above > She says Romney is lucky her Nelson gallery is a long way from the centres of Māori activism, or her paintings could provoke a more direct response....

Muller too blue for Green leader
Greens co-leader Marama Davidson says the National Party may have a new leader, but it’s still National.

Ms Davidson says the Greens and National have different visions for the country, especially when it comes to Māori kaupapa.

"He’ll have to prove whether or not he is going to be willing to work, listen and genuinely show up for Māori aspirations. I didn't see championing things like the iwi checkpoints to keep our kaumātua and our pakeke safe in our Māori communities. That is an example of, let's see where his advocacy falls. He is going to have to prove that," she says......
See full article HERE

Collaborative Effort Helps Whānau Impacted By COVID-19
Iwi organisations have joined forces with Māori fishing companies Sealord and Moana New Zealand to help whānau in need in response to COVID-19.

The fishing companies are providing seafood and ready-to-eat meals to iwi organisations at less than cost price. Sealord, 50% owned by iwi, has contributed more than 8 tonne of battered and crumbed seafood portions to over 30 different iwi. Moana New Zealand (100% iwi-owned) has provided almost 13,000 ready-to-eat meals to iwi to date....
See full article HERE

Golf club purchase restores tribal estate
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki has teamed up with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to buy the Royal Auckland Golf Club course near Middlemore.

Together they plan to develop 565 housing units and mixed use facilities.

The head of its commercial arm, James Brown, says the iwi considers it stolen land.

"Largely the whole of south Auckland was in this thing called the Fairburn Purchase. Our kaumātua and kuia when I was a little kid used to call it muru whenua as opposed to a raupatu so the cultural and historical significance, as it is to other tribes, is part of our DNA," he says.....
See full article HERE

Tuesday May 26, 2020

News:
Not so fast: Iwi wary of plans to speed up resource consents
A south Auckland iwi is calling on the Government to slow down its plans to fast-track the resource consents process.
The Government is set to pass new law which will see major shovel-ready projects bypass the Resource Management Act in an effort to boost our flagging economy.

Ngāti Te Ata is at the center of south Auckland's most intense housing development in the Franklin area. Edith Tuhimata is the resource consents manager for the iwi - overseeing hundreds of new resource consents every week.

"It's a huge job especially considering how intensification of development is happening, especially in the south Auckland area - which is our area.".....
See full article HERE

Maori seat challenge for Muller
New National Party leader Todd Muller is being urged to review his party’s policy on not running candidates in the Māori seats.

New Zealand Māori Council executive director Matthew Tukaki says National needs to stop hoping the Māori party will come back and do the job for it, and it needs to build up its Maori representation and stand candidate who will explain its policy agenda for Māori.

National needs to remember it will be called on to act as the treaty partner, so it needs a consistent and continuous relationship with Māori whether it is in Government or Opposition......
See full article HERE

Sunday May 24, 2020

News:
National leadership change will drive away Māori votes – Godfery
A political commentator says that while the National Party's change in leadership was inevitable, it may drive Māori voters away from the party.
Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett, who are both Māori, were voted out as leaders yesterday, replaced by Todd Muller and Nikki Kaye.

Morgan Godfery said it was the first time one, let alone two Māori had led one of New Zealand's major political parties.

He said the move will add to Māori cynicism about the National Party.....
See full article HERE

Shane Jones calls iwi's reason for barring access to Cape Reinga 'cultural mumbo jumbo'
NZ First MP Shane Jones is calling for Northland Iwi Ngāti Kuri to open up the road to Cape Reinga immediately saying their cultural reasons for erecting a large gate across State Highway One is “rubbish”.

“Cape Reinga has been hijacked by Ngāti Kuri and their cultural mumbo jumbo,” says Shane Jones.

The MP is of Te Aupouri and Ngai Takoto descent and says the Cape belongs to the nation and has significance to all Māori tribes.

“It’s a place of national significance that’s being tainted by people that don’t know what they’re talking about and who have no mandate.“

Meanwhile, Shane Jones says the iwi organisation overseeing the closure is like, "children without books, they haven’t learnt anything.”......
See full article HERE

Plan under way for partnership
The Otago Regional Council’s partnership with local iwi is a "work in progress", Otakou kaumatua Edward Ellison says.

The plan would focus on elevating Ngai Tahu to a "higher level", where they would have direct input, particularly on land and water regional plan development.

But the model should apply across the entire Resource Management Act, where various land changes occurred, he said......
See full article HERE

Auckland Council Ignores Obligations To Mana Whenua
“Government Ministers and Auckland Council continue to show a complete disregard for the law and their obligations to Mana whenua” says Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua Chair, Dame Rangimarie Naida Glavish. On 26 March 2020, Auckland Council notified applications for a Plan Change and Resource Consent for the proposed Dome Valley landfill (also known as 1232 State Highway 1, Wayby Valley).

“The Crown, in particular Auckland Council cannot be allowed to embark into dirty deals, through operating under stealth and under the guise of COVID 19 – it is an insult to our intelligence as Iwi Partners. The immediate area is important to us, our whakapapa is woven into the whenua, and the waters that flow from the several tributaries and puna to the Hoteo and Kaipara Moana. Our traditional food basket of Ngāti Whātua, currently faces its greatest environmental challenge to date with the prospect of millions of tonnes of Auckland’s waste that will end up polluting our waterways. We are asking why is it that antiquated methods are being proposed which are destructive for the environment, when there are proven, environmentally sound alternatives? Waste Management NZ, who are the applicants, can give no guarantees that toxic leachate and other pollutants will not find their way into the Kaipara Moana,” says Dame Naida......
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

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