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Saturday, July 25, 2020

Breaking Views Update: Week of 19.07.20







Saturday July 25, 2020

News:
Some Māori frustrated they can't switch electoral rolls until 2024
Māori trying to switch electoral rolls ahead of the election are frustrated they will not be able to do so until 2024, and are left with poor candidate choices in their current electorate as a result.

He said Māori should not be able to change rolls just because they do not like the candidates in their electorate, as there will also be non-Māori in this position who do not have the option to change.

Minister for Justice Andrew Little said he supports the right of Māori to change between rolls outside the current cycle......
See full article HERE

Manawatū iwi urges members to pursue $50m Māori training fund
A Manawatū iwi is urging its members to apply for a share of $50 million of trades training.

Applications are open for the Māori Trades and Training Fund, a contestable grant allocated as part of the Government’s Covid-19 response package in Budget 2020......
See full article HERE

South Wairarapa District Council has voted to delay its Māori ward decision
South Wairarapa’s political landscape will likely stay as it is until the 2025 local council elections.​​

They voted against proposing changes to the district’s electoral structure until the next triennium.​​ This means the possibility of a Māori ward, boundary changes, and a change in voting systems will have to wait for another election cycle.​.....
See full article HERE

Kiwi ex-pat in London says quarantine fees for returnees would be unfair
A Kiwi living in London says Labour’s and National’s proposals to charge for returning New Zealanders’ Covid-19 quarantine or isolation stay is unfair.

Mr Harris also raised some potential legal concerns regarding the proposal.

“It’s particularly unfair for Māori to be asked to pay the Crown to return to their turangawaewae,” he said, making reference to the Treaty of Waitangi.

He said the charges could also impede on the Bill of Rights Act.

“As citizens, we should be able to come home.”.......
See full article HERE

Iwi Leaders want Government to give Maori much more say
Iwi leaders are urging the government to set new priorities for the next census that give Māori much more say.

A "re-prioritisation of resourcing that would allow for opportunities of co-design, co-development, and co-decision making with iwi" was needed, it said.

"Iwi were further disadvantaged when there was little or old data for us to use during the pandemic relief response," she said.......
See full article HERE

Matamata-Piako Council strengthens iwi relationship after 'trailing behind'
Matamata-Piako Council has taken what local iwi are hoping is a step in the right direction, breaking down barriers between tangata whenua and Council.

At a Te Manawhenua Forum, Matamata-Piako District Council was confronted by strong words from a Ngāti Rahiri-Tumutumu woman, asking for change and an equal partnership between iwi and Council.

“I think it’s important that we do engage with iwi and build a strong relationship. There’s always room for improvement,” Tanner said......
See full article HERE

Ngāti Kuia kānuka processor get PGF grant
A project to establish a kānuka processing facility has been boosted by a $700,000 grant from the Provincial Growth Fund’s Whenua Māori fund.

It’s one of more than $50 million of PGF-funded projects at the top of the South island announced today.....
See full article HERE

Scholarships and awards for Māori students
Discover the wide range of scholarships, prizes and awards open to Māori students.......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Louis Houlbrooke: Maori Business Privilege

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 July 24, 2020

News:
New act brings Te Puia into Te Arawa Treaty settlement
Te Arawa iwi is celebrating the passing of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Act 2020 at Parliament, saying it has been a long time coming.
The act will vest Te Puia | NZMACI, the national tourism and cultural arts institution, in Rotorua iwi and hapū under the Te Puia New Zealand Arts and Crafts limited partnership, as part of the Te Arawa Treaty settlement......
See full article HERE

Education Transformation Has Been A Long Time Coming
This will be particularly visible as boards work with their communities and staff to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi, and to reach a workable understanding of the balance between behaviour management and being a genuinely safe and inclusive school for every student......
See full article HERE

National cold on merging DHBs and wouldn't create a Māori Health Authority
New National Health spokesperson Shane Reti doesn’t like the idea of amalgamating District Health Boards, getting rid of their elections, or creating a Māori Health Authority

Reti said National wasn’t keen on amalgamating DHBs, although he wouldn’t make a firm commitment ahead of the party’s formal policy announcement, however he said the party would definitely not commit to a Māori Health Authority.

He said it might neuter some of the health functions of Whānau Ora

“You take the capacity from the health arm of Whānau Ora.

“The main problem would be if you cannibalise Whānau Ora you take away the idea of holistic care for Māori, which is part of its magic,” he said.

Reti said he’d prefer to implement targets at the DHB level to ensure better health outcomes for Māori......
See full article HERE

Petition and counter-petition to be launched after New Plymouth Māori ward approved
Two petitions will soon be circulating New Plymouth vying for signatures on either side of the Māori ward debate.

Since then, councillor Murray Chong has decided to launch a petition which, if signed by 5 per cent of the voting population, could force a binding referendum on the decision.

However, another petition is also being launched to counter Chong's and show support for the Māori ward.

An opposing petition would show there were people who did not want a poll, even if Chong's petition got over the line, she said......
See full article HERE

Thursday July 23, 2020

News:
Dodgy As Hell: Tender Quota For Māori Business
According to RNZ, Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta wants a quota of 16% of spending on roading and construction tenders to be made exclusively available for Māori businesses.
The Taxpayers’ Union warned media last year that the Government was considering such a policy, and says it’s dodgy as hell.Union Executive Director Jordan Williams says: “If a Minister was found to be handing out government contracts on the basis of iwi connections, it would be considered corrupt. But Nanaia Mahuta seems to think she can avoid this accusation by enshrining the practice in Government policy.”

“Iwi like Ngāi Tahu and Tainui are multi-billion dollar enterprises, and already enjoy a discounted corporate tax rate. They don’t need any more special treatment.”......
See full article HERE

Te Arawa 2050 Vision outlines collaborative future for iwi and hapū
Te Arawa has hopes of becoming the major employer of iwi descendants within the next 30 years.

The iwi wants to see more Te Arawa-run businesses providing employment for its people locally, while also highlighting a Te Arawa parliament and bank, its own Silicon Valley, and restored wai and whenua as future possibilities for descendants by 2050.

These goals will be achieved by connecting the whole iwi and the way forward will be up to the young people of today and future generations........
See full article HERE

Taranaki seats tokenism says Peters
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the New Plymouth District Council is out of touch with it's ratepayers.

The council yesterday voted 12-2 to skip public consultation and create Māori wards at the local government election in 2022......
See full article HERE

Call for citizens' referendum hours after Māori ward established in New Plymouth
Just hours after New Plymouth district councillors voted to establish a Māori ward a standing councillor is already calling for a petition to be started against the move.

But Chong has already put the call out for a petition to hear the views of the community, posting about it on his Facebook page at 3.25am Wednesday.

“I don’t think there should be anything based on race,” Chong said.

Everyone should be under the same rules, he said.

He was keen to help instigate a petition, and his intention was to establish one himself if he could, Chong said.

“The ability to have a petition is actually racist,” Judd said. “Māori wards are Treaty-based, not race -based......
See full article HERE

Compromise needed to find Ihumaatao fix
Māori Development Minister and Hauraki Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta says everyone is going to have to compromise to achieve a settlement of the stand-off at Ihumaatao......
See full article HERE

A third of primary school kids learn te reo Māori
Māori language is becoming part of mainstream Kiwi schooling, with almost a third of primary school students now learning in te reo for at least three hours a week.......(NZ Herald paywall)
See full article HERE

Settlement deal benefits Tarawera neighbour
Te Mana o Ngāti Rangitihi Trust and Tūhourangi Tribal Authority have jointly negotiated the return of culturally significant lands at Waimangu and Otūkapuarangi.

The deal is a way to resolve overlapping claims......
See full article HERE

Council Helps Sustainability Of Community Groups With $1.63m In Grants
Waikato Regional Council has granted $1.63 million to five community groups working on landscape scale predator control projects.

At the inaugural meeting of the Community Restoration Committee today, councillors approved Natural Heritage Fund grants to:

* A Rocha Aotearoa’s Karioi Project ($464,756 over four years)
* Moehau Environment Group’s field operations for landscape predator control ($400,000 over four years)
* Whenuakiwi Trust’s Whenuakite Kiwi Care Project ($248,707 over four years)
* Te Ara Hou Kennedy Bay Ltd’s Pukewharariki Ngahere and Wai Landscape
* Restoration Project ($390,038 over four years)
* Mokaihaha Kōkako Trust’s Mokaihaha Kōkako Project ($135,031 over two years).......
See full article HERE

Taniwha taxes adding 8%to cost of infrastructure builds
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that councils are allocating up to eight percent of total build costs for iwi engagement for COVID-19 response projects. Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams says, “While trawling through council …

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that councils are allocating up to eight percent of total build costs for iwi engagement for COVID-19 response projects.

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams says, “While trawling through council applications for ‘shovel-ready’ funding, we came across a proposal from the Waipa District Council that allocates eight percent of the total build costs for iwi engagement. When compared to project management costs of just six percent of the budget, eight percent — or $2,000,000 — for iwi engagement is outrageous.”.....
See full article HERE

Parliament Passes Bill To Reform Public Service
Minister of State Services Chris Hipkins said today’s passing of the Public Service Legislation Bill will deliver the most significant change in the public service in 30 years.

The new Public Service Act, which repeals and replaces the State Sector Act 1988, is more citizen-focused and will make it easier for the public service to tackle the biggest challenges facing Governments.

* supports the Crown in its commitment to and its relationship with Māori......
See full article HERE

Status quo no option for Māori media
Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta is confident she is shifting Māori media in the right direction.

"If people bunker down and say we don't want to go anywhere then they'll stay in the same place, sure, that's their choice, but if we believe te reo Māori and the Māori world view can be distributed and pushed out in a much broader context with much greater impact then I do believe I will achieve the objectives I am setting out to achieve," she says.......
See full article HERE

Wednesday July 22, 2020

News:
New Plymouth councillors vote to establish Māori ward
Hugs and applause greeted a decision from New Plymouth councillors to bypass community consultation and establish a Māori ward.
The decision means the ward will be there in time for the next election, unless overturned by a citizen instigated referendum, as happened when the previous council voted to establish a Māori ward in 2014.

The council had been set to put four options for a Māori ward out for consultation, but councillor Sam Bennett moved to establish one then and there......
See full article HERE

Te Aho Ngārahu fund receives $1.5m boost for reo Māori resources
A board game tracing the journey of a waka navigator to Aotearoa is among the iwi specific reo Māori resources the government is pushing for more of in schools, and has topped up funding for by $1.5 million.

Te Aho Ngārahu fund, a Ministry of Education fund which takes kōrero tuku iho - iwi stories passed down through generations - and turns them into games, books or other digital storytelling methods, has opened for its fourth round of funding.

The fund received a $1.5m boost in this year's budget, increasing its annual funding to $3.41m......
See full article HERE

Questions around whether it's ethical to expect Maori to pay to return to their own land
National says it'll charge returning New Zealanders for managed isolation if it wins the election ... and the Government is also looking at a plan.

In London, New Zealander Matiu Workman says it's a ludicrous idea.

He says Maori would be paying for land that was taken from them anyway, and you may as well as them to pay in blankets and muskets and give it back......
See full article HERE

Conservation Board appointments boost diversity
The diversity of conservation boards around Aotearoa is increasing with 47 appointments to 14 of the 15 conservation boards across New Zealand announced today by the Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage.

“I’m pleased that these appointments bring the proportion of women members on conservation boards to 53 per cent while 38 per cent of board members identify as Māori,” said Eugenie Sage.

“Conservation boards ensure that their local communities are reflected in the statutory plans that govern how the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Treaty partners manage natural and historic heritage and recreational assets such as tracks.

This is a unique time and an exceptional opportunity for all New Zealanders explore, discover, and enjoy our shared Papatūānuku” said Eugenie Sage........
See full article HERE

Māori seat policy change too late for Hayes
National’s Māori development spokesperson Jo Hayes says it’s probably too late for the party to run candidates in the Māori seats for September’s election.

New leader Judith Collins has indicated she is open to changing the Don Brash-era policy, but it would have to be approved by the party’s governing board

“Sixty days out from an election is going to be a tough call from any candidate......
See full article HERE

Health choices campaign needs Māori input
A ground-breaking Māori general practitioner says GPs need to help patients question the treatments they are offered.

Māori patients often find it hard to question the medical advice they are given, which affects their understanding and their commitment to courses of treatment.

Māori health professionals need resources that are simple and realistic, as well as socially and culturally engaging for Māori.....
See full article HERE

Marae fund protected despite council cuts
Funding for Māori outcomes, support for the homeless and moving council cleaners on to the living wage have been preserved in the emergency budget passed by Auckland Council.

More than 1000 staff will go, including 600 temporary and contract staff, but some projects were declared off limits to the razor gang.

“Repairing and upgrading marae, work on ensuring procurement for young Māori and Pasifika workers through things like the Southern Initiative and the Western Initiative, all of those things are really important to us if we want an inclusive city,” Mr Goff says.......
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Celebrating Aotearoa's settlement waves, warts and all

Tuesday July 21, 2020

News:
Judith Collins hits out at Jacinda Ardern's 'foolish' involvement in Ihumātao
National leader Judith Collins has hit out at Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's involvement in the Ihumātao land dispute, describing it as "foolish" and "a total nonsense".
Collins, who became the National Party's new leader last week following the resignation of Todd Muller, said Ardern should never have got involved, and that if she becomes Prime Minister, Fletcher Building will be allowed to continue with its plans.

"It's their land, they can do what they like within the rules," she told Magic Talk. "The Government, under me will never put a cent into Ihumātao. This is private land. This is a total nonsense and the Prime Minister was foolish to go and get herself involved in it in the first place.".......
See full article HERE

Inside Oranga Tamariki - is it an organisation unravelling?
Māori having been calling for decades for devolution - services by Māori and for Māori, he says.

"What we need to see is the systematic, government-led devolution of services and that needs to include resourcing," Darroch says. "The crown needs to sit down with Māori and go, ‘how are we going to design a system that works for you?’. And I think that's the thing that none of these reviews have done.".....
See full article HERE

Gains seen for Maori youth if laws change
Young Maori are at greater risk of dependence on cannabis than their non-Maori peers and may be better off if cannabis laws change, according to a University of Otago review of research.

They are more likely to use cannabis and more likely to be convicted for cannabis offences than non-Maori.......
See full article HERE

Gold‌ ‌Coast‌ ‌nightclub‌ ‌apologises,‌ ‌changes‌ ‌'culturally‌ ‌insensitive'‌ ‌Māori‌ ‌name‌ ‌after backlash
A‌ ‌Gold‌ ‌Coast‌ ‌nightclub‌ ‌has‌ ‌changed ‌its‌ ‌name‌ ‌after‌ ‌being‌ ‌slammed‌ ‌by‌ ‌cultural‌ ‌experts‌ ‌and‌ ‌New‌ ‌Zealanders‌ ‌as‌ ‌"insensitive‌ ‌and‌ ‌offensive".‌ ‌

Set‌ ‌to‌ ‌open‌ ‌later‌ ‌this‌ ‌month,‌ ‌the‌ ‌club‌ ‌called‌ ‌'Tāne',‌ ‌named‌ ‌after‌ ‌the‌ ‌god‌ ‌Tānē‌ ‌Māhuta,‌ ‌attracted‌ ‌widespread‌ ‌backlash‌ ‌on‌ ‌social‌ ‌media.‌ ‌

Māori‌ ‌cultural‌ ‌adviser‌ ‌Karaitiana‌ ‌Taiuru‌ ‌tiold Newshub ‌the‌ ‌name‌ ‌was‌ ‌"ignorant‌ ‌and‌ ‌uninformed".‌ ‌After‌ ‌Newshub‌ ‌contacted‌ ‌the‌ ‌nightclub‌ ‌for‌ ‌comment,‌ ‌it‌ ‌announced‌ ‌on‌ ‌Facebook‌ ‌it‌ ‌would‌ ‌immediately‌ ‌change‌ ‌the‌ ‌name.‌.....
See full article HERE

Recruitment drive increases percentage of Māori cops
The number of Māori police officers has increased by 22 percent over the past three years, reflecting wider diversity across the force

There are now 1193 Māori officers or 11.7 percent of the total, up from 11 percent three years ago.....
See full article HERE

Police not pressing charges after Māori woman alleges racial abuse at Ōwairaka / Mount Albert
A decision by police not to press charges after a Māori woman was allegedly racially abused and physically assaulted at Ōwairaka / Mount Albert, has been described as racist and will be legally challenged.

Ngahina Hohaia in June said she was verbally and physically attacked when she asked the owner of a dog if she could put her animal on a leash.

AUT law lecturer Khylee Quince is appealing to the Solicitor-General this week on behalf of Hohaia, after she was advised by police that they would not be pressing assault charges because the alleged perpetrator had a plausible explanation of self-defence.

"The police have failed to acknowledge and understand the significance of this as a racially motivated attack on Ngahina as a wahine Māori wearing moko kanohi and as a Māori citizen accessing Ōwairaka maunga as a place of spiritual sustenance.".......
See full article HERE

Bringing local histories to life through te reo Māori resources
Applications have opened for round four of Te Aho Ngārahu, a fund that enables Māori storytellers to develop quality localised te reo Māori education resources for ākonga, kaiako and Kāhui Ako, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today.

Te Aho Ngārahu received a $1.5 million boost in Budget 2020, increasing its annual funding to $3.41 million. Since its establishment in 2017, the initiative has produced over 200 resources that share a range of local histories from across New Zealand.

“With Te Aho Ngārahu local Māori storytellers get to tell their stories in their way and in the process develop an educational resource for long term use. At the same time, ākonga and students, both Māori and non-Māori, get to build their knowledge and understanding of local history, through the eyes of Māori,” Kelvin Davis said........
See full article HERE

Wardens recruit as pandemic proves worth
Māori wardens are enjoying a spurt of interest from aspiring volunteers because of the high profile they have had through the COVID-19 crisis.

Thomas Henry from the South Auckland wardens says the wardens have taken on extra work including helping on food banks and in the pop up COVID testing stations.......
See full article HERE

Iwi leader says RMA needs strengthening and Māori must stand as kaitiakiIwi Leaders Forum climate change spokesman Mike Smith says the Resource Management Act (RMA) needs to be strengthened and Māori must stand as kaitiaki of the land.

Political parties are pushing for a major revamp of the 1991 act, which works to promote sustainable management of physical and natural resources.

Recognition of tikanga Māori and application of Treaty of Waitangi principles are necessary under the RMA........
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Children warming 'old-timers' to the beauty of te reo Māori

A festival of aroha – Let's make Matariki a public holiday in 2021 

Monday July 20, 2020

News:
Māori Party announce climate policy, with $1b for Māori-owned community energy projects
The Māori Party wants all offshore oil and gas extraction in New Zealand decommissioned by the end of the decade as part of its plan to battle climate change.
A $1-billion project called Pūngao Auaha would fund Māori-owned community energy projects, such as insulation and solar panel installation on marae and papakāinga housing developments.

As part of a focus on regenerative agriculture, $300 million would be used to transition Māori farmers away from current practices......
See full article HERE

NZ election 2020: Judith Collins 'absolutely' keen for electorate deal with Māori Party
New Opposition leader Judith Collins says she's open to cutting a deal with the Māori Party in the Māori electorate seats, as National looks for coalition partners to give it a chance of governing after the election.

Asked by host Mihingarangi Forbes if she'd be up for a deal with the Māori Party, Collins replied: "Absolutely."

"I really do want to say to all Māori, we're there for you and we're also for all New Zealand."

She then paraphrased former Māori Party leader Tariana Turia.

"We know that when Māori do well in New Zealand, everyone does well.".....
See full article HERE

Māori Party won't work with National
The Māori Party has again shut down talk of working with the National Party. It follows new National leader Judith Collins indicating she would "absolutely" be open to the possibility.

Collins in an interview with The Hui was asked if she would consider a deal with the Māori Party and responded "absolutely," according to a Newshub report.

However, Māori Party co-leader John Tamihere has quashed the idea.

"No, we would not be working with Collins," Tamihere told Newshub.
Last month, fellow co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer also poured cold water on the idea which the party considers "untenable"......
See full article HERE

Supreme Court hears why appeal of deceased sex offender Peter Ellis should go ahead
Counsel for Peter Ellis, Natalie Coates, told the Supreme Court, that the tikanga of mana - which was described as meaning reputation, standing, power, and influence; and applies to both an individual and a collective, should be reason for the appeal to be heard.

"In accordance with tikanga, everyone - Māori and Pākehā - including Mr Ellis and his whānau, have mana.

She also cited the inclusion of the Treaty of Waitangi in legislation, and the recognition of mana and other tikanga Māori in the likes of the Oranga Tamariki Act as evidence of the fact tikanga Māori is already a part of common law.....
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Fanciful tales of history do no help for the present

Everyone who learns te reo Māori is special

Research explores motivations and barriers for learners of te reo Māori

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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