Pages

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Breaking Views Update: Week of 14.03.21







Saturday March 20, 2021 

News:
Polytech buildings renamed

Four buildings at Otago Polytechnic have been renamed to reflect the importance of their location as a point of intersection for Dunedin’s first people.

Otago Polytechnic and local rununga unveiled the new names at a ceremony on campus yesterday morning.

In consultation with local Maori, the polytechnic decided on new names taken from local waterways for H Block (Otakou), G Block (Kaikarae), O Block (Owheo) and S Block (Tauraka Pipipi)......
See full article HERE

Māori voices said to be missing from government’s water reform
A Murupara leader says Māori voices are missing from the government's Water Services Bill, which aims to overhaul drinking water, wastewater and stormwater standards across the country as part of a wider government initiative.

Te Amo said it was "sad" to see no Māori voice in the forum and that the bill was set within a Western framework that needed a Māori world view, as Māori had their own frameworks and a different way of viewing water.

Of particular concern to Te Amo was the suggestion that a compliance officer could enter a property to inspect the water supply.

"Going on marae without permission is not a partnership," she said.....
See full article HERE

Top-ranked Kiwi tennis player apologises for party pūkana
A New Zealand Davis Cup tennis player has apologised after being filmed mocking Māori culture.

Taranaki’s Ajeet Rai, 22, is to be sanctioned by Tennis New Zealand after videos of him performing pūkana were posted on social media.......
See full article HERE

Transforming HRM in Aotearoa
Aotearoa is a unique country with unique cultural influences. HRNZ is committed to developing HR practices that reflect this uniqueness and to ensure Māori are succeeding in New Zealand workplaces.

HRNZ is proud to have developed a programme to provide HR practitioners with an opportunity to develop their HR practice to benefit Māori employees directly and intentionally, recognising Māori as Tāngata Whenua o Aotearoa and Treaty of Waitangi partners.........
See full article HERE


This Breaking Views Update monitors race relations in the media on a weekly basis. A summary of new material being added is emailed out during the week - to subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the mailout, please use the form at the top of the Breaking Views sidebar. If you would like to send Letters to the Editor in response to any of these articles, most media addresses can be found HERE

Friday March 19, 2021 

News: 
Ihumātao campaigners promise to 'stay forever' as $29.9m sale of site completed 
The purchase of the 33 hectares of freehold land at 545 – 561 Oruarangi Rd in Māngere, south Auckland, was finalised on February 17, a spokesperson from Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development confirmed.

The deal was made explicitly outside the Treaty of Waitangi process, and the land was purchased with money from the Government’s Land for Housing Programme.

Fletchers Building made a $10.9m profit from the sale, after purchasing the land for $19m in 2014. The company however recorded a $196 million net loss in 2020.

Newton and other land protectors have been occupying the land for almost five years, after they moved in to stop Fletcher’s development of 480 homes.

She said there was no intention to move from Ihumātao, and the kaitiaki will remain on the site to protect the whenua......
See full article HERE

Maori knowledge would strengthen vaccine effort
The National Hauora Coalition wants the Government to use the COVID immunisation programme to demonstrate its commitment to Māori wellbeing.

Chief executive Simon Royal says that includes supporting a Māori-led national COVID vaccination and immunisation plan including delivery through regional and local bodies such as iwi, whānau ora commissioning agencies and other hauora Māori providers.

He says government agencies need to recognise and value how Māori think about the world and respect the way communities make decisions......
See full article HERE

Bach owners fear Treaty land transfer could put access road at risk
Coastal bach owners at an idyllic bay on East Cape are concerned they will be locked out of their holiday homes if iwi takes ownership of nearby land.

Ōpōtiki District Council is working through a proposal by Te Arawhiti Maori Crown Relations to transfer several parcels of council-owned reserve land to Te Whanau a Apanui as part of its Treaty of Waitangi settlement.

One of those parcels of land provides the only way for beachfront bach owners at isolated Whanarua Bay on the East Coast to access their properties......
See full article HERE

Referenda For Māori Wards Still An Option For Local Councils
Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “The nine councils that chose to establish Māori wards for 2022 did so with the reasonable expectation that the decision would be subject to a binding referendum. Now that the Government has disabled the petitions to initiate referenda, those decisions should be revisited.”

“Councillors don’t need to go so far as abandoning Māori wards – they can simply agree to initiate a referendum themselves, and commit to honouring its result. This compromise is more likely to achieve support across the council table than scrapping the whole proposal.”....
See full article HERE

Iwi partnership with Tanspower provides opportunities for Māori youth
A Manawatū iwi hopes a new partnership with power transmission company Transpower will lead to opportunities for its youth.

Ngāti Kauwhata, which is based in Feilding, has just signed a formal arrangement with Transpower about the two groups working together.

Iwi representative Dennis Emery said Transpower was going to bring more power pylons through the area and the agreement would assist people from the iwi to start work in the industry.

“We’re looking for opportunities for our rangatahi (youth) to be in the electricity industry in training and employment ... we want our kids to learn about that business.”....
See full article HERE

Articles:
The Authoritarian noose tightens – Geoff Parker


Thursday March 18, 2021 

News: 
Whangārei district councillors challenge council's Māori wards decision 
Five Whangārei district councillors are seeking to overturn their council's vote for Māori wards.

Councillor Vince Cocurullo said the challenge sought to have Whangārei District Council (WDC)'s November decision for Māori representation on council rescinded.

The formal challenge will come from Cocurullo, Shelley Deeming, Phil Halse, Greg Martin and Simon Reid at next week's Thursday, 25 March council meeting.

The challenging quintet will formally table a notice of motion that all councillors will then need to vote on.

Cocurullo said it was important the community's voice was heard, rather than the council itself making the decision......
See full article HERE

Waipā District Council opens up deabte on whether to establish Māori ward
Waipā District Council is giving its residents just over four weeks to have a say on whether it should set up a Māori ward for the 2022 election.

But at least one councillor said history showed the community would likely reject the idea.

Other councillors disagreed with Barnes, and said consulting the community was the right course of action......
See full article HERE

Three waters reforms government launches workshops to explain to iwi, councils
Consultation is under way on a major overhaul of how drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and services are delivered across the country.

The government is hosting a series of workshops on its Three Waters reform programme targeted towards informing councils and iwi.......
See full article HERE

National probes Ihumātao land purchase by government: 'Troubling precedent'
The National Party has written to ask the Auditor-General to investigate the deal struck to resolve the Ihumātao land dispute.

"Taxpayers aren't a bank to be called upon to clean up the government's poor decisions, particularly when it is meddling in private property rights," she said.....
See full article HERE

National needs permanent Māori board member, review finds
The National Party should consider appointing a permanent Māori board member to ensure Māori are represented in the party, a review had found.

A review into the National Party's fist term in opposition and its campaign at the last election found that Māori perspectives hadn’t been given appropriate attention by the party in the past, a source familiar with the report said......
See full article HERE 

Wednesday March 17, 2021 

News: 
Govt Tried To Hide Ihumātao Link To Treaty Settlements 
“Jacinda Ardern’s Government has been caught red-handed, saying one thing about potential Treaty of Waitangi implications of spending $30 million of taxpayers’ money to buy its way out of Ihumātao and trying to cover up the truth,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“The Government was warned from the get-go that if it butted into the Ihumātao issue – a dispute over private land – other iwi groups would inevitably feel that their full and final settlements with the Crown were neither full, nor final.

“Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said on Radio NZ on 18 December ‘It’s very clear to us that this does not affect the Treaty settlement process.’

“But the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Cabinet paper that Ministers discussed on 14 December clearly states otherwise in two places, paragraphs 31 and 32:.......
See full article HERE

Deadline nears for public say on Māori constituency in Taranaki
More than 200 submissions have been received so far by the Taranaki Regional Council on whether a Māori constituency should be included for the 2022 local body elections.

With days to go before the submissions deadline on Friday, March 19, - 4pm, the council is urging the public to have their say......
See full article HERE

Police force stats are 'shocking' when broken down by race, but nuances need to be studied, top cop says
Last night, police announced they will work with the University of Waikato’s Te Puna Haumaru NZ Institute for Security and Crime Science and criminal justice advocate Sir Kim Workman on a research programme called Understanding Policing Delivery.

“We already have a lot of things that we are doing in relation to working better with iwi, Māori to make a difference for Māori and those things will continue.”.....
See full article HERE

Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki buys land under Macleans College for $97m
Auckland iwi, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, has agreed to buy the land under Macleans College in a $97-million deal that dwarfs any previous treaty-based school transfer.......(NZ Herald paywall)
See full article HERE

Call to dismiss case
A defence witness has called for immediate dismissal of the case against accused $17.5 million tax fraudster John Bracken.

Failing that, witness Benjamin Te Pairi wants the presiding judge removed for “inability or misbehavour”.

Mr Te Pairi said the court lacked jurisdiction for the case, which should have been heard on Bracken’s marae (his wife is Maori). Justice Graham Lang should dismiss it immediately or be removed as a judge, in accordance with Section 12 of Te Ture Whenua Act 1993......
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Decolonising our cities - why colonial era statues must be toppled 

Tuesday March 16, 2021 

News:  New director to build iwi success 
Huia Haeata has been appointed as the new executive director for Tiriti Partnerships at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.

The institute is continuing to work towards strengthening iwi relationships and cultural integrity, with the establishment of this new role.

The newly created directorship was formed to signal the Institute’s ongoing commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi excellence within and for Toi Ohomai.

to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and achieve equitable outcomes for Maori by ensuring that our services work well and respond to the needs of Maori learners and their whanau, and to the aspirations of iwi and Māori communities,” ......
See full article HERE

Time for two suns on Whakatane council
An advocate for better Māori representation in local government says Māori wards in Whakatane have been a long time coming.

Going by the population in the district on the Māori roll, Whakatane could have three of its 10 seats as Māori wards......
See full article HERE

New Cobham Drive paths blessed
The new walking and biking paths along the Cobham Drive foreshore were blessed by Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika this morning with a mihi whakatau, and then officially opened by Deputy Mayor Sarah Free and MP for Ōhāriu Greg O’Connor.

This part of Wellington’s coast holds strong connections for mana whenua iwi (Taranaki Whānui, Ngāti Toa Rangatira). Taranaki Whānui has worked closely with Wellington City Council on aspects of the landscape design and gifted the name Tahitai (one tide, one journey) for the harbour-side walking and biking route around Akau Tangi (Evans Bay) between Miramar and the central city.

The tohu pattern etched onto walls and viewing platforms along Cobham Drive and at Ōmarukaikuru (Point Jerningham) depicts Taranaki maunga and ancestral origins......
See full article HERE

$5.5 Million Funding Boost For Māori Trades And Training
Whānau and communities in Tairāwhiti-East Coast, Northland-Tai Tokerau and the Bay of Plenty are set to benefit from a funding boost for Māori Trades and Training, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced today.

“The Government is continuing to support Māori into work and training by investing $5.5m to help up to 150 Māori train and gain qualifications........
See full article HERE

Have your say on how council buys and sells land
The draft Acquisitions and Disposals Policy is now open for submissions, allowing the community to have their say on house Tauranga City Council buys and sells property.

"One of the main changes we’re proposing in the new draft policy is that mana whenua will be offered a right of first refusal on some properties sold by council

"Mana whenua will have the opportunity to purchase council property at market value before being offered for sale through an open market process. However, not all properties will fit this criteria and this can only happen after any statutory obligations are met.

"The inclusions of the right of first refusal recognises the role mana whenua holds in building, protecting and celebrating Tauranga Moana, its environment and its people and acknowledges their partnership with council, while still providing a fair value for ratepayers.".....
See full article HERE

Treasury warned Government against the way it did Ihumātao deal
Treasury warned ministers: "If Cabinet wants the Crown to purchase the land at Ihumātao, we do not recommend doing so through the Land for Housing Programme."

Officials were worried about fiscal risks, and the Treasury recommendation is clear: do not support. The advice came just three days before the Government announced the deal.

"The Prime Minister weighed into Ihumātao, screwed it up and then misused taxpayer money meant for KiwiBuild to pay off her political problem - it's banana republic stuff," says ACT leader David Seymour......
See full article HERE

Article:
Making progress, albeit slowly – Ron Taylor

Bob Edlin: Moaning Meghan triggers howls for our Head of State to be cut off – and a blogger proposes a 50:50 race-based upper house

Propoganda:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/124163245/the-nelson-tenths-counting-the-cost-of-a-180year-old-broken-deal 

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
 

No comments: