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Saturday, April 17, 2021

Breaking Views Update: Week of 11.04.21







Saturday April 17, 2021 

News:
Taranaki te ao Māori advocates 'disappointed' with McDonald's over continued use of 'Naki' packaging

Te ao Māori advocates have called on burger giant McDonald’s to immediately stop using packaging containing an offensive abbreviation for Taranaki.

The company's Angus burger boxes contain a blurb about the beef it uses, and that it is made into patties in “The ‘Naki”.

Use of the abbreviation is common in both business names and everyday language in Taranaki, despite it being well publicised that many Māori find the shortened word offensive and disrespectful of their values…….
See full article HERE

Hamilton City Council to consider Māori wards in 2022
Hamilton City Council has done a u-turn over Māori wards.

Two weeks ago it decided to strengthen Māori representation on council committees but to defer a decision on Māori wards until after the next council term which ends in 2025.

On Thursday, it voted to overturn the earlier decision and will now consider the wards for the next election in 2022, but only after a three week period of public consultation.

The flip-flop came after a ground-swell of opposition to the 1 April decision……
See full article HERE

Māori researchers feel 'burn out' from raising cultural capacity of organisation
Māori scientists and researchers face an added challenge raising the cultural capacity of their organisations while completing their own research and progressing their careers, AUT study suggests.

Professor Jarrod Haar said the vast majority of the Māori scientists interviewed for the study said they had felt the impact of engaging in cultural awareness exercises while also trying to complete research…..
See full article HERE

More than $5 million rebuild of Arowhenua Māori School underway
A more than $5 million rebuild of South Canterbury’s only bilingual school is on track to open in time for the new school year in 2022.

Arowhenua Māori School pupils have been splitting class time between existing buildings, other schools, and the paddock beside the marae while work is underway on a 850-square-metre rebuild of the primary school near Temuka…..
See full article HERE

No Māori age priority in Covid-19 vaccine rollout a 'complete failure'
National Māori Pandemic Group member Dr Rawiri Jansen considers it an overwhelming failure on his part and the Government's that the vaccine rollout does not prioritise Māori below 65 years of age.

Members of the pandemic group, also named Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā, have previously criticised the Government for treating Māori as an afterthought in its Covid-19 response……
See full article HERE

Te Waiariki iwi win bid to buy back ancestral land at Pātaua in Northland
There were celebrations for supporters of a land occupation at Pātaua in Northland today with mana whenua iwi Te Waiariki winning a bid to buy back a large block of their ancestral land.

The block of nearly 60 hectares is prime coastal land near Whangārei. It borders another block of Māori owned land - a DOC campground and a tidal estuary.

"It’s a win to get back whenua, but I suppose the loss is that we’re having to buy back our own ancestral lands," Mark Scott of Te Waiariki says……
See full article HERE

Articles:
Defending our democracy – by Dr Muriel Newman.

Time to push back – by Tony Sayers

Propaganda:
How a by-Māori, for-Māori approach protected a community from virus

Welcome to the new age of Māori power as Hamilton council revokes Māori ward decision 

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 16, 2021 

News: 
Royal New Zealand Navy celebrates 21st birthday of Te Taua Moana Marae in Auckland 
On Wednesday morning, iwi representatives from around the country, mana whenua, historical supporters and the Māori King, Kiingi Tūheitia, were given a pōwhiri by Māori warriors as they entered the marae at the Devonport Naval Base, overlooking the idyllic Ngau Te Ringaringa Bay.

The Te Taua Marae was opened by Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the late Māori Queen, on 15 April, 2000.

The celebration to acknowledge the marae's 21 years’ of service to the Navy fleet will take place over four days……
See full article HERE

Law Commission proposes changes to 'out of date' succession legislation
The Law Commission is proposing changes to laws about who inherits a person's property when they die.

The commission also noted the potential different perspectives among Māori and proposed succession of taonga could be governed by tikanga Māori and not general law.

"Succession is an important kaupapa for Māori and engaging Māori voices in our consultation is a priority for the commission," McQueen said. "We ask about the relationship between tikanga and state law in any reform."…..
See full article HERE

Greens want tikanga Maori in welfare system
The Green Party wants to see a tikanga Māori framework embedded in the welfare system.

Social development spokesperson Ricardo Menendez March is putting a bill in the ballot that would force the government to adopt the Welfare Expert Advisory Group’s recommendations to embed Kia Piki Ake Te Mana Tāngata and Te Tiriti o Waitangi into the system……
See full article HERE

Sharon Shea Announced As First Māori Board Chair Of Bay Of Plenty District Health Board
Sharon Shea says she is proud and honoured to be named as the first ever permanent Māori Board Chair of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board (BOPDHB), calling it an important signpost for the community.

“I feel honoured to bring a tangata whenua perspective to the board’s leadership and to support the whole community…….
See full article HERE

Award Winning Iwi Owned Business Harnessing Benefits Of Native Ingredients
The High-Value Nutrition (HVN) National Science Challenge has awarded $54,000 in funding for research to Kaitahi As One, a Māori-owned business who have created an award winning novel beverage using taonga species (kūmara, pūhā, kawakawa and rewarewa honey) in their frozen smoothy drops.....
See full article HERE

Wellington Central Library adopts gifted name: Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui
When Wellington’s Central Library finally re-opens in 2025, it will be under a new official name: Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui.

The name has been used as a secondary title for several years, but will now be recognised as the official name of the library as part of a commitment to consult with mana whenua throughout the design process......
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Hamilton City Council puts Maori wards back on table for 2022

Colonisation took away opportunity for Māori to learn te reo 

Thursday April 15, 2021 

News: 
Waiariki iwi seek Maori fish farm knowledge 
Waiariki-based Māori aquaculture is set to get a boost thanks to a new collaborative research project with independent organisation Scientific research body Cawthron Institute is teaming up with Waiariki iwi to develop mātauranga Māori-centred, sustainable aquaculture strategies for region.

"How do we not just create any old aquaculture but aquaculture that is underpinned by a number of things - the best science but also underpinned by our mātauranga Māori. How do we do aquaculture in a Māori way," he says……
See full article HERE

Māori representation matters and local councils want to hear Māori voices - that's democracy
More local councils around the country are introducing Maori wards to give improved representation to Tangata Whenua.

The moves draw criticism from some, claiming it is anti-democratic. How do you respond to those claims?

An MP from each side of the house gives their views…..
See full article HERE

Kaikōura council to workshop Māori ward option with runanga
The Kaikōura District Council has grasped the nettle and agreed to tackle the question of whether to have a Māori ward.

The council voted in favour of a Māori ward in 2018 but had to revoke the decision after a public poll rejected it.

A recent law change removing the poll provision has given all councils a fresh chance to revisit the issue by May 21, if they want a Māori ward in time for the 2022 elections.

At their meeting last Wednesday, councillors voted unanimously to test the waters again. The move follows recent discussions with Te Runanga o Kaikōura…..
See full article HERE

Inter-prison kapa haka competition launched
For the first time, all 18 prisons in New Zealand will be invited to participate in an inter-prison kapa haka competition, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis announced today.

Kelvin Davis said the competition supports the aims of Corrections’ strategy Hōkai Rangi by bringing participants closer to their culture, identity and language.

The 2021 Hōkai Rangi Whakataetae Kapa Haka will be funded through the Māori Pathways Programme……
See full article HERE

Govt Must Reject He Puapua
ACT is calling on the Prime Minister to publicly reject the recommendations of a Cabinet-commissioned report which aims to give effect to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“He Puapua represents a significant and serious departure from the idea that all New Zealanders are equal before the law,” says ACT Leader David Seymour……
See full article HERE

Promising start to Maori procurement database
Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson says initial indications are a push to increase the number of Māori firms doing business with government is going well.

... so our intention is to make sure those businesses can get into the procurement process and every indication tells us that is happening," Mr Jackson says…….
See full article HERE

Teachers get boost into Masters study
“This course is proving to be a successful and innovative way to get teachers and other educators back into tertiary education, while still teaching and working,” says Professor Berryman.

“It provides an incentive for kaiwhakaako to carry on and complete their Masters by proving that studying at tertiary level again is achievable while working.”

Designed to indigenise and decolonise teaching practices, schools and communities, the blended learning comprises five online modules, two face-to-face wananga over two days and one virtual wananga.

“By learning through and in te ao Maori (Maori world view) contexts blended learning encourages people to deepen their understandings,…..
See full article HERE

Pandemic shows need to tino rangatiratanga
The executive director of Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust says the response to the pandemic shows why Māori need to drive their own economic and social development.

The trust, which is funded from the Maori fisheries settlement to promote Māori education, training and research, has commissioned two independent research reports on how COVID-19 has impacted Māori from education and economic perspective.

"For a change, whether it be in our education system or in our wider Māori society, for that change to be sustainable in our communities, that has to come from us, and it must to be organic and native to us, so those changes need to be authentically and unapologetically Māori in both design and execution to be sustainable and intergenerational, and that is not something the government can give to us," Mr Katene says…..
See full article HERE

Pūkaha Forest To Be Gifted To The Nation
The Pūkaha Forest is the ngāhere taonga (forest treasure) of the Rangitāne iwi. The return of this whenua was an important component of the joint Rangitāne o Tamaki Nui a Rua and Rangitāne o Wairarapa treaty settlement which was finalised in 2017 after lengthy negotiations. What many may not know is that Rangitāne made a significant gesture in that treaty settlement, to gift the reserve to the people of Aotearoa after it was returned to them by the Crown. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has described the decision as an “incredibly generous” act.

The gifting of the Pūkaha Forest to the nation is reflective of the ongoing co-operation and collaboration of the partners to work jointly together guided by Tiriti o Waitangi principles. Rangitāne will continue to have an ever-increasing presence and participation onsite, reflecting the status of the iwi as mana whenua (customary landowners) and the important conservation and forest restoration work will continue for the benefit of all New Zealanders……
See full article HERE

Articles:
Peter Williams: Plans for a co-governed New Zealand you should be concerned about 

Wednesday April 14, 2021 

News: 
‘Can’t they see what’s good for them?’ 
And in a few months New Zealand must decide its next Governor-General, the Queen's Representative in New Zealand. Dr Areti Metuamate, on behalf of a group of Māori leaders, has written to the Prime Minister calling for Dame Patsy Reddy to be succeeded by a Governor-General of Māori descent, which has happened only twice before.

At present, he points out, the Queen, the Governor-General, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, the Chief Justice and the Chief of Defence are all Pākehā. Does that suggest that our constitutional arrangements are reflective of New Zealand as a nation, and as a partnership of peoples in the south Pacific?……
See full article HERE

Wairarapa hapū in race to buy back ancestral land
A Wairarapa hapū is racing against time to raise enough money to buy back land their ancestors were born on - but the tender closes today.

Ngāti Kahukuraawhitia wants to buy 182 hectares of Wairarapa land alongside the Waiohine river to recreate a hub for its people.

But the Givealittle has raised $146,403 in just five days.

But if they cannot buy the land, the funds won't go to waste. A statement on the Givealittle page clarifies if the sale falls through, all donations will be put into a trust for Ngāti Kahukuraawhitia.

This will be used for purchasing another parcel of land at a later date…….
See full article HERE

Horizons Regional Council asking whether to establish Maori representation
Horizons Regional Council is asking our communities whether Council should have Maori representation through a short survey.

Horizons Chair Rachel Keedwell says that due to a recent law change, Council has the opportunity to consider whether to establish Maori constituencies in time for the 2022 local elections. "Council hasn’t yet reached a position or made a decision, however we need to do so by 21 May," says Cr Keedwell.

"To help us gauge an appetite, we have sent out a short survey to those enrolled on the Maori electoral roll as they’re the most affected. This survey is also available online for anyone to complete before 8am Monday 10 May…….
See full article HERE

ACT's David Seymour compares Labour to Communist China after Tauranga commissioners vote for Māori ward
Tauranga City Council commissioners - installed by the Government after significant governance issues were last year found at the Council - on Monday voted to establish a Māori ward.

Labour MP Tamati Coffey welcomed the Tauranga commissioners' vote on Monday, saying it ensures "there is always Māori voices being heard".

"If partnership is the real goal, then one seat won't do. We need to make sure that we are growing Māori leadership in the general constituencies too. Like a true meaningful partnership."……
See full article HERE

Equal partnership with Maori needed in climate strategy
By leading and co-designing we can bring better alignment with the Maori world view’

Commissioner Awatere Huata says there are three roles in this journey for Maori.

“By leading and co-designing we can bring better alignment with the Maori world view, while also bringing the weight of the Maori economy to the table to equally invest and take action to sustainably achieve the low carbon pathway.”

“Maori will also bring innovation and best practice based on our unique whakapapa, tikanga and hapu rangatiratanga.”…..
See full article HERE

New Maori program on its way for Tauranga schools
A new project currently in development is establishing a Te Ao Maori Localised Curriculum for all 67 Tauranga Moana schools, early childhood centres and the wider community in partnership with Tauranga Moana Iwi.

The project, called Te Tai Whanake ki Tauranga Moana, will be a first for New Zealand, bringing all Tauranga Moana Iwi and schools together in a unique and enduring way……
See full article HERE

$100k Māori Student Scholarship Sees Harvard Student Return As Mentor Alongside Former Prime Minister Sir John Key
New Zealand’s only scholarship to support Māori high school students to gain admission to the world’s most competitive universities is back for another year. Whether it be Physiotherapy at the University of Auckland or Computer Science at Stanford, these scholarships encourage local students to follow their passion and pursue their most ambitious dreams.

Now in its fourth year, the Te Ara a Kupe Beaton Scholarship was founded to encourage young Māori representation on the global stage. Each winning student will receive personalised mentoring and education services up to the value of NZD $20,000 to help them apply for and get accepted into their dream university. The awards gala will be held on Sunday 23 May…..
See full article HERE

Articles:
Maori wards again

Propaganda:
Maori students succeeding at higher levels

Imperative to recognise the inequity created by colonisation 

Tuesday April 13, 2021 

News: 
Tauranga council commissioners vote to establish Māori ward 
Tauranga City Council commissioners have unanimously voted to establish a Māori ward, becoming one of the first New Zealand councils to do so since the controversial legislation around it was tweaked earlier this year.

Commissioners meet today to discuss whether to adopt a recommendation to establish a Māori ward for the 2022 local body elections.

After public presentations - one for, two against - commissioners Bill Wasley, Stephen Selwood, Shadrach Rolleston and chairwoman Anne Tolley voted in favour……
See full article HERE

Kaikōura woman urges council to create Māori ward
Former Kaikōura District Councillor Celeste Harnett raised the issue in the public forum at the council's February meeting, in the wake of the recent law change on Māori representation.

The Kaikōura council voted to create a Māori ward in 2018, but the move was defeated when 86 per cent of the community opposed it in a poll forced by a small number of electors.

“I'm optimistic that community views will have changed since that poll especially if people can be better informed about Māori wards.”…..
See full article HERE

Grant for research into Māori rock art sites at Opihi, South Canterbury
A $250,000 grant will enable a project to investigate the past ecology of the 14 nationally culturally significant rock art sites around Opihi in South Canterbury.

The grant for the project, led by Te Ana Rock Art Trust and Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, was announced by Minister of Research, Science and Innovation, Megan Woods, at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research in Lincoln last week…..
See full article HERE

Pohutukawa wrong tree for Erebus memorial
He understood nothing about the fact the tree is te karere, it is a messenger, it tells us what is going on under the sea in relation to Tangaroa that it is looking out to," she says.

Dame Naida Glavish says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has told her the site was chosen because the pōhutukawa would embrace the wairua of the 257 passengers and crew who lost their lives in the disaster - but in the Māori world, that’s the role of the pūriri…….
See full article HERE

Articles:
Govt goes into partnership (again), this time to better deal with young Maori offenders 

Sunday April 11, 2021 

News: 
More funding needed for schemes 'by Māori, for Māori' - Jackson 
Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson says there is institutional racism "in every area of New Zealand society" that won't end until there is more funding for "by Māori, for Māori" solutions.

The Cabinet minister, speaking to Newshub Nation on Saturday, said inequities for his people had been around for a long time.

"It's not just in the justice system - it's been in the health system, we've talked justice, we've had Oranga Tamariki, it's in the media - we've been sidelined in the media. So in every area of New Zealand society, we have institutional racism. It's one of the reasons I came into politics... I got sick and tired of our people being singled out……
See full article HERE

New name for school ‘a privilege’
A new name with significant cultural ties to the land and the coast has been given to a North Otago primary school.

Te Pakihi o Maru was unveiled as Oamaru North School’s new name yesterday, in a ceremony led by Te Runanga o Moeraki chairman Justin Tipa.

The runanga created and gave the name to the school……
See full article HERE

Pharmacists ponder of potions paid or prescribed
The Māori Pharmacists’ Association, Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā o Aotearoa, is looking at how whānau Māori can receive equitable access to medicines.

Lead researcher Jo Hikaka says association members will talk with whānau about their experiences and perceptions of being able to access minor ailment medicines from pharmacies.

The project is funded by the Health Research Council and Pharmac, and it will be assisted by researchers from the National Hauora Coalition……
See full article HERE

Aotearoa's first Māori Supreme Court judge returns to his tūrangawaewae to be knighted
Aotearoa's first Supreme Court judge of Māori heritage has returned to his tūrangawaewae today to be knighted by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy.

He told his tribe, though, that he had set a trap – they were all staying the weekend for a tribal planning session.

“Here we are, for a day and a half, to dream visions of an iwi future.”…..
See full article HERE

Whānau and hapū of Te Waiariki seek legal counsel over sale of ancestral lands
Whānau and hapū of Te Waiariki are activating legal expertise to consider 'every legal avenue possible' to raise concerns over the sale of their ancestral lands which are currently owned by DOC.

For over two weeks the working group, Te Matakīrea o Pātaua has led the response from affected whānau and hapū of Te Waiariki, holding an occupation on land at Te Mautohe ki Pātaua just outside of Whangārei…….
See full article HERE

Articles:
Next steps for Three Waters Reform

Next steps for Māori representation in Local Government

Further Councils considering establishing Māori wards


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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