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Saturday, May 15, 2021

Breaking Views Update: Week of 9.05.21







Saturday May 15, 2021 

News:
Protest planned after Napier City Council holds off on Māori wards until 2025
A protest is being planned after Napier City Council voted against Māori Wards for the 2022 local body elections.

Napier City Council was planning for consultation and engagement on the establishment of Māori wards in Napier.

The proposed consultation with mana whenua and the Napier community was planned during the coming months, allowing councillors to make a decision on Māori ward(s) by November 2021.

But it would miss the government deadline of May 21 this year,….
See full article HERE

Wanganui mayor aims to bring iwi on to council committees – Māori wards or not
Wanganui mayor Hamish McDouall is looking to make good on his intention to have iwi representation on Wanganui District Council's three main committees.

He says the aim is to improve Māori participation in decision-making at the council table whether Māori wards are brought in or not, and representation with speaking and voting rights will be an advancement.

"In 2019 when I got re-elected I stood on the Opera House stage and I said I want iwi representation on the three main committees of council within this term……
See full article HERE

Submissions Indicate Support For Maaori Wards
Council’s consultation on Maaori wards and other means of achieving Maaori representation has closed, with 994 people sharing their voice between 16 April and 10 May.

Staff analysis indicates that more than four out of five people who submitted (81%) favoured Council introducing Maaori wards to achieve better representation.
See full article HERE

Karakia as iwi break sod for Carrington development
Tāmaki Makaurau MP Peeni Henare says iwi are emerging as some of the most progressive developers in the city.

Mr Henare was in Mt Albert this morning for the blessing of a part of the Carrington site on which Waiōhua, Te Ākitai and Ngāi Tai are partnering with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development on a development.

The crown holds more than 26 hectares on what it is now calling Carrington, including land bought from the polytechnic Unitec, and it’s drawing up plans for a mix of high density apartments and lower density housing……
See full article HERE

No plans for early consideration of Māori Ward in Tasman District
A representation review to consider a Māori Ward “at this point would be out of cycle”, says Tasman District mayor Tim King.

Representation reviews attracted a lot of interest and debate, requiring a significant investment in time and resources, King said…….
See full article HERE

'Named after monsters' — Tauranga suburb clashes over its controversial namesake
A campaign to rename a small Tauranga suburb has sparked debate in the region.

Greerton is controversially named after British Colonel Henry Greer, who led a bloody campaign in the region nearly 160 years ago.

"Well, given the history of the person it's named after, who pretty much slaughtered women and children, everything's wrong about it. There's pretty much nothing right about it," said campaigner Tommy Wilson……
See full article HERE

Iwi water tanks offer relief for dry north
Te Rūnanga Nui ō Te Aupōuri has won government backing to lead an $8 million project to install up to 1000 water tanks in the far north for homes and community facilities.

Acting Emergency Management Minister Kris Faafoi says funding for Te Hiku water security project will come from the National Emergency Management Agency’s drought financial assistance package……
See full article HERE

RMA & water: 'Crunch time' for Māori grappling with flood of critical reforms
Tangata whenua grappling with a deluge of environmental and water reforms say setting up "super-entities" to deal with water would widen the gap between Māori and decision-making.

Māori from Ruapehu, Whanganui, South Taranaki and Rangitīkei are organising regionally to develop a comprehensive position on resource management reforms and freshwater rights and interests…….
See full article HERE

Articles:
A bombshell ruling - Dr Muriel Newman

Notes on the judgement of Churchman J. in the case of re Edwards – Anthony Willy

Falling between two treaties: a reply to Dr Emily Beausoleil. - ChrisTrotter

Police and their Minister duck Maori Party question which drew attention to something troubling about children and the cops 

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 14, 2021 

News: 
Wellington City Council agrees to introduce Māori ward 
Wellington City Council has agreed to establish a Māori ward from next year, joining 19 other local authorities in agreeing to add the new ward following changes to local government legislation earlier this year.

The new ward will be included in time for next year’s local body elections, and comes after councillors also agreed two weeks ago to establish iwi voting rights on all but one council committee from July.

Councillors voted 13-2 in favour of the move, with just Nicola Young and Malcolm Sparrow voting against it…….
See full article HERE

Māori Ward resolution 'just the first step' for Nelson
The Nelson City Council has voted to establish a Māori Ward in time for the 2022 local government elections.

Councillors voted strongly in favour of the decision, which was put forward at a full meeting of council on Thursday morning…….
See full article HERE

Maori ward request (Dunedin City Council)
The Dunedin City Council has been asked to reconsider the creation of a Māori ward for the city.

Desiree Mahy said the creation of a Māori ward would give Māori “a seat at [the council] table, not an advisory group that you can pick and choose what issues you take to and take or leave their views”…..
See full article HERE

$6m economic recovery project under way at Whanganui and South Taranaki marae
Work is under way on more than $6 million of upgrades for marae in the Whanganui and South Taranaki regions as part of a regional economic recovery drive.

Renovations at 26 marae are expected to create hundreds of jobs in the region. The programme is funded by the Provincial Growth Fund and being rolled out by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Provincial Development Unit……
See full article HERE

Small loans can make a big difference for Māori business
A groundbreaking initiative is aimed at revitalising the Māori economy through the power of koha.

Indigishare was developed during lockdown to help Māori businesses by developing a more sustainable economic model. It includes a crowdfunding platform where Māori put out a karanga to other Māori businesses for support.

Chair Maria Ngawati said part of that is setting up a mechanism or a platform whereby whānau can koha to other Māori…..
See full article HERE

Te mana o te wai puts planners on right course
A Māori environmental planner says planners and engineers have no choice than to get to grips with Māori ideas and aspirations.

Tina Porou spoke to the Water New Zealand Stormwater Conference in Tauranga yesterday about how stormwater can’t be seen in isolation from drinking water and waste water.

She says now the concept of te mana o te wai is in the national policy statement for fresh water, the sector can no longer ignore mātauranga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.....
See full article HERE

Ruapehu councillor walks out of meeting over karakia
A Ruapehu district councillor refused to stay in the room for a 12-second karakia to open a council meeting.

Taumarunui councillor Adie Doyle stopped an opening of a full council meeting immediately after mayor Don Cameron asked councillor Elijah Pue to open the meeting, as he has done regularly in recent months.

Doyle said he was uncomfortable with opening a public meeting with any formal system of belief, whether it was "a karakia, a Hail Mary or an Our Father"……
See full article HERE

Reserve Bank of New Zealand hiring senior adviser Te Ao Maori
Senior Adviser Te Ao Māori
Reserve Bank of New Zealand Wellington, Wellington Region, New Zealand…..
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Taika Waititi challenges teachers to 'unteach racism' in effort to address prejudice 

Thursday May 13, 2021 
News: 
Māori wards will enhance Hamilton City Council decision-making, says leader 
A vote to establish Māori wards in Hamilton will create a more inclusive council that’s reflective of the wider community, tangata whenua say.

Waikato-Tainui has submitted on a proposal to create Māori wards in Hamilton – one of more than a thousand submissions received by council during a three-week public engagement campaign.

City councillors will meet on May 19 to debate and decide whether to create Māori wards in time for the 2022 election. Waipā District Council will also meet that day to vote on the issue……
See full article HERE

Hikoi fails to sway Manawatu mayor
The mayor of Manawatū remains unmoved by yesterday’s hikoi asking her to revisit the council’s rejection of Māori wards.

Helen Worboys says she will put the question again next year - too late to have a seat included in the 2022 local government election……
See full article HERE

Kaumātua wants Māori boss to push for iwi in council
A Taranaki kaumātua wants New Plymouth District Council to hire a senior Māori manager to drive iwi issues.

Peter Moeahu told Te Huinga Taumatua, the council's Māori advisory committee, that the council needs to show commitment to strong relationships with Māori.

“One way of doing that is to have someone focused on issues relevant to tangata whenua, relevant to iwi, so that those issues can be driven through council.”…..
See full article HERE

Napier City Council plans to consult on establishing Maori wards
They allow those on the Maori Electoral Roll to vote for Councillors to represent Maori.

But its proposed consultation will miss a Government's deadline of Friday next week.

Mayor Kirsten Wise says the two and a half month timeframe set by Government isn't long enough.
See full article HERE

Weekend 'Marae Stay' organised to connect Hindu, Maori communities
Two local youth groups have taken the lead in establishing closer ties between two communities in the country.

Hindu Youth New Zealand and New Zealand Hindu Students Forum have organised a "Marae Stay" in Rotorua this weekend in an effort to connect the Hindu and Maori communities.

"These marae stays serve as an opportunity for the Hindu community in New Zealand to connect with tangata whenua, ​experience staying at a traditional marae and learn about the numerous similarities between the Hindu and Māori communities, be it socially, culturally, or spiritually," says HYNZ president Murali Magesan……
See full article HERE

Māori Business Identifier Goes Live
For the first time Māori businesses can identify themselves as a Māori business on the New Zealand Business Number register. By registering as a Māori business they will benefit from the opportunities provided by the NZBN, doing business with confidence and certainty, connecting and interacting more easily, with more accuracy, saving time and money.

Government can also start to understand the contribution that Māori businesses make to the economy, make it easier for investment or collaboration and help better measure the effectiveness of government policies for Māori. Government and non-government agencies will no longer have to rely on surveys to get up-to-date information on Māori economic activity……
See full article HERE

New gun laws: Concern Māori will be unfairly penalised
There are fears that proposed new gun laws aiming to curb gang violence will affect Māori with only loose connections to gangs.

The Criminal Proceeds Act would also be amended alongside reforms to firearms prohibition orders.

It will introduce new powers enabling police to seize things like houses or cars of those associated with gangs when a person's legitimate income was deemed likely insufficient to have acquired those assets.

Both bills will be in front of the House before the end of the year……
See full article HERE

Iwi to be consulted on proposed Department of Conservation policy changes
Iwi consultation on changes needed to bring the Department of Conservation's policies in line with the Treaty of Waitangi, as per its legislation, is going ahead.

The draft recommendations from the options development group include: providing for the delegation, transfer and devolution of functions and powers within the conservation system to tangata whenua, revoking Crown ownership of indigenous species, and ensuring decisions on conservation give weight to mātauranga (Māori knowledge) and upholding tikanga.

It also calls for the resolution of tangata whenua rights and interests in fresh water and marine environments, and reforming the ownership model of public conservation lands and waters "to reflect the enduring relationships tangata whenua have with these places and the resources/taonga that reside within them"……
See full article HERE

WATCH VIDEO: Māori Party walks out of House denouncing 'racist questions' with rousing haka
Te Paati Māori has walked out of Parliament with a rousing haka over what they say was a "constant barrage of racist questions" from Opposition leader Judith Collins to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern......
See video HERE

West Coast DHB mulls free Māori health checks
The West Coast District Health Board is exploring the idea of free health checks for all Māori in their 50th year.

Ministry of Health figures show Māori suffer heart disease, respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer at more than twice the rate of Pākehā, and have a lower life expectancy.

The DHB's Māori health team now has funding approved to plan and scope the 50th birthday initiative, Māori health general manager Gary Coghlan reported…..
See full article HERE

Video:
He Puapua

Propaganda:
Local Authorities Urged ‘Not To Wait’ For Education On Māori Wards

Waikato University aims to become New Zealand's first 'anti-racist institute 

Wednesday May 12, 2021 

News: 
Māori wards change was fast-tracked against official advice 
Councils have been moving quickly to establish Māori wards after the Government itself fast-tracked the removal of ‘racist’ restrictions – but officials were less keen on such a swift process.

The Government's decision to streamline the process for new Māori wards for next year's local body elections came against the advice of officials, who warned skipping a full policy development and public consultation process could prove controversial and undermine progress on the changes.

Instead, the department suggested either enacting changes within the current term of Parliament but not having them come into effect until 2023 (meaning any newly established Māori wards would be in place for the 2025 local elections) or reviewing the Māori wards process as part of broader, longer-term local elections reform......
See full article HERE

Māori ward hot topic at Invercargill City Council
Invercargill deputy electoral officer Michael Morris recommended that the Invercargill City Council not join other councils in creating a Māori ward for the next election, but consider mana whenua seats at the council table.

His recommendations were made after Ngai Tahu had made it clear they did not want a Māori ward.

Under the recommended option, which councillors agreed to on Tuesday, council staff would be directed to work with mana whenua to create mana whenua seats instead.

“These seats would be exclusively for mana whenua and would not be elected by the voting public. The seats would be on the council’s standing committees that come with voting rights and an advisory seat on full council (non-voting),” Morris says in the report…..
See full article HERE

Whakatane aims to meet Maori seat deadline
Whakatāne District Council will hold an extraordinary meeting next week to vote on whether or not to establish Māori wards.

The council has consulted with its iwi forum and also asked for feedback from its youth council and four community boards…..
See full article HERE

Manawatu iwi give council taste of backlash
Manawatū Māori will march on the offices of the Manawatū District Council this morning to demand councillors to reconsider last week’s decision to defer consideration of Māori wards until 2023…..
See full article HERE

More on the above here > Hundreds of people join march for Māori wards in Manawatū

Goff counting on law change for Maori seat
Auckland mayor Phil Goff is counting on a law change later this year to allow the super city to create a Māori ward in time for the 2025 local government election.

So far 13 of the 29 territorial local authorities across Aotearoa will have Māori seats after next year’s election, and Māori in Feilding this morning marched on the Manawatū District Council to demand it revisit its decision not to create a ward.

Mayor Goff says having a seat representing voters on the Māori roll brings councils in line with the arrangements for central government and increases diversity around the table……
See full article HERE

DOC Quietly Puts Iwi Land Consultation On Hold
The Government has suddenly placed consultations with iwi on how the Department of Conservation can give better effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, on-hold following National releasing the draft recommendations last week.

The DOC website has been updated to say ‘consultation is currently on hold until further notice’……
See full article HERE

Te Wāhi Āwhina community space opens with blessing
Te Wāhi Āwhina, a community support space in Manners Street, has officially opened following a dawn blessing this morning (Tuesday 11 May).

Te Wāhi Āwhina is one of the Council’s commitments to The Pōneke Promise – a joint social contract launched in April with Greater Wellington Regional Council, the City’s hospitality industry, retailers, and Police……
See full article HERE

Powhiri as kiwifruit giant expands footprint
Kiwifruit export company Seeka has been officially welcomed to Ōpōtiki to celebrate its amalgamation with Ōpōtiki Packing and Cool Storage, or OPAC.

He says Seeka’s Māori kiwifruit footprint now exends from Te Tai Tokerau through to Te Moana a Toi and further east to Tūranganui a Kiwa.....
See full article HERE

ACC acknowledges commitment to Māori health outcomes with proposed new strategy
ACC is laying down a commitment to transform and improve Māori health outcomes through their proposed new strategy, Whāia Te Tika.

The strategy seeks to engage with Māori to provide culturally and clinically suitable services with a "by Māori for Māori" approach.

According to statistics from ACC - the Accident Compensation Corporation - Māori contributed to 26 percent of active sensitive claims and 24 percent of the active serious injury claims……
See full article HERE

Māori Party have 'grave concerns' over incoming laws targeting gangs
Māori Party co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi say they will fight the Government's incoming laws targeting gangs.

"The reality is we're always dealing with the double down and the profiling of us as Māori," Ngarewa-Packer said.

"If it’s targeting gangs, it’s targeting Māori," Waititi said……
See full article HERE

Children celebrate Māori culture through sport and games
Manawatū schoolchildren have been immersed in traditional Māori games as a way of building relationships and wellbeing.

Palmerston North’s Whakarongo School hosted a Ngā Taonga Tākaro festival on Tuesday, where about 200 children from 13 primary schools in the region took part.

The event was aimed to celebrate Māori culture through sport and games, promote schools working together, learn about traditional Māori games and their whakapapa, and build connections between schools and marae…..
See full article HERE

Articles:
He Puapua - the report dividing Parliament

Propaganda:
Māori ward in Manawatū District only path to an inclusive democracy

Māori youth key to ending high Māori prison population rates


A more just, honourable and inclusive Aotearoa 

Tuesday May 11, 2021 

News: 
Manawatū iwi resign from council over Māori wards decision 
Marae, iwi and hapū have broken ties with the Manawatū District Council over accusations of cowardice and disrespect.

Te Kōtui Reo Taumata, the Manawatū collective of tangata whenua, have expressed their dismay at the council's unwillingness to establish a Māori ward, and have vowed not to return to the council table until one is established.

Collective spokesperson Meihana Durie said the council’s move on May 6 to defer a decision on Māori wards ran the risk of the region appearing “backward” during a national move towards co-governance…..
See full article HERE

Overwhelming support for Māori ward in Wellington
Wellington City Council has received overwhelming support for establishing a Māori ward from next year, with 94 per cent of submitters backing the idea.

City councillors agreed in principle in March to establish a Māori ward subject to public feedback, which was carried out during April.

That feedback attracted 189 responses, with 177 in favour of the proposal and just 12 opposed.

The additional ward will be included in time for next year’s local body elections, and comes after councillors also agreed two weeks ago to establish iwi voting rights on all but one council committee from July……
See full article HERE

Whakatōhea hapū win customary marine title case
"The court has found that territorial local authorities providing resource consents to people to use foreshore and seabed doesn't extinguish Māori ownership and rights to the same foreshore and seabed subject of that resource consent," she said.

The party's other co-leader Rawiri Waititi added that, "All land upon which there is significant traffic by way of fishing and or boating has been found also to be within Māori rights to ownership.".....
See full article HERE

More on the above here > Iwi win foreshore and seabed recognition

And here > He says customary title means if anyone want a say in either conservation or commercial use of the space, they will need to do so in partnership with iwi and hapū.

Trail plans trample culture say iwi and hapū
Iwi and hapū say cultural values are being trampled in plans for two cycle and walking trails in the New Plymouth district.

One trail would connect Te Papakura o Taranaki national park with the coast through the Kaitake range southwest of New Plymouth, while the other would extend the city’s coastal walkway east to Waitara.

Ngā Māhanga a Tāiri, a grouping of two hapū, had gifted a tupuna name to the proposed Kaitake trail – Te Ara a Ruhihiweratini.

But spokesperson, Tāne Manu, said Ngā Māhanga a Tāiri now oppose the trail plans.......
See full article HERE

Former National minister supports DoC giving iwi more conservation land
In a discussion document from a recent hui, DOC recommends overhauling conservation legislation to be more in line with the Treaty of Waitangi.

This would entail delegating and transferring power over doc land to local iwi.

However, National's former treaty negotiations minister Chris Finlayson says that when he took over the portfolio, he thought DoC needed to "get real" to act in accordance with the Treaty.

Finlayson says that he was always very careful with the National Park, but there was a lot of land he thought should be given to iwi……
See full article HERE

Taranaki iwi seek resources from council to support relationship
Iwi want more money to cope with a flood of resource consents in Taranaki.

Taranaki Regional Council considers about 400 consent applications a year and many of them require input from Māori about cultural impacts, especially on waterways.

Te Ātiawa told a hearing for the council's Long Term Plan that iwi and hapū need money to help decide and monitor consents…….
See full article HERE

Articles:
Here’s a letter to the editor you might have missed on science and how it should be shaped by the Treaty and spirituality

Kerre McIvor: All parties should be involved in large scale doc changes

Propaganda:
New Zealand Inc needs its workers to be multi-lingual

We're growing up as a nation 

Monday May 10, 2021 

News: 
Judith Collins calls for 'national conversation' from Jacinda Ardern after controversial He Puapua report 
Speaking on Sunday at the lower North Island Regional Conference, National Party leader Collins said there needs to be a conversation about the He Puapua suggestions and believes "separate systems is not what will help New Zealand in 2021".

"I think this is a vitally important question for all New Zealanders to consider. There are times when we, as a nation, need to have hard conversations.

"This is a conversation that needs to be had. People are concerned."

Collins said if anyone was "questioning" why she was raising the topic she would "ask them to reflect on the many changes the Government has made in the past 24 months alone".

The changes Government has made that align with recommendations of He Puapua, outlined in Collins' speech, include:.......
See full article HERE

More Māori seats on councils look likely in Hawke's Bay
Submissions on dedicated Māori wards for Hastings District Council are open until Wednesday this week.

It would be the local-government equivalent of the Māori seats in Parliament, with only those on the Māori roll eligible to vote for Māori ward candidates.

There is limited time for public consultation to be ready for next year's elections, but council staff say they have hit the ground running after the council's decision on April 22 to go forward on the issue…..
See full article HERE

Top of the south iwi back Māori Ward proposal
The chairs of Te Tauihu iwi have unanimously thrown their support behind the establishment of Māori Wards across councils at the top of the south.

In a statement put forward by the Te Tauihu Iwi Chairs Forum, iwi representatives have written to the Nelson City Council, Tasman District Council, and Marlborough District Council to express their “explicit desire” to see Māori Wards enacted at all three councils.

The forum stated their position had been motivated in part by the changes made to the Māori Wards Act in March, which removed the mandatory and binding community polls on Māori Ward resolutions from the legislation.

“Te Tauihu Iwi chairs now look to the mayors of Te Tauihu to ensure that iwi Māori appointed representation is able to sit at the council table on equal terms with other councillors.”….
See full article HERE

National's opposition to policies promoting Māori equity unlikely to gain them much traction — commentator
National’s opposition to policies which promote equity and power-sharing with Māori, characterising them as “separatist”, are unlikely to gain them as much traction as they have in the past, a right-leaning political commentator has warned.

Moko Tepania, a Far North District Councillor who helped shepherd through the introduction of Māori wards, called National’s objection to the wards hypocritical.

"I think it’s actually laughable to say that 'we’re going to stand in central government seats but we don’t agree with local seats'."……
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
He Puapua report bogged down in 'swamp of politics'

Ōrewa’s ugly echoes 

Sunday May 9, 2021 

News: 
Bay of Plenty iwi granted customary rights to several marine areas 
In a landmark ruling, the High Court has granted a Bay of Plenty iwi customary rights to several marine areas which could set a precedent for iwi around the country.

The ruling involves several hapū, in an area between Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki and has effectively granted a new form of property right, known as customary marine title.

“I think it's going to be interesting to see what kind of precedent that sets for hearings that take place in other rohe,” says Hudson……
See full article HERE

Māori content shake up for law schools
All law schools in Aotearoa will have to include Māori content in their core courses, AUT Law School Interim Dean Khylee Quince (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Roroa) has told followers online.

"Today we unanimously passed a resolution requiring the teaching and assessment of concepts of Te Ao Māori and Tikanga Māori in ALL core courses. This means all law schools will have to include Māori content in contract and torts for example. In addition, in November we will consider a prescription for the teaching of tikanga Māori as a separate core course, after this was passed in principle last year."….
See full article HERE

Report shows shocking rate of violence experienced by wāhine Maori
Half of wāhine Maori have experienced sexual or physical violence according to data provided within a 2020 government report briefing.

Now a new government initiative launched this week in Mangere at Wharewātea Marae aims to hear survivors' voices - and craft ways to deal with the statistics.

The government's bringing together 10 departments under the programme, Te Hau Tangata, to tackle the issue…..
See full article HERE

Articles:
Roger Childs: Having a Balanced History Curriculum


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
 

2 comments:

Ray S said...

"Bay of Plenty iwi granted customary rights to several marine areas"
A precedent has been set. The flood gates will now open. Thank you John Key.

DeeM said...

Well done Manawatu District Council! Finally, a council that believes in democracy and has not bowed to the woke wave. May many other NZ councils follow your example.